Chapter 4

Broken Bond

Jane

My so-called mate not only rejected me but also humiliated my mother and me. Why did it have to be him at the party? I feel a mix of anger and sadness boiling inside me. How could someone who was supposed to be my partner cause me so much pain? The rejection stings deeply, but the humiliation makes it unbearable.

I never said I wanted a dominating alpha king as my mate. A Beta would have been enough for me. Even if it were a Gamma or an Omega, I wouldn’t mind. All I ask for is a mate who will love me. But I got hell instead, and now it’s burning up my heart into flames.

I wish I had a wolf and was stronger than him; then I wouldn’t feel as weak as I do right now, nor would I lock myself inside my room, too afraid to step outside. I’m emotionally drained and have lost my will to live. After what happened tonight, I’m too ashamed of myself right now to face anyone. All I want to do is cry myself to sleep. I hear a knock on my door.

“Jane, please open this door,” my mother calls from outside my room. She’s been knocking since we returned, but I just can’t bring myself to open it. I’m too ashamed to face her. I am disappointed in myself. “Jane, please open this damn door. We need to talk.”

“Mother, I’m tired. Can you leave me alone? Let me be, please,” I say between sobs, but my mother keeps knocking and begging me to open the door.

“Open this door, darling.”

“Mom, please go back,” I say, gripping the hem of my clothes. “Please.” I break down as the scene replays in my head. I can still feel the pitying stares of my pack members.

“I love you, Jane,” Mother announces. “Please.”

With a sigh, I get down from my bed and open the door.

“Mother, what is it?” I ask her, wiping away my tears. She stares at me.

“Jane,” she sobs, pulling me into a tight hug. “I’m sorry, love. I couldn’t protect you. I feel worthless. I am a worthless mother who can’t protect her daughter.”

“Don’t say that, Mother. You stood up for me, and that means a lot to me. Thank you so much. You’re the best mother any girl could ever wish for.”

She pulls back from the hug and wipes my tears with her thumb. “Everything will be alright, I promise.”

“Mother, no one likes me here. No one wants to be my friend. Everyone hates me, even my father. What is my offense? Is it just because I have no wolf?” I demand. “Am I that worthless?”

“Don’t say that, sweetie. Your father loves you.”

“No, I don’t think so. He has never loved me. You heard him back at the party. He would have rejected me if he could. Mother, I’m already broken. I want to leave this place. I wish to leave this hell.”

“What? Do you want to leave me, Jane? What did I do wrong? What is my offense, sweetheart?”

“Nothing, Mother. You haven’t offended me. You’ve never treated me badly, but I need to leave this place. I feel like a disgrace to you,” I whisper. “I know some people may have blamed you for giving birth to a daughter like me, who they see as weak.”

“Even if they point their fingers at me, I don’t care, darling. I love you. Please don’t leave me.”

“I have to leave this pack. I’m depressed, and sticking around will only make it worse. I’m only going to get suicidal if I spend one more night in this hellhole.”

My mother is speechless. She opens her mouth, but nothing comes out.

“I am sorry, Jane. I want you to be happy, and if leaving this pack will make you happy, then I’ll help you contact my sister. She’s the Luna of the neighboring pack, not so far from our pack. I will send you to her. It will be fine if you can start a new life there.”

“Thank you, Mother. I love you,” I mumble, hugging her tightly.

“I love you too, darling.” My mother and I are still hugging when my father walks in.

“Here you are, Clara. I’ve been looking everywhere for you,” he mumbles as he enters. He watches me with a hateful stare before speaking again, “What are you doing here in her room?”

“Why do you hate me so much, Father?” I ask, desperate for an answer.

“Father?” He scoffs. “You have no wolf, no strength, and no honor to carry our family name. In our pack, power and strength are everything, and you possess neither. You’re a constant reminder of my failure as a leader and a father.” His eyes are cold and unyielding, filled with disdain that cuts deep into my soul. His jaw is clenched, and his lips curl into a sneer as if the very sight of me disgusts him. The lines on his face harden, emphasizing the bitterness he harbors within. “Even your mate, who should love you, rejects you as if you are insignificant. You are nothing but a disgrace to me, Jane. You always have been.”

My mother stiffens, her expression a mix of sorrow. “How can you speak to your daughter like that?” she challenges, her voice trembling but resolute. “Jane deserves love and respect, regardless of what you think.”

“Your daughter, not mine,” he spits hatefully. Tears well up in my eyes, but I fight to keep them from falling, refusing to give him the satisfaction. My heart feels like it’s being torn apart, every word a dagger that cuts deeper into my already wounded soul. I swallow hard, trying to muster the strength to stand tall despite his cruel words. “Stop calling her my daughter, Clara. You know I hate her. She is a disgrace to me. Many fathers are proud of their daughters and show them off in front of me. What about me? I only have a disgrace as a daughter.”

“Father.”

“Shut up. I’d rather die than accept you as my flesh and blood.”

“You idiot,” my mother yells as she begins to hit him.

“Let me go. We both know I’m telling the truth. Admit it, Clara, she’s a disgrace. I wish I had no child rather than father this low life.”

I feel a wave of nausea as my father’s words sink in, each one a fresh wound that deepens the ache in my chest. He would rather have no child than acknowledge me as his daughter.

“Father.”

“I’m not a father to a bastard. It’s annoying to think that I have a child like you.”

“Look at Mother,” I say, tears streaming down my cheeks. “He hates me.”

“My love.” My mother hugs me. “I will always be here for you.”

“Urghh!” he roars before he leaves.

As my father storms out, slamming the door behind him, I collapse into my mother’s arms, sobbing uncontrollably. His words pierce my heart like knives, each one cutting deeper than the last. I can’t believe he would say such things, that he would reject me so completely.

My mother holds me tightly, rocking me gently as she whispers soothing words. “Don’t listen to him, Jane. He’s wrong. You are not a disgrace. You are my precious daughter, and I love you more than anything in this world.”

“But why, Mother?” I cry, pulling back to look at her. “Why does he hate me so much? What did I do to deserve this?”

She wipes away my tears, her own eyes glistening with unshed tears. “You did nothing wrong, Jane. Your father... he has his own demons, his own insecurities. He’s taking out his frustrations on you, but that doesn’t make any of it true.”

“But it hurts so much,” I whisper, clutching my chest as if I can physically hold my shattered heart together. “I feel so alone, like I’m not wanted anywhere.”

“You are wanted, Jane. You are loved,” she insists, cupping my face in her hands. “Maybe not by your father or your so-called mate, but by me. And by my sister. She’ll welcome you with open arms, and you’ll have a fresh start.”

The thought of leaving fills me with a mix of fear and hope. I’ve never known anything outside of this pack, this place where I’ve always felt like an outsider. But maybe a fresh start is exactly what I need—a chance to find myself, to prove that I am more than just a wolf-less girl.