Chapter 2

Elana POV

“I just couldn’t stay away,” she pouts.  “When I heard the awful news about you and Victor, I had to come be by your side.”

A lump forms in my throat. Heard the awful news? The awful news happened only this month. Our parents don’t even know, and the pack wouldn’t be notified until the mate bond termination ritual is decided, but she just “heard it”? What a lousy lie. She knows only because she created the news. She got her dear ex to dump me and break up my family, and she dares to come and taunt me in my face.

Taking another step back, I almost trip over Gabby.

Lara looks down, and a giant smile spreads across her face.  “And just who is this?”

Every moment of torment at the hands of my sister runs through my mind, and I want to shield Gabby from harm.  But Gabby has a mind of her own.  She darts out from behind me, and I grab her shoulders to keep her from reaching Lara.

“My name is Gabby,” she says proudly.  “You look like my mommy but with way more makeup.”

Alexis can no longer hide her laughter.  She is doubled over, holding her side.  It is a move that Lara does not miss, and she glares artfully in Alexis’s direction.

I am exhausted from the stress of the day, and I just want to go home to my new apartment. Whatever Victor wanted to say – even if he wanted to say something – I no longer care. I do not have the energy for Lara’s attitude or fake attitude, whichever it is.

But she grabs my arm.

“What now?” I ask her.

“I'm worried about you, I told you,” she whines.  “So are our parents.”

Our parents? The parents who disowned me five years ago because I claimed my fated mate? Sure.

“As you can see,” I hiss in her direction.  “I am fine.  I have somewhere I need to be.”

I open the car door to put Gabby inside when Lara suddenly lowers her voice for me and Gabby: “Somewhere else, like, to her real father?”

Shocked, I spin around and slap her across the face. What did she just say to me?! In front of my Gabby. I watch as Lara clutches her cheek and falls dramatically to the ground.  She looks up at me with tears in her eyes. I guess I slapped her harder than I thought. I would have put more power behind it if I had time to think.

Then I regret it. She said that only to piss me off, and I fell right into her trap – instantly Victor comes to her side.

He removes her hand from her cheek to see the damage I have inflicted.  Their eyes meet when he lifts her chin, and jealousy flares through my chest.  Victor frowns as he looks at her face.  There is a small bruise forming just under her eye.  

Victor helps Lara to her feet, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. I think about telling him the truth, only to give up laughing at myself. What am I thinking? That he would care whether she provoked me first? If he cares about fairness, he wouldn’t have divorced me for her. Everything makes sense.

Five years ago, my parents threw me out because she decided to leave without a note, and five years later, my husband divorced me, all because she decided to come back. I am the mate chosen for him by the Moon Goddess, but that didn’t make me the Luna. It made me the sinner that everyone hates.

On the surface, our marriage was perfect.  Victor was a strong, powerful Alpha with a doting Luna and an adoring daughter.  But behind closed doors, things were much different.  Victor was a cold and uncaring husband.  He only paid attention to me when it was necessary.  I would never measure up to my sister, even though I was his fated mate.

Lara sighs and shrinks out from under Victor’s arm.  “It is okay, Victor,” she says to him.  “Tensions run high between us.  I know Elana is a little upset today. I understand.”

I feel drained to even protest. He would love her even if she were this gross and more. Why bother?

“I just want to tell you, Mom and Dad want you home!” Lara cries out, grabbing my arm yet again. It is taking all of my restraint not to slap her again. I didn’t, mostly because Victor has been glaring at me with a murderous look. “Mom and Dad want to see you.”

A snort of laughter leaves my nose.  “You must be thinking of someone else.”

“I am serious,” she says.  “They said that themselves. I’m just the messenger. You can ask them yourself when you get home.”

“They never even talked to me for once in the past five years,” I reply. And they just suddenly want me back, all because she is? I doubt it. But I can’t help the knot called longing growing larger and larger in my throat, making it hard to even talk.

How I miss the years before I found out that my sister’s boyfriend was my mate. I actually had a loving family back then. Now? All fate left me is a daughter whose own father doesn’t care about.

“We all need to put the past behind us and become a family again. That was a long time ago,” Lara sighs.  “Please, will you come home?”

“I will think about it,” I mutter as I get into the car.

“You might find a pleasant surprise if you do, Damon is coming back,” Lara glances at Victor, speaking slowly, “Damon is coming back.”

I wheel around, staring at her with my eyes wide open. And the next second, Victor’s angry face takes up my world as he pins me on the side of my car, his first words to me today squeezed out one after another:

“Lie to me, and say that you didn’t know.”