Chapter 5

I didn't sleep much after that.

Every time I closed my eyes, I saw the same things.

Damien standing in front of the entire pack.

My father's cold expression.

Cecilia's face when I found her in Damien's apartment.

And then the words that had followed.

You are hereby declared an outcast.

I opened my eyes and stared at the unfamiliar ceiling above me.

For a few seconds, I didn't remember where I was.

Then everything came rushing back.

The bus.

Liana.

The rejection.

My family.

I turned my head toward the other side of the room.

Liana was sitting near the window, already dressed. She was speaking quietly on the phone.

“No. I don't want anyone coming here.”

She paused.

“Because I said so.”

Another pause.

Her expression hardened.

“Handle it without me. I'll deal with everything when I get back.”

She ended the call and slipped her phone into her bag.

Only then did she notice that I was awake.

“You're up.”

I slowly sat up.

“Where are we?”

“My house.”

I blinked.

“We're already there?”

“You slept through the last part of the journey.”

I looked around.

The room was simple but beautiful. Cream-colored walls, a large window, a neatly made bed, and a small table beside it.

I immediately felt uncomfortable.

“I shouldn't be here.”

Liana raised an eyebrow.

“You're right.”

My heart sank.

“But since you're already here, you might as well stay.”

I looked at her.

A small smile appeared on her face.

“You should see your expression.”

I couldn't help it.

I laughed.

It was quiet and brief, but it was the first genuine laugh I'd had since the ceremony.

Liana smiled.

“Come downstairs. You need breakfast.”

I nodded and got out of bed.

As I followed her down the hallway, I noticed how quiet the house was.

There were no loud voices.

No pack members moving around.

No servants whispering behind my back.

No one looking at me as though I didn't belong.

It felt strange.

Peaceful.

Almost too peaceful.

We entered the dining room.

A woman was already waiting there.

She looked at me, then at Liana.

“Is this her?”

“Yes,” Liana replied.

The woman smiled warmly.

“Then welcome, sweetheart.”

I hesitated.

“Thank you.”

“Sit. Breakfast is ready.”

I sat at the table.

A plate was placed in front of me.

I stared at it for a moment.

It was such a small thing.

Yet something about being welcomed to a table made my throat tighten.

Back home, I had spent years eating alone.

Sometimes I wasn't even allowed to sit with my father and Cecilia.

Now a complete stranger was serving me breakfast without asking what rank I belonged to.

I lowered my eyes.

Liana noticed.

“You okay?”

“Yes.”

She didn't believe me.

“You've said yes three times since yesterday.”

I looked up.

“I'm fine.”

“You don't have to pretend with me.”

The words caught me off guard.

I looked down at my plate.

“I just... I'm not used to people being kind to me without expecting something in return.”

The room went quiet.

Liana's expression softened.

“You'll have to get used to it.” I looked at her.

“Why?”

“Because you're going to be here for a while.” I froze.

“For how long?”

“As long as you need.”

I didn't know how to respond.

Part of me wanted to cry.

Another part was terrified.

I had spent my entire life believing my place was tied to my family and my pack.

Now both were gone.

I had no idea who I was without them.

Liana seemed to understand.

“You don't need to figure everything out today.”

I nodded.

“Thank you.” She picked up her cup.

“But there is one thing we need to discuss.”

I looked at her.

“What?”

“Your future.”

My stomach tightened.

“My future?”

“Yes.”

She leaned forward slightly.

“You can't spend the rest of your life running from what happened.”

“I know.”

“Do you?” I didn't answer.

She continued.

“You were rejected. Your father cast you out. Your sister betrayed you. Those things happened.”

My fingers tightened around the edge of my plate.

“But none of them get to decide who you become.”

I stared at her.

No one had ever spoken to me that way.

Everyone had always told me what I was.

An omega.

Weak.

Timid.

Unwanted.

Liana was the first person who seemed interested in who I could become.

“What do you want me to do?” I asked.

“Learn.”

“Learn what?”

“Everything.”

I frowned.

She smiled.

“Business. Negotiation. Leadership. Strategy. How to protect yourself. How to read people. How to recognize when someone is lying to you.”

I almost laughed.

