The King's Mate

Lily

I tried my best to hold back tears by blinking, when the slap from my mom landed on my skinny face.

There was a hush in the hall.  Even though my eyes were fixed to the ground,  I knew that everyone was  watching me.

When I finally plucked up, slowly lifted my head, I stared into the cold piercing gaze of my mother. She looked at me like I was an outcast instead of her own daughter.

"Why did you mix the wrong drink for your sister, Lily?" she growled at me, voice as sharp as the tip of an ice shard. "Are you trying to get your sister killed?"

I bite my lower lip to resist the urge to retort. I had double checked before serving it. But I know she wouldn’t listen. This had been a common excuse for mom to punish me in the past years.

"Mom, please don’t blame Lily! I should have noticed it’s the wrong drink. This is my fault! If  - If only I could be as strong as Lily, I wouldn't be sick with a few wrong drinks! " Said my twin sister, Lisa, coming between me and mom.

Mom wrapped around her in a one side hug, as if to protect her from me. “It’s not your fault at all! If there wasn’t Lily, you wouldn't have a sickly body in the first place! ”

That’s it. That’s why I’m hated by my own blood. Although Lisa and I were twins. We were nothing alike. She’s weak and easy to get hurt, me on the other side, is strong and full of energy. Even my wolf is stronger than hers.

Years ago, my mother went through hard labour giving birth to us. Rumour has it that I had almost killed my sister while we were in the womb. I didn’t know if that’s the truth, but it explains why mom has blamed me since I was a little girl for the weakness of my sister.

This is the sin I was born with. The reason why I must be despised, hated, unloved and… 

“Get your sorry ass moving,” mom turned to me and pushed me so hard that I fell down to the ground, “You should be grateful Lisa didn’t blame you. She is too good for you. Now be a good servant! I won’t let you ruin my baby’s grown-up birthday party.” 

And being a servant on my birthday. Although I had always been the hamble slave of the family in our hourse, today is the first time they stop cover up this fact in the public. All because Lisa wished for it. I could imagine how my classmates would mock me tomorrow.

"Enough!" my father, the Alpha of the pack, thundered from his position, “you two stop making a scene!”. 

I looked at my father, hoping to find any support from him, but he just looked away. 

“Go and clean yourself up.” He said, the indifference in his voice evident.

Having had enough humiliation, I dragged myself up from the ground, turned around and staggered away from the hall. My hand was injured by the broken glasses on the ground, but nothing could hurt  more than being humiliated by my family among the whole pack.

When I finally reached the empty hall kitchen, I leaned against the door and burst into tears.I just wanted it all to end, I wanted it to stop.

A knock behind the door interrupted me and I jumped off hastily wiping the tears off my eyes.

"Hold on" I said as I opened the door, stepping back to give enough room for whoever was behind it to get inside.

It's Lee, our pack's next beta and what's more, my boyfriend, the only person who loved and cared for me.

"Lee…I"

As soon as we looked at each other, I could feel the tears returning in full force. I threw myself into Lee's arms and cried on his shoulder.

"It's okay lily, I’ll save you from all this.” Lee said pulling me into a hug  while his hands caressed strands of my hair, then he took my hands and pressed something into my palms as he shut it.

“I don't have much time, read this when you are alone."

I nodded as Lee pulled away from me. As soon as Lee left the kitchen in a hurry I was about to open the paper he had given me but couldn't as at that moment a bunch of Omegas who worked in the kitchen breezed in.

I knew most  of these Omegas didn't  like me and wouldn't hesitate the slightest bit in getting curious about the note in my hands, so I had to abandon it. Tucking it into the side pocket of my apron i got to work.

I was taking the remainder of the scattered plates from the hall and transporting them to their correct locations when I heard a sound behind me.

"Luna wants to see you," a voice said, dragging me away from my thoughts.

I looked up to see Jordan, one of the packs Omega watching me from the door of the kitchen.

"Why,Is everything alright?”I asked, knowing it wasn't but wanting to ask anyway. 

“Honestly Lily, i don't know, but she's angry about something. I wish I could give more information, I'm sorry”he said pity showing on his face.

My mother was pissed and at the same time calling me was never a good combination.

I left Jordan, making my way to my mothers room.

"What is this?" My mother roared, lifting up something in her hands as soon as I entered the room.

It was a short, familiar note that read:

“Meet me at the river bend tonight by seven pm after the packs patrol. we'll be eloping together.”

I felt cold fear wash over me as soon as I saw what it was. It’s the letter Lee gave me during the party. How did it find its way into my mother's hands?

"After keeping you well fed in this house you want to elope, are you daft?" she roared, tearing the paper in front of me.

My mother tossed the shredded paper aside and yanked at my arm pulling me to my feet ignoring my plea for mercy.

"When I'm done with you today, you'll regret ever agreeing to this," she said, opening a second door close to her room and pushing me inside.

I tripped and stumbled in the darkness hitting my head against something wooden.

My mother's face came into view as she cleared the last of the stairs, her face as expressionless as that of a rock.

I felt butterflies in my stomach at my mother's cold hard look.

"What can I do mom, tell me what to do to fix it," I pleaded, trying to get to my feet to reach her, to touch her to feel her warmth.

"You cannot fix anything!" she roared, turning around to face me, face red as a vein bulge in her neck.

"I'm so sorry Mom…”

"Don’t you ever call me mom again!" mother roared, advancing towards me, I dragged myself backwards away from her attack.

However, the imagined pain did not appear. Instead, my mother reached over me and pulled something out of the cover of the darkness of the cellar.

It was an enlarged family photo, which was different from the family photo I was used to. In addition to my father, mother, grandfather and grandmother, there was a strange woman standing beside my mother, holding her shoulder.

“Look at this,” mom murmured. “ This whore is your mother.”

I stared at the face behind the picture she was showing me and felt trepidation creep up on me. There was no way. But the more I looked at the face behind the picture the more I could see semblances of myself in those eyes.

"Peggy Winston," she continued, leaning against the walls of the cellar, her eyes to the ceiling. "My little sister, a frigging whore who seduced my mate and produced you!"

I stared open mouthed at the woman I called mother, barely understanding what was happening.

She gave a crude laugh at my expression:"What a freak aren’t she? Under the guise of caring her pregnant sister, seduced her brother-in-law.”

I could hear what my mother was saying but it seemed to be coming from a far place like some echo in a cave. There was no way it was possible, there was no way she could be telling the truth.

"No…" I muttered, shaking my head, my throat suddenly feeling like it was stuffed full of liquid, "Mom please you must be lying."

My words seemed to be the last straw on mother’s strained nerve. Suddenly she moved quickly toward me, wrapped her hands around my neck and tightened her grip.