Chapter 2

At dinnertime, my father mind-linked me and told me to come eat.

When I entered the dining room, the long table was piled with food, but every dish was one Vivian or Bella loved.

I sat down and looked over the desserts, but nothing appealed to me. My father knew perfectly well that I didn't like sweets.

He noticed I wasn't eating.

"Lily, I had this lemon fish made just for you. Go on. Eat."

He pushed the fish toward me.

I scanned the dozen or so dishes. Only one or two weren't sweet, and I didn't like either of them. My heart sank.

He was always like this. He knew everything my sisters liked, yet he didn't even know what I liked to eat.

I didn't touch the food. I sat there in silence, staring at the table.

When I still made no move to eat, my father grew annoyed.

"Stop being difficult. I had this made especially for you. Are you going to behave like this at home too?"

Vivian quickly tugged on his sleeve, trying to calm him.

"She doesn't mean it. She's had a rough day. Give her a couple of days to rest, and she'll be fine. Don't be angry, Dad."

Then she turned to me.

"Dad works hard for the pack every day. You need to be more considerate and stop making him worry about you, okay?"

Bella chimed in, "Seriously, can you just behave? You're not a child anymore."

My father let out a weary sigh. "Lily, I gave Vivian permission to set you up with Rowan. He may only be a guard, but he's a capable man. I'm sure he'll rise through the ranks someday. You could do a lot worse."

I met my father's gaze. "Rowan is in love with Vivian. He only came because she convinced him to."

Vivian paled, looking flustered.

"Lily, how can you say that? If he had feelings for me, why would I introduce him to you?

"Okay, he had a small crush on me years ago, but I rejected him. You have nothing to worry about."

My father's face darkened.

"Vivian has been nothing but good to you. She makes herself scarce whenever Rowan comes around. What more do you want from her?"

Bella said, sounding hurt, "Lily, I know you're only doing this because you're jealous of us.

"You said it yourself. You asked why our gowns are covered in gems while yours is bare."

My father looked at me, his eyes full of disappointment.

"Lily, I've told you 100 times. The only reason your gown has no gems is that we ran short.

"Stop this. Go cool off."

A heavy weight pressed against my chest, leaving me unable to speak.

They always did this. In front of my father, they twisted everything until I looked unreasonable, and he always believed them.

I stood to leave. My father called after me, "Once you've calmed down, clean yourself up. Make a good impression the next time Rowan visits, and stop behaving like a child."

Bella toyed with the gems on her beautiful gown and leaned closer.

"Lily, make sure you wash that gown when you get back. Look how dirty it is. How do you expect to impress Rowan like that?"

I looked at her beautiful gown. Beside it, mine looked like a plain sheet of fabric.

My father looked exhausted, so I said nothing.

I knew he cared about me in his own way. He truly was afraid I'd never find a mate.

But he cared more about my sisters. For 20 years, he'd set gems into their gowns.