“That sounds like a lot.”

“It is.”

“And why me?”

“Because I think you have potential.”

The word stayed in my mind.

Potential.

No one had ever used that word for me before.

I looked away.

“What if you're wrong?”

“Then we'll find out.”

I smiled faintly.

Liana stood.

“Finish your breakfast.”

“Where are you going?”

“I have work.”

She picked up her bag.

“I'll be back this evening.”

I nodded.

She reached the doorway, then stopped.

“Nina.”

“Yes?”

“Don't spend today crying over people who aren't crying over you.”

I lowered my gaze.

She continued.

“Give yourself one day to breathe. Tomorrow, we start.”

Then she left.

I remained at the table, staring after her.

For the first time since my life had fallen apart, I felt something I hadn't felt in a long time.

Hope.

Not the kind of hope I'd once placed in Damien.

This was different.

This hope belonged to me.

---

By afternoon, I had explored most of the house.

Liana's home was much larger than it first appeared.

There was a library, a private office, a training room, and even a small garden behind the house.

I found myself standing in the library for nearly an hour.

Books filled almost every shelf.

Business.

Politics.

Pack history.

Law.

Strategy.

Leadership.

I ran my fingers along the spines.

I had always loved reading, but back home, nobody cared.

I pulled out a book about pack territories and opened it.

Within minutes, I was completely absorbed.

I didn't notice the time passing.

“You really like books.”

I jumped.

Liana stood in the doorway.

“You scared me.”

She laughed.

“I've been calling your name for almost a minute.”

I looked at the book in my hands.

“Sorry.”

“Don't apologize.”

She walked into the room.

“What are you reading?”

“Territorial alliances.”

Her eyebrows rose.

“You've only been here one day.”

“I was curious.”

She smiled.

“Good.”

She walked to a nearby shelf and pulled out another book.

“Start with this one.”

I accepted it.

“What's it about?”

“Negotiation.”

I looked at the thick book.

“This is going to take forever.”

“Exactly.”

I laughed.

For the next few hours, she stayed with me.

She explained things I had never been taught.

How powerful families negotiated.

How companies protected their interests.

How pack leaders formed alliances.

How information could sometimes be more valuable than strength.

I listened carefully.

There were moments when I didn't understand something, but Liana never made me feel stupid for asking.

Instead, she explained it again.

By evening, my head was filled with new information.

But something else had changed too.

I felt useful.

For the first time, I wasn't simply surviving.

I was learning.

When dinner came, I was exhausted.

I sat across from Liana, barely touching my food.

“You're tired,” she observed.

“I didn't know learning could be this exhausting.”

She smiled.

“You'll get used to it.”

I looked at her.

“Liana?”

“Yes?”

“Why are you really helping me?”

She became quiet.

For a moment, I thought she wouldn't answer.

Then she placed her fork down.

“Because someone once helped me when I had nothing.”

I waited.

“She didn't ask who I was. She didn't ask what I could give her. She simply helped me.”

Her eyes softened.

“I never forgot that.”

I nodded slowly.

“Thank you.”

This time, she didn't tell me not to say it.

She simply smiled.

That night, when I returned to my room, I stood by the window.

The city stretched beyond the glass, bright and unfamiliar.

Somewhere out there, Damien was probably living his life.

Cecilia was probably still with him.

My father probably hadn't thought about me once since I left.

The thought hurt.

But it didn't destroy me the way it had yesterday.

I touched the window.

I had lost my family.

I had lost my mate.

I had lost my pack.

But maybe I hadn't lost everything.

Maybe I had only lost the life I was never meant to stay trapped in.

I looked at my reflection.

The same blonde hair.

The same mismatched eyes.

But there was something different in them now.

A small spark.

I didn't know what the future held.

I didn't know what Liana expected from me.

And I certainly didn't know what would happen when I eventually returned to the city I had been forced to leave.

But I made myself a promise.

I would never again allow someone else's opinion to decide my worth.

If I had to start from nothing, then I would.

If I had to build myself from the ground up, then I would.

And if the day ever came when I stood before the people who had rejected me...

I wouldn't be begging them to accept me.

I would make them realize what they had lost.