Chapter 4

Broken bond.

Jane.

Rejecting me was not enough for my so-called mate; he went as far as humiliating my mother and me. What kind of mate is that? Why does it have to be him among everyone else at the party?

I never said I wanted a dominating alpha as my mate. A beta would have been enough for me, or even a gamma or an omega. I don’t care. 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 I 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. “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 in between sobs, but my mother keeps knocking and begging me to open. With a sigh, I get down from my bed and open the door.

“Mother, what is it?” I ask her, wiping my tears.

“Jane.” She begins to sob and then pulls me into a tight hug. “I’m so sorry, love. About everything. I’m sorry for being a weak mother. I couldn’t protect you from getting hurt. I feel so worthless right now.”

“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 the hug away and wipes my tears with her thumb. “Everything will be alright, I promise,” she promises.

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

“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 broken already. 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 of it.

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

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

“I love you too, my darling.”

Excitement about the news soon begins to warm my heart. It’s going to be a new life for me. A new start, and I can’t wait. 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 And then he points at me. “What are you doing here with this girl?”

“Why do you despise me so much, Father?” I ask, not caring what he is going to do to me. I can’t keep it in anymore. I need to hear from him, why he hates me so much.

“Father?” He scoffs. “What are you thinking? How can I recognize a useless girl like you as my daughter? Even your mate, who is supposed to love you, rejects you as if you were nothing. You’re nothing but a disgrace to me, Jane. You’ve always been.”

“Joshua, how can you say that to your daughter?” Mother tells, tugging at his arm. “What is wrong with you? How can you hurt her with words like that? She’s my daughter, our daughter, for goodness sake.”

“Your daughter, not mine," he spits. “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 that I am telling the truth. Admit it, Clara, that she is a disgrace. How I wish I had no child."

I was shocked by my father’s words. He said that 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.