“Mara, if this is about the Alpha challenge, I promise I have sorted the problem,” she whispers.
“See, that’s the thing, Mom, anytime something happens with me it’s a problem, something happens with Eziah it’s a phase. I am not going back. I am sick of having everyone run from me. I am staying here,” I mutter, unable to meet her eyes.
“Marabella, you can’t stay here. You don’t understand, just come with me, I will explain, but I am not leaving you here with him,” she pleads.
“Good thing it isn’t up to you. Marabella wants to stay; therefore, she stays, Moon Goddess-”
“Don’t give me that Moon Goddess crap Kyan, I am her mother!” she snaps.
“And I am her mate. Marabella chooses where she wants to go, and if that is not with you, then so be it,” he says with no emotion.
“How dare you! You would put her in danger for your own selfish reasons,” my mother snaps at him.
“She is safer here with me than locked away in her damn room, hiding from the world because she fears herself because everyone treats her like a monster,” Kyan raises his voice.
“Who treats her like a monster? The Alpha challenge was a mistake. It won’t happen again,” my mother scoffs.
“It has been happening for eighteen years. You were just too consumed with the golden boy out there, that you don’t realize she was the one suffering; if you did, she never would have been fucking mutilating herself and hiding away from everyone.”
My mother goes to speak but Kyan continues and I freeze. “A mother? Mothers don’t pick one kid over the other,” Kyan spits at her. My mother blinks at him before her eyes flick to mine, and I can’t believe he just said that. I am horrified at his words and, clearly, so is my mother.
Tears burn my eyes at the humiliation that flows into me, and I want to run. “Marabella, is that true?” she asks me. “Marabella?” my mother calls as I rush from the room, unable to face her. I can’t believe he just did that. I race up the stairs. Jonah catches me as he walks back down them. In the background, I can hear my mother and Kyan arguing, but I need to get away from both of them.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” Jonah asks, grabbing me. “Mara?” Jonah asks as my mother rushes out of the kitchen.
“Marabella, wait!” my mother calls, and Jonah’s grip tightens on me, not letting me pass. Kyan walks out behind her, and Jonah growls.
“What did you do?”
“Nothing just told the truth. Go find your sister Jonah. Ella is fine with me,” Kyan answers him. My mother growls at him and I glance over my shoulder to find Kyan looking at me and ignoring her.
“I am not leaving her here while she is upset. What the fuck happened?” Jonah demands.
“Jonah, just go. I have been humiliated enough for one night,” I tell him, and he looks at me.
“What is it?”
“Marabella?” my mother calls out, her voice pleading.
“Just leave Mom, find Rose, and take Eziah home, then you can go back to ignoring my existence like everyone else does!” I tell her. Fuck, why did he have to tell her that?
“Marabella, honey,” I shake my head, and Jonah refuses to let me go as I struggle to get out of his arms.
“Jonah, just let go,” I tell him, but he doesn’t.
“Let her go,” Kyan tells him, and Jonah does but growls at him.
“I swear, Kyan if you have done something.”
“Go find your sister,” I hear Kyan say as I run to one of the spare rooms. I shut the door, locking it. For a few minutes, I listen to them all argue before hearing Lucas trying to calm everyone down.
“Well, that didn’t go well,” Kora says, coming forward.
“It was humiliating,” I tell her, and she shrugs.
“Still, he spoke the truth. He didn’t do it to hurt you,” Kora states with a sigh.
“It doesn’t matter if it was the truth; he had no right!” She says nothing, but I eventually hear my mother’s car leave.
Kyan
Marabella is upset with me, and the guilt I feel is nagging at me. But It was about time they knew they caused most of the issues with her, and I am sick of her being blamed and treated differently from her brother. So what if Eziah has his own issues? That doesn’t mean Marabella isn’t having any.
They all ignore her because she never voices her problems, but at the same time, they are her parents and should have known. Her silence should have been enough for them to realize something wasn’t right. Instead, they just put it down to her being shy or the obedient child when, in reality, she was depressed.
They were all oblivious because she tried her hardest not to draw attention to herself, but too bad for Marabella because she wasn’t invisible to Jonah and me. We saw, we know, and I am sick of biting my tongue.
“Do you think she will be alright?” Jonah asks, looking toward the stairs where Marabella escaped to. Lucas hovers, and I think he is worried about Kaif coming forward after mine and Kat’s argument.
But he seems pretty settled knowing Marabella is going to remain here. It would have been different if Kat had tried to force her to leave with her. Goddess or not, Kaif wouldn’t have backed down to her.
“She will be fine. Go find Rose,” I tell him, patting his shoulder as I head up the stairs to go find our mate.
“Kyan, what about Kaif?”
“Kaif won’t hurt her, and you would feel it if he gets out of control. He hasn’t marked her yet, so let’s worry about that when we come to it.” I tell him, walking up the steps. “Find Rose and hurry back,” I call out, and I can feel his worry about leaving me with Mara, but she will be fine.
And honestly, I am relieved to have her to myself for once. Maybe things will work out.
“I will try to call you later,” Jonah calls, and I wave him off while letting Kaif forward.
He sniffs the air, looking for her scent. When he can’t find it, he feels for her aura. I walk down the hall toward my room before stopping at the one next door. I know she wouldn’t have gone far because she doesn’t really wander.