I felt nothing but bitter regret. Not for James's betrayal of Sophia but for wasting five years of my life in this prison.
"How was your cat's burial, murderer?" Liam's voice sliced through the air.
"Did you cry over that worthless animal? I hope you buried him deep. Maybe next time, it'll be you in the ground instead," he sneered.
"I bet you wish you could've saved him like you couldn't save my mom. But we both know you're too pathetic to save anyone, aren't you?" he continued.
"Your mother's probably ashamed to even call you her sister from wherever she is now. A coward who let her own twin drown!"
I didn't bother explaining to him that the reason his mother drowned that day was because she had jumped into the lake to save him after he'd fallen in;
I couldn't tell him that I couldn't save her because I was pulling his unconscious body from the water while she struggled and disappeared beneath the surface. Instead, I kept silent, letting him hold onto his hatred.
The bedroom door swung open, and James emerged with Sophia. Their clothes were dishevelled, her lipstick smeared across both their faces.
"Clean up the room," James ordered. "Since you're not ready to be a proper Luna, you might as well be useful in some way."
I stared at him in disbelief. "I won't be cleaning anything. You made the mess with your whore. Clean it yourself."
He grabbed my throat so quickly that I had no time to back away.
"How dare you talk back to me? After everything I've done for you? Taking you in when nobody wanted you? Giving you a position you never deserved?"
His words cut deeper than they should have.
"You should be grateful I even touched you at all," he continued. "Everyone knows you're just a pathetic replacement. Amelia was the one with the strength, the beauty, the courage. You're nothing but her shadow."
He grabbed my arm. "If I didn't need someone to keep this house in order, I'd have thrown you out years ago."
Before I could respond, he shoved me toward the bedroom and slammed the door shut. I heard the lock click from outside.
"James!" I pounded on the door. "Open this door right now!"
"You can come out when you've calmed down," he called back. "And when you're ready to apologize."
My fists grew sore as I continued knocking, but there was no response except distant laughter from downstairs.
"Let her stay there until she learns her place," James's voice carried through the floorboards.
"She won't last the night without food," Sophia replied with amusement. "She'll be begging for mercy by morning."
"The cat had a more dignified death than she deserves," Liam's childish voice added.
My stomach growled painfully, but hunger was the least of my concerns. My lawyer had already sent the divorce papers to my phone, and I began gathering my belongings from the closet.
Hours later, until night, footsteps came up the stairs, and my door opened.
"Dinner needs to be prepared," he announced as if nothing had happened. "Liam wants your special lamb stew."
I stood facing them with my packed bag in hand. "I won't be cooking dinner tonight or any other night. I'm leaving."
James's face darkened with fury. "How dare you! After everything I've done for you!"
"You can't just walk away from your responsibilities," he growled, stepping toward me.
As we argued, my phone buzzed with a message. Before I could reach for it, Sophia snatched it from my pocket and read the text aloud to James.
"'We are expecting you already,'" she quoted with venom. "From your grandmother." She showed James the screen. "Looks like she's been planning this for a while."
James grabbed my wrist, his grip painful. "Do you think you can leave me just like that? No one walks away from an Alpha."
"Let her go," Liam said suddenly. "I want Aunty Sophia here anyway. She's prettier than you, nicer than you, and she doesn't smell like a traitor."
He moved to stand beside Sophia, looking up at her with adoration. "Dad, please let Aunty Sophia be my new mom. She already promised to take me hunting at the full moon. She's a real wolf, not a coward like her."
"You hear the boy," I said, meeting James's furious gaze. "Let me go."
James's grip loosened slightly and he released me with a shove.
"Fine. Go. But you have nowhere to belong. You'll come crawling back here in no time."
I walked away not bothering to respond. My hand was on the front door handle when I heard rapid footsteps behind me.
"Murderer!" Liam's voice rang out. "You don't get to leave!"
I turned just in time to see him charging toward me, his hands connected with my chest and I fell straight toward the stone fireplace where a fire blazed hotly.I felt nothing but bitter regret. not for James's betrayal with Sophia but for wasting five years of my life in this prison.
I walked away not bothering to respond. My hand was on the front door handle when I heard rapid footsteps behind me.
