Chapter Five

As Aramina got home, she could perceive her stepmother's perfume, she came back early…well, another month of hell before she decides on another country to go to.

But she hadn’t expected to find her bags on the balcony. She knocked at the door, and since it was bolted from the inside, her stepmother stepped out along with her two daughters, she was a beautiful woman, and a good actress too; she often pretended that Aramina was the best thing she had ever happened to her but indoors, Aramina must do things according to her rules. The basement with its little window was her room, this was despite the fact that the house had over seven rooms.

“…and the little princess arrives, my my, what are these fabulous clothes you are wearing, Zee here tells me you’ve been going around sleeping with men for money”

 Zee was the most devious of the two sisters, always quiet, but with the personality of the devil. She didn’t throw tantrums like Nina, she was the observer, who watch, plan and execute from behind.

Aramina glared at her but she blinked back innocently with a sinister smile on her lips.

“Don’t you dare look at my child like that, you cursed child” her stepmother shouted slapping her.

“I wasn’t sleeping with men, a friend of mine got me the clothes”, Aramina was hurt, she was used to her stepmother choosing her daughters over her every time but it still hurt. She angrily used her thumb to clean of the blood from the cut caused by the slap.

“Well, I hope that friend is ready to accommodate you because you have grown too big to be in my house”. Her stepmother said with her daughters nodding from behind her,

Aramina was taken aback, “Mom please, do not kick me out, you know that no one in this town will accept me” she pleaded

“Then live on the streets” her stepmother snarled

“And before you live, pull off that cloth, it is obviously not your standard” Nina chipped in

“I won’t, my friend got me this” Aramina stepped back, she was not going to be bullied into giving up Karen’s gift…and she loved the gown.

“You will and you must” her stepmother ordered

Nina and her stepmother started dragging the cloth off her, Zee simply went to her bag and picked up her phone. Aramina got angry and frustrated, she snarled at them, her eye color changing to a darker shade and beginning to glow

She felt so wronged, this was unfair, they had treated her like she was invincible except when they needed her to run errands, and now they are throwing her out and trying to rob her of the only valuables she had. She was hurt, she knew they never liked her, but she still thought of them as family, and now this…

She didn’t realize that her fingers had elongated until she had Nina’s yelp of pain. She snarled at them again as they drew back in fear. She was so focused on her hurt that she didn’t see the look of fear on their face as her glowing pupils suddenly changed to black.

“Mina”

Aramina’s eyes widened with shock as her pupil reverted back to normal. There was only one voice that could have such effect on her,

“Zach” she said even before turning around

“Get the hell out of my house and stay out” her stepmother shouted as soon as she regained composure. She then walked into the house followed by Nina. Zee stood for a few minutes observing Zach before she went into the house and shut the door.

Aramina broke down.

She had never been so angry, neither had she felt such primal rage, she looked at her finger again but it was back to normal. She was scared.

“What happened to me Zach?”

Zach immediately hugged her, “it’s okay”, as she sobbed on him.

********

Zach had planned to spend the whole of this evening with Mina, he already had it planned out and now these losers have ruined it. Well, it seems that not only werewolves need dealing with.

As Aramina sobbed on him, his heart broke. He mind-linked Caleb to set up her room in the pack.

“Let’s go home “Mina”

“What…home, this is my home and the…they threw me out of it. Don…don’t worry, I will…I will get it sorted out”. She stammered amidst her tears

Zach held her shoulders and said seriously, “I will be damned if I let you go back to this house. Mina, please don’t be stubborn about this”

She seemed to give it a thought, “what of school?”

“You will keep going to school”

Aramina closed her eyes and leaned into his body again as the tears poured out.

Zach gently carried her into the car, picked up her bags and drove off with her.

********

From the window, a pair of eyes maliciously took in the whole scene and scowled. “How the hell did Aramina know Zach Toople?”