CH. 5 HUMILIATED

Selena’s POV

"Shit!" I screamed, watching Dominic's car disappear down the bright street. The bastard actually dumped me here after bailing me out of jail. He could have just left me locked up—it would have been nicer than this humiliation.

My anger was so consuming that I didn't even realize I was standing in the middle of the road. The screech of tires jolted me back to reality. A car was speeding towards me at breakneck speed. I tried to jump, my heart exploding in my chest, adrenaline coursing through my veins.

The car stopped inches from me. I was breathing heavily, my hand pressed against its hood, feeling the heat radiating from the engine. Around me, cars screeched to a halt. Pack members sticking their heads out of their cars and yelling at me.

"Watch where you are going, bitch!"

"This isn't a fucking pedestrian walkway! Are you blind?!?"

I froze, ice trickling through my veins at the sound of their voices, feeling small and embarrassed. I wished Dominic would come back, but deep down, I knew he wouldn't.

Blinding headlights attacked my eyes. I raised my hand to shield myself, hearing heavy footsteps approaching me. A deep, angry voice cut through the air. "Do you have a death wish? You could have been hit by my car; just consider yourself lucky!"

The tone softened immediately. "Are you okay? I hope you aren’t injured anywhere."

I squinted, trying to see the person behind the voice, but the lights were too bright. I managed a weak nod. "I'm fine."

Something flew at me, smacking hard against my cheek. "Ow! What the hell?" I squatted down, rubbing my stinging skin, and discovered a bundle of money.

The mysterious voice spoke again. "Consider it charity that a lot more than an average member of this pack makes a month. Next time, learn to watch where you are going, commoner."

Outraged, I was about to throw the money back, but when I looked up, the person had vanished. The car's engine roared to life, and this time I knew it would hit me for sure.

"I don't need your fucking money!" I shouted, scrambling away from the car.

Crossing the busy street to the other side, I stared at the money. My ego fought with my desperation. Almost feeling victorious, I waved down a taxi, climbed in, and instructed the driver to take me to the Starlight Hotel.

As the city lights twisted past, I thought about Dominic. How could he change so much? The man I once loved had become a stranger. Leaving my pack for him seemed like the most stupid decision of my life.

The taxi finally stopped after a few minutes. I paid the driver, using part of the mysterious cash, and rushed into the hotel. My kids were waiting. The exhaustion of the day weighed on me, but the thought of seeing them gave me strength.

I walked towards room 302, but unease leaked into my blood. Sounds of argument echoed through the hallway, and I prayed that it wasn’t our room and had nothing to do with my kids.

I pushed open the door and froze, shocked by the sight before me. The front desk staff and another hotel employee were in the room; they were both demanding to speak with me. Anna was trying her best to handle the situation, arms crossed defiantly across her chest as the younger children huddled on the bed, little Jacob’s cries breaking my heart.

As I stepped into the messy room, my foot crunched against something underfoot. Taking in the mess—the walls and surfaces smudged with countless foods, the clear signs of a wild food fight—I let out a weary sigh, shaking my head in disappointment.

"Mom," Anna murmured as my gaze landed on her.

The staff members both turned to face me, the front desk woman immediately shushing me. "I don't want to hear any silly excuses," she snapped, her voice all sharp edges. "Is this how you raise your children? This is a hotel, not your home that you can just mess up anyhow you like!"

The other employee cut in, her tone equally hurtful. "Your kids are so spoiled. They act like wild wolves and don’t respect their elders, you have failed as a mother."

I clenched my fists, my anger running hot in my veins at her statement. "How dare you speak about my children that way?" I snapped, my voice loud. "Is this how you guys treat your guests? It’s just kids being kids, making a mess, it’s not that big of a deal. If I tip the cleaners extra, they will have it sorted in no time, but I am going to have my kids take care of it—"

"We wouldn’t be talking if that’s the only thing," the desk woman interrupted me. "But your children stole the food that was meant for another room."

My mouth dropped open in disbelief. "My kids would never steal! I raised them better than that."

But the staff member shook her head, indifferent. "We haven't reported you to management yet, but we will let it slide if you pay for the food."

Clenching my teeth, I demanded to speak to the manager, insisting my children would never do such a thing. But the woman simply pulled out an iPad, tapping the screen.

"I'm afraid I have evidence," she said, turning the device to show me security footage.

My heartbeat skyrocketed as I watched Rose sneaking around the corridor and monitoring the movements of the server. When the server entered the hotel room, she confidently stole the food cart outside. I was utterly ashamed, unable to defend my daughter's actions.

Swallowing hard, I asked how much the stolen food cost. The reply—$3,000—made my stomach clench. Digging into my purse, I counted out the exact amount, handing it over with a bowed head.

"I apologize for the inconvenience," I murmured. "I will be sure to set my children straight."

The staff members scoffed as they exited, leaving me to face the aftermath alone. Where had I gone wrong as a mother? I needed answers.

Turning to my children, I found them all pretending to be asleep, except for Anna, who stood firm. Striding to the bed, I hovered around Rose, who reluctantly sat up, avoiding my gaze.

"Why did you do it?" I pressed, my voice dropped in volume. "I know you wouldn't steal without a good reason."

Rose nibbled on her lip, finally meeting my eyes. "Uh, w-we were all hungry, and Jacob was crying so much. I couldn't just ignore him; that’s why I... did it."

I let out a groan, her reasoning striking a major chord. I knew how persistent and stubborn my youngest could be.

"That doesn't make it right," I scolded, my voice growing stronger, angrier. "You could have just ordered room service when I came back, and I would have settled the bill. Because of you, I was—" Anna cut in.

"We tried that, but the home phone isn’t working, Mom. That’s why we couldn’t order." She explained.

Returning my gaze to Rose, I ordered her to look at me. "What do you have to say for yourself, young lady?"

Blowing a strand of hair from her face, she murmured, "I'm sorry, Mommy. It won't happen again."

I heaved a sigh. "That apology won't fix this. I was humiliated because of your actions. It's like I didn't raise you all properly."

Rose apologized again, but I cut her off. "Sorry isn't enough." I replied, raising my voice. "The rest of you, stop pretending to be asleep and get up, we have a lot of cleaning to do."

Abruptly, my little Jacob sat up, reaching for me. "Mommy, I missed you!" he cried, flinging his arms around me.

I smiled, hugging him tight. His blonde hair and ocean-blue eyes were a mirror image of his father's, but my son was so different—sweet and smart, someone I refused to lose, despite being so cruelly deceived. I needed to find another way for him to get that treatment.