"You're all alone here."
The female's voice made me turn to her.
She had her jaw clenched and arms folded over her little protruding belly.
"I am." I answered shortly, looking away. I made it clear that I didn't want to continue talking.
"Why do you even do this to yourself? My parents are questioning your husband about you. They're scared you'd do something to me again." Deborah said.
"You were the cause of your own miscarriage last time," I stated confidently.
"Yes. But someone had to take the blame. It was your fate that you were there to push me down the stairs." I sighed hearing her accusation again.
"For the last time, you should tell everyone I caught you doing drugs and not that I pushed you down the stairs which forced the miscarriage," I said to her in a tired voice.
"You shouldn't have come up to my room, you blind bitch." She muttered under her breath.
"Yeah. I shouldn't have." I replied.
Deborah didn't quite like my response.
"Why so indifferent now? What's changed?" She was pissed. Her arms folded over her chest again.
"I've changed," I answered with a fake smile.
"Well...I'm here to make sure you won't feel the change. I need you in a constant state of pain and betrayal, Eleanor. I need you to hurt yourself and possibly...die. Only that way, I'll ensure my success." I heard her say.
I rolled my eyes, feeling not a shred of threat from her.
However.
"AH! MOMMA! AH!!"
Out of nowhere, Deborah threw herself into the pile of rose thorns beside the bench.
Hearing her petrified screams attracted the crowd forth. My eyes widened. It felt like deja vu...Because I was about to be framed again.
"S-she pushed me! She pushed me!" She screamed a terrified finger pointed at me. I stood up despite the pain in my knees from the prosthetics.
"I didn't. She threw herself—" I was about to explain myself calmly, but should've known no one would believe me either way.
"Threw herself!? THREW HERSELF!? LIKE THIS!?" My birth mother, the one who should take care of me enraged. Her anger knew no bounds as she pushed me forcefully into the shrub of rose thorns.
Blood curdling screams flew out of my mouth, silencing the crowd. For a second there, Deborah wiped her tears and looked at me straight. But then, pity wasn't in her eyes. It was the lust to bring me down glimmering in her eyes.
"Eleanor..." Nate tried to approach me but stopped himself by Deborah's side.
"You shouldn't have pushed her into the shrubs. I know you're jealous...but this isn't the way. I'm sorry. You're on your own." My eyes widened.
"I- I'm in pain..." The words barely slipped out of my mouth.
"And you deserve it.' My older father, who was my best friend until 16, said and turned his back.
"Papa...mama..." I moaned in pain. The crowd started diluting slowly.
My prosthetic legs flew out due to the impact of her pushing. I couldn't remember the times my Gamma mother was this ruthless towards me.
"Someone...help..." I cried.
The movement of me trying to get to my feet was piercing each of those thousand thorns deeper into me. I could feel my face flush red, itchiness spreading all over my body like a wildfire.
I was allergic to roses.
I opened my blurry eyes to see the silhouette of a man passing by. He had a long cloak on, to battle the chill air he always brought with his presence.
My wobbly lips tried to ask for help, but they were swollen with fluids, allergy symptoms.
"Eleanor Black," He took my name. Was I that unrecognizable? I nodded, feeling the piercing thorns on my neck.
"Ah—!" Suddenly, he pulled me up to my legs and made me stand on my prosthetics. That's when I saw his glowing emerald eyes.
"Adam..." I muttered under my breath.
He spoke to me!? He took my name!?
Adam is Deborah's mysterious husband. He's of royal descent as well, but his mother's side was into magic. He was half a wizard.
With a calculated push on my chest, he let all the thorns fall off my back and every surface.
Once the thorns were gone, my wolf tried her best to remove all the bad blood as the allergy was suppressed. It would leave a thousand scars on my back, but I'd heal soon.
"Thank you—" Before I was about to show my gratitude, Adam lifted my tilted sunglasses and looked deep into my eyes.
I was terrified of his gaze. Glowing emerald eyes, rich heritage of powerful witches and wizards...I was feeling threatened. But then, he smirked.
And walked away.
What was that about?
His presence made even me - a Gamma Rank, the highest rank right below King of Alphas - shudder in my skin.
Breathing out softly, I realized I had no place here.
I turned on my heel to leave, and Adam was entering the party of his wife's birthday and pregnancy. They were in for a shock.
Adam was never home. Constantly travelled for business. Adam was selectively mute, too. There's something which happened to him in his childhood which broke him forever.
But that resolve also made him the strongest wizard in the world.
That explains the chill aura he always emitted.
As I stepped out of the fence, I heard the guards mumble behind my back,
"She gets help from whoever wants to help her. She really has no shame." They said. They didn't know me any better, or my past with Adam. So I left without a word of reply.
What goes down at the party when they realize who had come home was none of my business.
Because I was leaving.
Forever.
I was done.
