CHAPTER 3

~ELLIE 

Arriving home, dread soaked into my nerves the moment I heard my father had summoned me.

Stepping into the sitting room, my body stiffened as my father’s icy glare sliced through me. Sitting next to him was Luna Marie, and behind them stood Blake, arms crossed with a closed-off expression.

Bella was lounging on the adjacent sofa, smirking.

I wondered what she was gaining from all this, bringing the news to Father and Luna Marie, who looked like she could dump me into a sewer right now if she were given the opportunity.

“Will you start talking, or do you want me to make you?” Father’s voice was falsely calm, but his eyes were filled with anger.

“I-I…”

I stuttered as I threw a glance at Blake. He tightened his face, his eyes holding a stern warning.

“None of the stuff I wrote was true.” I swallowed hard as I spoke in a small voice. “Nothing like that happened between us.”

“And you expect us to believe that?” Bella scoffed, interrupting our father. I could imagine being dead by now if I did that. “You’ve been smelling like Blake lately, and we all know what that means.”

I wondered why Luna Marie wasn’t saying anything as she narrowed her eyes like she was piecing things together or maybe even realizing the truth.

“Is that true?” Father furiously glared at Blake.

“Yes, Dad,” Blake confidently continued, lying through his teeth. “It’s because she’s been sneaking around my closet, wearing my clothes.” He looked at me briefly and added, “That’s probably why she’s been sexually fantasizing about me in her book.”

My mouth slightly parted open from shock, and then anger curled inside my chest. How could he throw me under the bus like that?

My father returned his gaze to me with a dagger-like look, causing me to swallow my words as I was about to tell them it was all lies.

“Oh, now you’re fantasizing about your brother?” Luna Marie sharply interjected. If she were closer, she would’ve landed me a slap. The anger in her eyes told me as much. “How useless can you be, huh?”

“Say something, Charles,” Luna Marie said to Father. “Blake is no longer safe with her, and if she one day acts on those thoughts, you know what that means for the pack!”

Right. Like I could just force myself on Blake.

I scoffed quietly as I averted my gaze to Blake, and he quickly avoided my eyes. What a coward. 

“I’m not surprised you keep proving how worthless you are.” Father’s words still cut like sharp knives even though I’d heard them more times than I could count. He continued, “I’ll never allow your foolishness to bring shame and reproach to my pack and this family.”

“From now on, you are not to be seen around Blake,” he added. “In fact, your job is to serve Bella from now on.”

Blake scowled, locking his jaw imperceptibly at Father’s order as Bella smirked at me in a way that made my stomach tighten.

“Good decision!” Luna Marie said  and looked at me like I was filth. “Take your dirty little self out of here and join the other servants to prepare dinner for our guest.”

“Mom…” Blake said tersely.

“I’m making her useful!” She cut him off at once. “And you should be grateful I won’t be allowing her to sit with us for dinner when your mate comes. I don’t want her embarrassing us in the presence of Kristen.”

Luna Marie’s words rang cruelly in my ears and I darted my gaze to Blake, expecting to hear him deny what I had just heard. 

He didn’t. If anything, his eyes were everywhere but on me, almost as if he was deliberately avoiding looking my way, and that body language?

It told me everything and undid me in the worst way possible. 

My chest caved in so sharply that my eyes instantly glossed over and my vision swam with tears. 

I couldn’t believe he had been lying to me all these freaking years, making me think there was something special between us. But Looking back at everything now, I felt so stupid for trusting his words that Kristen was just a friend. I felt used, like a freaking damn toy, like something he’d played with by the side and disposed of once it was inconvenient for him. 

I fought back the tears as my throat worked greedily, the urge to cry out the pain tearing at my insides overwhelmed me I almost exploded from the inside out.

“Actually, Mom.” Bella stood up from the couch, speaking with a sickeningly sweet voice. “I’ll be needing her services first. She needs to tidy up my room.”

“Make it snappy,” 

Luna Marie glared to me.

Bella pulled me along with her, passing Blake’s side and Blake  looked like he wanted to interfere but stopped himself as I glared at him. Something that resembled regret flashed in his eyes.

He was the reason I was subjected to this humiliation, and now he wanted to help me out?

I didn’t need him. Hell, I didn’t even want to see his face again.

By the time we reached Bella’s room, a spot had reddened on my arm where she gripped me.

I could practically feel my blood flowing freely as she released my arm.

My eyes darted around. A classic princess-type bedroom. It was nothing like my shabby room in the pack house, with the old paint peeling off the walls.

I frowned, seeing that her room was already put together. “There is nothing to do here, Bella.”

“Really?” She smiled mischievously. “Let’s see!”

She moved to her desk and intentionally dropped a flower vase on the floor, the shards spreading all over the place.

“Oopsie!” She chuckled evilly. “Clean that up!”

Then she picked up some books, flinging them in different directions. I ducked as she aimed one at me, laughing like it was funny.

My hands instinctively balled at my sides as I watched her turn the room into a complete mess, throwing her clothes all over the place. Then she dragged off the bedsheet and tossed it at my face.

“There!” She smirked, looking satisfied. “Be fast about it!”

She strutted out of the room, bumping her shoulder against mine and causing me to stumble back.

As the door closed behind her, I sighed brokenly, feeling a sharp ache in my chest from everything that was happening to me.

Pushing the thoughts of Blake’s betrayal to the back of my mind, I went down on my knees to pick up the shards, knowing it wouldn’t be funny if Luna Marie came down here because I wasn’t being snappy enough.

And then I saw it.

Sitting among the mess was the Nightfall Academy party invite Olive had told me about on our ride to school.

I carefully picked it up, a thought forming in my head. I pulled my phone out of my pocket and dialed Olive’s number.

It connected on the first ring.

“Hey, girl!” Olive’s voice came from the other end. “About what happened at school…”

“I don’t want to talk about it, Olive,” I calmly interrupted her.

To be honest, I didn’t even want to think about it because that was the beginning of everything falling apart in my life.

“Okay,” Olive muttered, a tinge of worry in her voice. “So why did you call?”

“The Nightfall party,” I replied. “Are you still attending?”

“Yes,” she answered, excitement returning to her voice.

“Can I come with you?”

Olive went silent for half a second, obviously surprised by my request.

Just as expected, she asked curiously, “Why the change of heart?”

My mind reeled back to Blake. He was going to bring Kristen over and parade her as his girlfriend during dinner. 

The thought of it forced the tears I had been holding back to fall. But I forced my voice to remain steady as I replied, “I just need to take my mind off some things, and maybe the fun could help.”

“Actually… I kind of sold the extra invite.” She sighed softly. “I’m so sorry, El. I wish you could come with me without one.”

I looked down at Bella’s invite in my hand for a moment, my mind at war with itself as I thought through the decision I was about to make.