Chapter 5

The family table was cold despite the steamy hot pot in the middle. Alpha Maximus and Nora, Isis’s mum, watched as the children stayed silent, both busy on their phones.

“Did you think this situation is good?” Nora asked silently, slightly afraid something would go wrong if Isis continued being like this.

Max sighed and picked at some spinach. “I don’t know what to do about Sam anymore.”

Nora shook her head, looking at Isis. She noticed that she was the one ignoring Sam, and her attitude showed she was hiding something. Smiling beautifully, Nora tapped her daughter. “Baby, drop your phone for a second and eat.”

Isis looked up from over her phone with a fiery gaze that sent panic to Nora’s heart. “Did I need your permission to use my phone now, Mum?”

Samuel Armani looked up from his phone and watched the rude girl with a snort. “You seem to have no ounce of filter in your mouth.”

“Did you just speak to me?” Isis shot a glance at Samuel. “Since when did you have the right to lecture me about anything I do or not?”

“You should at least respect your mum!” he fired back. “Can’t you...”

“Sam,” Max called out when he saw that the situation would go out of hand if he didn’t interrupt. “Drop that phone and eat.”

Samuel looked at his father sternly for a while, but given the stares from Nora and Isis, he shrugged and obeyed. Silence replaced the tirade once again, and everyone ate in peace before going to bed.

Getting to her room, Isis sadly sank into the bed with her doll. ‘Only if you can shift, I would have suggested we go for a run to clear our heads,’ her wolf suggested.

She turned around on the bed. ‘I don’t need a run to clear my head. I just want to get out of here. It’s already suffocating so much that I want to give up everything and run away.’

But Isis knew that she wouldn’t be able to do that. She didn’t have the heart to leave her mother behind, and the reality of this made her even sadder. Before she slept, she received an email from her department with the reports for the performance at the sports competition.

She eagerly checked her own and luckily, out of the 50 journalists that were selected for Hale’s class, she was the thirtieth with the worst result. Hale’s suggestion was written by the side of the report: “One more chance, Isis Cepheus, or else you will be withdrawn from class.”

Her heart sank. Hale’s class was the most important class at school! She flung her phone to the corner with sadness and pulled the duvet over herself.

‘She caused this,’ she cried to her wolf. ‘Mum was the reason why I failed to interview Dalton!’ With that cry, she fell asleep in sadness.

Samuel Armani, in his room, was on a call with Tiara, his girlfriend back at Vineyard pack; a beautiful Gamma and a swimmer herself.

“Don’t worry, baby. I will make sure I come back to pick you and keep you safe,” he promised.

Tiara, a redhead, coughed lightly from the other side before replying. “I trust you, Sam. Just make sure that stepsister of yours doesn't try anything crazy with you. Let her know you have a girlfriend.”

This made Samuel laugh, though it felt a bit forced. “Did you really think someone like Isis could make me forget you?”

He was a very devoted boy to his girlfriend, but even so, he couldn't bring himself to tell her about the guest house. He told her about the mansion and the annoying stepsister, but he kept the "fish boy" incident and the bedroom scene buried deep. He felt disgraced by his own actions and didn't want to risk losing Tiara over a drunken mistake with a girl he now had to call sister.

Quickly switching the topic, he said, “So... I’m resuming classes at EPC tomorrow.”

Tiara sounded sad but replied before ending the call. “All I know is that no girl must take my place inyour heart.”

“No, never. No one will replace you in my heart.”

****

“I go to school every day on the bus, Max. You don’t have to give me a ride,” Isis insisted as Maximus tried to take her to school alongside his son.

Max was tired of trying to get Isis and Samuel on the same page, so he shrugged and kissed her goodbye. Samuel took his second car and left for EPC.

When they were gone, Max planned to take Nora out for shopping. He was waiting in the living room for her when he received a call from an unknown contact.

“Yes?”

The other line was dead silent for a while before a squeaky, old voice came on. “Brother, are you fine?”

His heart sank! That voice was none other than Antonio, his brother.

He jumped up. “Why are you calling me?”

“I called to wish you a happy married life, brother,” Antonio Armani chuckled. “Your new wife looks very beautiful.”

Hearing this, Max’s heart went cold. “Who told you about that?”

“Brother, I’m the Alpha of Vineyard now. I have the power to look into a lot of things that I want.”

Max balled his fists. “Now, do just that and stop...”

The line went dead before he could finish. He heard Nora’s footsteps and quickly pocketed his phone. He was supposed to be the Alpha of Vineyard pack, but his brother had framed him for a crime. For this reason, Max and his son were banished.

He only wanted to live happily here with Nora and wasn't expecting his brother to call now.

‘I smell that he has tricks up his sleeve again,’ his wolf opined.

Nora noticed the uncomfortable look on his face. “What happened?”

Max quickly flashed a smile. “Oh, nothing.”

He had promised never to let Nora know the real reason why he left the pack. He only lied that he was an ordinary widower. They both hopped into the car.

From some corner, Antonio Armani smirked. “You really ran away like a rat, brother.”

The other person standing behind him also chuckled. “Now we should say hello to his dear son and new daughter, right?”

“Shall we?”

Then they left.