Chapter 1

Clara's pov

The rain fell on my back like watery bullets soaking through my thin clothes, mixing with my tears but none of that was enough to provoke even the smallest amount of sympathy from my former chosen mate, Josh, who threw the last of my luggage into the overgrown lawn, it cracked open and the few clothes I had ever gotten spilled out and absorbed the mud outside.

"What are you still waiting for?" He roared at me, "get out of my property before I call the cops!"

I was trembling like a leaf outwardly, but internally burning inside. How could he call this house his property?

"Josh, I bought this house with my own money! " I cried out through the sound of thunder, "you were all homeless when I met you. How can you do this to me now?" My voice rose even higher as I tried to salvage what was left of my belongings. It was already pretty few. Buying a new dress for myself was as rare as a blue moon, jewellery? Make up? Basically, it was non-existent for me.

I remember intentionally dieting so that I could keep using the same clothes for years without having to purchase new ones, yet the moment Josh looked at one of his clothes funny I would immediately change his entire closet in the blink of an eye.

Now that I think about it, out of breath and unintentionally swallowing rainwater at the corner of my mouth, my fingers deep in the mud, he never really thanked me for anything.

Or least he had stopped thanking me for a long time, and I didn't notice, or maybe I just didn't care because of how much I loved him.

I cared about him so much that buying a house in his name with my own blood sweat and tears meant nothing, as long as I got to see him smile; I was foolishly satisfied and–

"Daddy, is she gone?" My heart's nearly stalked when I heard that soft little voice, and my head snapped towards the door.

It was Henry, he was only a baby when I met his father and from the moment I laid eyes on him I promised to take him as my own and for the past 5 years I have never failed in that promise, not even once.

I was his steady pillar in the face of a flaky father who taught that parenting was nothing but a hobby than anything else which he could dable in sometimes, and forget about, shoving it into the back burner when he got too tired.

I looked at Henry with hope, and then he said the word starts shattered what was left of my heart.

"Can't you pack faster?"

My heart nearly stopped. This was the baby that i had cradled close to my chest, running around like a lunatic at night when he wailed endlessly.

Now he looked at me like I was yesterday's trash that was yet to be picked up and thrown away.

I was up with my soaked belongings, a cackle of thunder ran through the sky, and in that moment, the rain became three times more intense. I hugged myself. If I was to go out in this weather, then something terrible might happen to me.

"Can I just sleep in the garage for tonight?" I asked, biting down on what was left on my pride. My wolf was whimpering within myself because of the intensity of the cold. it was beginning to get to us.

With nowhere to go, braving this weather in the depth of the night wasn't a good idea.

I looked at the two of them, the two people I had dedicated my life to for the past five years. Their faces drawn in disgust. Like I just asked for their kidneys.

I blinked away the rain that tried to sneak into my eyes, my trembling had to become more erratic, and my heart was beating faster.

Was this... where they the ones I had sacrificed so much for? I must be hallucinating, right? This has to be some kind of bad dream.

"Honey, why haven't you come back in yet?" My sadness shifted back to rage pretty quick when I heard her voice. She appeared in the doorway behind Henry and interlocked her arm with Josh.

"I couldn't ignore the screaming anymore," she said, speaking like a newly blossomed flower that might wither at the slightest lack of attention.

I watched Josh's expression immediately soften up, and as for Henry, he turned around and hugged her by her legs.

Both of them looked at her like she was the centre of the universe, a sharp contrast to how they looked at me. This woman had taken everything that I had worked years to build in just a few weeks.

She was Josh's fated mate, but they had broken up years ago. She showed up at our doorstep with a broken arm and a plea for help. Josh wasn't too keen on helping her, but I was moved by her situation and told her that she could stay for the meantime.

I trusted Josh, who already had an army of female friends that spawned around him. Josh wasn't bad looking, I trusted him, so I didn't think that living with one of them was going to be much of a big deal.

I had to convince myself into thinking that Josh actually loved me, that he cared for me. Whatever they had was all in the past.

But I guess the only person who didn't know what was going on was me.

"Josh, why are you being so mean? If she wants to stay in the garage, then let her," Lilith said loud enough for me to hear, "at least she knows her place,"

That was it, I couldn't throw away anymore of my dignity. I got up without saying a word, clutching on to what I could still call mine and left.