Just a family thing

Avery.

It’s been three days since I got rejected, and I lost my diary that night. I thought I picked it up with me, turns out I never did.

My wolf was healing and slowly coming out of her shell. My father saw how sick I was, he never mentioned anything about it. I was hemming Judy’s dress because the Alpha was coming, alongside her mate.

The one who rejected me—Lucas. They were coming over to the house to dine with my father, Hera, and Judy.

As if the moon goddess decided to hurt me even more, I would have to face the man who rejected me, right in front of this family.

I only heard about the Alpha of the pack, that he was a rich bachelor, and he had a personal harem filled with girls for sinful pleasures.

How could such a man be Alpha?

He has no rules, no dignity, no respect for women.

The thought made me remember the night of the mating ceremony in the woods, and the man who had kissed the tears on my eyes.

I was never going to see him again.

I went back to preparing the menu for the dinner as well, making a cake, decorating the house, making sure everything was clean, and the floor was sparkling without a single dust.

The night my mother died, my father was the one they called, he drove over to the Pack in his Sienna, the funeral rites went quietly. It rained the whole day, I was accused of her death, that if I had been there that day, she wouldn't have died, there would have been someone to help her, someone would have been there but the only child she had left her.

Who could she have called for help?

When I wasn’t there.

My mother was the one he had an affair with, and I was five years old when we got into an accident, and our lives took a bad turn after it. After the accident, my mom was disabled, stuck in a wheelchair for life, though I had some minor injuries, but the impact was on my wolf, so I became unable to shift.

He never came until she died.

That was when he came to take me to his pack, to his family, he looked happy with his wife Hera and daughter Judy, and I felt like I didn’t belong here, I was the illegitimate child.

Judy was two years older than I was, she treated everybody like they were beneath her, she was respected even by her parents, and everyone wanted to please her.

It became worse when she was going to get married to Lucas, there was hope for her to be Luna of the Pack.

With someone as pretty as Judy, and the other gorgeous she-wolves in the pack, a lot prettier than me.

Why will Lucas choose to accept the mating bond between us? He wouldn’t want someone as frumpy and unattractive as me.

Well, I get to do whatever Judy asks me to.

No complaints, no arguments.

I went back into the kitchen to get tea for Hera before she started screaming my name.

I stirred the teacup, placed them in a tray with some fruit salad. I took the stairs, heading towards her bedroom to serve her.

“…so what, William?”

“I did that so what?” I heard Hera’s voice and halted by the door.

“That’s why I want you to act calmly, you made her sleep in the attic.”

“You never complained about it? Or have you forgotten what you did? She was a mistake, a mistake that you made with a woman you brought here. A servant, a poor rat birthed her, she stinks from her hair down to her toes!”

“I knew that’s why I never went there even after the accident that happened, I was supposed to be there because she was still my daughter. I had to take responsibility for what I did but I couldn’t go because of you, knowing you were the one who caused the accident. Knowing you did that to her and her mother, I couldn’t bring myself to face them!”

“I couldn’t let her off after I found out she was the one you cheated on me with, and now you brought the daughter to me…”

My hand trembled against the tray, I gasped, my sight getting blurry. I hurried back to the kitchen, dropped the tray on the cabinet, my hand over my mouth, muffled the sound as I cried.

I hid at the back of the kitchen door, sliding down to my knees.

I shook my head. ‘It can’t be.’

‘This can’t be true.’

I pushed my hair backwards, and tears rolled down my cheeks.

“Avery!” I heard her loud voice, and the bell she rang. She was at the top of the stairs. “I want my tea served now!” She ordered.

I wiped the tear off my face, I stood up from the ground, grabbed the tray, and walked out of the kitchen, my breath shaking with every step I took.

“Be quick.”

“The Alpha and Judy’s mate will be here soon. Is her dress ready? You can’t afford to miss anything, or else I would send you out of my house.” It was a threat she meant. She never wanted me here anyway.

“Your tea is here, Hera.”

“Take it to my bedroom,”

I walked past her on the stairs to her bedroom, opened the door, and placed it on her bed.

I caught my reflection in the mirror, red puffy eyes, red nose, pale cheeks.

This feeling of self-loathing came right back, glaring at me through the mirror.

Hera caused the accident, the reason I couldn’t shift was her, I blamed my mom for it.

The tears threatened to drop again, I batted my lashes furiously and sniffed.

“Will you get to work?!” She snapped. “I hate you breathing next to me, don’t get close to me.” She warned.

I clenched my fist and came out of the room, walked back into the kitchen, I was done with Judy’s dress, she had been in her room the whole morning ordering me around the house.

“When I become Luna, I will banish you from this pack, because I can’t stand you ruining this family.” Judy hissed when I dropped her dress with her.

I kept my face neutral.

“But you’re settling to be his chosen mate, fate brought me and Lucas together.”

She got up from the bed.

“Say that again you bastard!”

She hit me across the face before I could speak. The night before we went out for the mating ceremony, she wanted me to act like I had no idea who she was, and I was in no way related to her.

“Get out you pig!”

“Out!” She screamed and pushed me. “At least I will be the one with Lucas and not you, do you think you can find anyone better? You will only end up like your miserable mother.”

I stopped in my tracks at her words.

“That’s enough.” I heard a voice at the door. It was my so-called father, Williams.

“Would you stop exchanging words with Judy, give her some respect and could you please return to the kitchen get things cleaned and dinner started,”

“The Alpha is on their way here, get dressed Judy, this is a huge opportunity for our family.”