Chapter 3

“You really didn’t know the king had another son?”

Winrose asked as the car which had come to pick us up from the place we went to get lunch sped along the way, surprisingly, my driver came to find me but I told him to drive ahead with my bags while I catch a ride with my friend, Winrose refuses to believe that I didn’t know about this Kendrix guy but I truly had no idea, all this while I thought our king had just three sons, never once have I heard of Kendrix.

“Rose, I won't lie, I didn’t, if I did I surely won’t have gotten into the car with him,”

I responded, and it was the truth, he may not have wronged me but knowing he is the brother of the man that hurt me? I would have felt uncomfortable in his presence, but thankfully, I won’t have to see his face ever again, once Rose’s wedding is done, I will leave, and might not return here again, I already know I won’t be well come, I am sure my father knows I am in town already, he has people for those things but he still didn’t call me or ask why I am back in Owhen, he just didn’t give a flying fuck about me and he doesn’t hide it.

“Kendrix is not like his brother though, he is nice but also dangerous,”

She informed.

“What do you mean? How can a nice person be dangerous?”

I asked.

“Well, he is known to wine and dine with vampires, plus his mom is human, he doesn’t believe in a lot of the ways of the old and believes vampires are not a threat to us,”

She revealed.

“I don’t even know what to say to that, I mean I have faced more rejection and humiliation from my own people, and not once in my whole twenty-six of living have a vampire been mean or bad to me so I can’t argue, for me, werewolves have done worse to me,”

I lamented and those were true, I haven’t met a lot of vampires but the ones I have met either ignore me or play nice, I couldn’t say the same for my own people, not even my family, so this Kendrix guy might have a point, that doesn’t make him dangerous.

“Yeah, I am sorry I dragged you back here, I know what you went through but I am selfish, I want my best friend here when I marry,”

Rose said, reaching for my hand.

“Rose, I won’t miss your wedding for the world, and who knows? Maybe my father would accept me now, eight years can do a lot of magic,”

I said the lie out loud, I knew my father still didn’t care about me, if he did, he would have reached out to me.

“I hope so, but if you feel you are not comfortable in the mansion, you can always stay with me, in fact, I think it is best that you stay at my place, I need my chief bridesmaid with me,”

She said but I shook my head in refusal, Rose still lives at her parent's house and they didn’t show that they dislike me but I know they do, everyone in the pack except Winrose had a hate boner for me, they just love their daughter so much and can’t say no to her which is why I can still be her friend when we had been eleven, one time, I had overheard Rose’s mom telling her to mind the way she plays with me and Rose had defended me, that was the day I fell in love with Rose and knew she was and is my soulmate, my one true friend and she never stopped being my friend, when Jordan had rejected me, she had been by my side and cried so hard when my dad had practically dragged me to the airport, the pain I felt that day was still fresh in my memory.

“Rose, don’t worry, I am an adult woman, I can take care of myself, plus, I lived alone for so long, Dad ignoring me won’t affect me at all,”

I responded to Rose who didn’t seem convinced.

“I am not about to argue with you but I don’t want you feeling unhappy here, I dragged you back down here so I should be responsible for you,”

She insisted.

“I will be fine,”

I said and we rode the rest of the way to my family mansion in a comfortable silence, I couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to be back in the home I grew up in, a place where I wasn’t welcomed. When we got to the mansion, I waved Rose goodbye as I walked up into the house, I met the driver who had brought my things, I thanked him and also tipped him before making my way into the main house, I met a few employees I knew and they greeted out of respect, most of them were shocked to see me, I asked for where my dad is and someone pointed out that he was in his home office and I headed towards his office, my heart beat increasing, the last time I was face to face with my father in his home office was when I came to boost to him that my mate was our alpha king older son and that I will be the wife of the future king, well jokes on me because that didn’t go well.

I shook off the thoughts and knocked gently before opening the door, my dad was seated on his usual chair, nothing much changed in the office in the last eight years and my father’s seating position was exactly the way it had been on that day I had walked in to tell him I found my mate.

“Dad? I am home,”

I said in greeting, my dad looked up at me and I saw his face turn to one of distaste, he didn’t say a word or acknowledge my presence.

“Dad, I am home,”

I said out loud when my dad remained silent. He looked up from his papers and went right back to it as if he didn’t see me, it hurt but I was used to it, he never acknowledged my presence so it should not be new to me but the fact that I have been away for eight whole years and not once did he come to visit me or allow me to visit made it hurt even more, the little I saw of my dad in the last eight years was when he or my brothers showed up in the papers, no calls or contacts, why did I expect to be treated better? I should have taken Rose’s offer and just spend the next month with her until I can return to where I will not feel unwanted, I turned around to leave, until I got to the door opened it, and stepped out, I was expecting my father to say a word to me, anything, but he just kept quiet, the hated he had for me heavy in the air, I swallowed hard trying to dissolve the nut that formed in my throat, I hated this feeling of being unwanted, of never being appreciated, I wish there was something I can do to change him, I wish he didn’t hate me so much, even my brothers.

My brothers, I should not even call them my brothers, because they were all strangers to me, none of them reached out to me, none of them tried to be nice to me, they did not care and I have seen more strangers I don’t know than my family.

“That’s why you should have gone with Rose, I don’t like it here,”

My wolf said in a sad voice.

“I am sorry,”

I whispered, I walked down the hallway, through the numerous room before I arrived at my old room, it was just the way it was when I left eight years ago, the picture of my favorite boy band then still where I left it, my books, photos, and piano were all still in the room and what more, the room was clean, which can either mean my dad was aware that I was in town or they have always just kept the room clean, either way, I lay on my bed as tears welled up in my eyes.

I closed my eyes trying not to let my dad’s silent treatment get to me but there is only a little I could do, I have feelings, and getting hurt all over again would break anyone, I never asked to be born, I wasn’t there when my mom died, I was an innocent child who knew nothing yet I face the hate, I face the discrimination. I lay in my bed wallowing in self-pity for the next couple of hours. I finally had the courage to go take a bath and lay back on my bed right after still feeling sorry for myself. My phone beeped and I picked it up thankful for the distraction, it was a text from Winrose.

“Hey, I am hitting the club tonight since Jayden wants to have a boys’ night, do you wanna tag along?”

The test read, I was tired and had a jet leg but anything to be out of this place that felt like a prison that I walked back into myself, what’s the point of being in my father’s house if I am not welcomed?

“Sure, pick me up in thirty minutes,”

I texted back and hurriedly walked to where my bags was kept and brought some of the clothes inside, found a dress I was comfortable in and quickly did a light make up, before brushing my hair, I was at the gate of our big mansion twenty minutes later and Winrose showed up a little over two minutes after I got there, without a word, I hopped into the car ready to party and forget all thoughts of being unwanted and feeling less of myself.