Chapter 9

Walking home clears my head a little, giving me time to figure out what the hell I’m supposed to say to Dante. There’s no escaping this conversation. I wish there was. But the truth is, I know exactly what a fated mate means to the Red Fang clan.

They once told me I couldn’t marry Dante because I’m not fated to him, that my marriage to him would bring calamity down on the pack. They said I had to complete a ritual for forty days.

And I did it.

I dragged myself through that hellish, humiliating ritual that was obviously designed by Celeste to chase me away. I swallowed every insult, endured every snide comment, and laughter. I did everything. Everything just to be with him.

Dante wouldn’t just… he wouldn’t just throw me away because of his fated mate, would he?

I let out a breath when the house comes into view. I already know what’s waiting inside. Celeste with that smug look on her face, thrilled she stalled our wedding long enough for Dante to find his mate. Andre beside her, adding fuel to the fire like always. My mom, silently plotting. My sisters, helpless.

And Dante, the one thing that’s kept me standing all these years, won’t even be there for me. No. He’ll be the source of my headache.

I turn my head and spot Mariana just stepping into pack lands. The second she notices me, there is an instant shift. She immediately tries to avoid me, walk the other way.

“Mariana?” I cut her off.

She freezes, her back stiff to me.

“Wait.” I close the distance in a few steps and stand in front of her, forcing her to look at me.

“I know about Luciana,” I blurt. Her eyes flicker to mine. “How long has everyone known?”

She sighs, turning her face away. “I don’t know about everyone, but I only found out yesterday. As for Dante…”

I stay silent, watching her struggle to choose her words.

“Alejandro said he’s known for a while.”

My stomach drops hard. Here I’ve been walking around thinking he’d just met her. I swallow past the thick knot in my throat and force myself to keep going.

“So what has everyone decided?” I keep my tone calm like I am not reeling in shock. “They’re going to push me out of the pack.”

Mariana doesn’t answer. The silence says enough.

“I’ve been here for close to five years.” I say, hating how desperate and pathetic I sound, but it’s nothing compared to how pathetic I’ve actually been.

I paid for Mariana’s hospital bills when she gave birth. They didn’t have the money, and the hospital refused to release her and the baby. Alejandro has never been a hardworking man. He still brags about the life they had before disgrace drove them out of their lands.

“Is everybody really just going to– ”

“Cici.” She drops her hands. “Don’t be foolish. You’re a rogue. Most alphas marry to strengthen their pack. Marrying you would weaken us. Having you as Luna”, she scoffs, “would be nothing short of a disgrace. And we’ve already suffered enough of that.”

She completely ignores the way my face must look right now. “I’m sorry. I know you’ve been waiting for this, but if I were you, I’d stop. Just leave. Take your sisters with you, because there won’t be any place for them when the real Luna gets here.”

“How can you say that to me?” I whisper, shaking my head in amazement. The words coming out of Mariana's mouth feel like knives digging into my skin. “Haven’t I been good to you? Did I choose to be a rogue?”

I press my palm against my eyes, squeezing them shut. There’s no point arguing with someone who’s never had to sleep in the cold, never had to hunt for scraps, never had to protect her family with nothing but skins and bones.

“I thought we were friends,” I sigh. “But it’s clear you never even liked me.”

“Don’t take it so personally. I’m only looking out for my family. And honestly? I come from the T-Bone Pack. How can I bow to a rogue like you?” She lets out a dry laugh. “It never made sense to me. I thought you knew this would never work, but you kept planning your wedding over and over like some desperate– ”

She cuts herself off, sighing. “Just do what’s right for you and leave.”

“The only place left for me is the wild!” I shout after her, hating the tremor in my voice. “It’s the wild!”

My fingers shake violently. I force myself to swallow past the thick lump in my throat.

I can’t accept this. I’ve sacrificed too much just to have a place to belong. I bled for it. Starved for it. Fought for it. I can’t just let it slip through my fingers.

Besides, Dante loves me. I know the fated mate bond is stronger, but he’s loyal. He wouldn’t just toss me aside and run off with this Luciana. Whoever she is.

I drag in a breath, shove my hands into my jacket pockets, and head toward the light at the end of the road, toward home.

The house is quiet, save for the silhouettes of people behind the curtains. My heart starts beating hard. They’re in there. Talking and deciding whether our wedding is happening or not.

“Elvira!” Celeste’s menacing shout breaks the silence. “Just who the hell do you think you are talking to me like that?”

A loud smash follows like something breaking then the unmistakable sound of a slap right after it.

“You crazy bitch!” Elvira screams. More crashes follow, furniture scraping, something heavy hitting the floor.

“Oh God, no.” I sprint up the porch steps and shove the door open. Elvira and her temper.

“Stop, Elvira!” Lia is screaming, struggling to hold Mom back from throwing herself into the madness Celeste and Elvira have created.

Elvira has Celeste pinned to the floor, straddling her, hitting her. My heart nearly drops out of my chest.

“Elvira, what are you doing?” I grab her arm and yank her back and off Celeste with all my strength. She fights me, trying to lunge forward again. I step in front of her, blocking her path. “What are you doing?”

Her lip is split open, bleeding. A furious red handprint stains the side of her face. She’s panting hard, chest heaving, eyes burning.

“Get that bitch away from me or I swear I’ll kill her!”

“Your sister is banned from the pack,” Celeste screeches at the top of her lungs as she rises from the floor. Her hair hangs in wild tangles, her dress torn at the shoulder. Her entire face is red, whether from Elvira’s blows or pure rage, I can’t tell.

She’s breathing hard, nostrils flared. “All of you are out. You were never supposed to be allowed in. Filthy rogues. Stupid, filthy rogues.”

Elvira lunges forward again. I stand in her way.

“Stop it!” I snap, grabbing her shoulders. “Look at me, Vira. Look at me.”

She resists at first, then finally drags her gaze to mine. I let her see the warning there. The plea. Her eyes redden slightly red.

“Can’t you hear what she’s saying?” Elvira gestures wildly toward Celeste. “You’ve done everything for them, and they’re throwing us out like trash!”

“Mongrels!” Celeste keeps screaming, hurling more insults at Elvira, at my mother, at all of us.

Mom fights against Lia’s grip, spitting curses across the room. “You’ll die a dog’s death for touching my daughter. I’ll kill you. I’ll curse you!”

Mom mutters darkly under her breath, while Lia struggles to hold her back.