21

Twenty One
I sat curled up on the window seat in my chambers, gazing outside but not really seeing anything. I had told Aramatha I needed to prepare myself to meet my parents since she said announced that they were here at the castle. I didn’t want to face them even though I knew it was inevitable. So I waited in my room while the other ladies spoke to their parents one by one, hoping I’ll be the last one.
As I stared at the backyard, My mind was lost in painful memories of my step mother treating me like the worst thing to ever exist. How she had turned my father who had loved me so much against me. I smiled bitterly, my mind flashing back to that awful day when I was fourteen.
I had been sitting on the front steps, chatting with the neighbor boy Jake about a school project we were partnering on. It was all perfectly innocent. But then my stepmother had stormed outside.
“Freya! What do you think you’re doing?” she screeched, grabbing my arm and wrenching me to my feet. “Throwing yourself at boys already, you little harlot?”
“Step mother, we were just talking about-”
SLAP! Her palm cracked across my cheek. “Don’t you dare sass me! Get inside this instant.”
She had dragged me into the house and beat me black and blue that day, shrieking that I was a disgrace and would end up pregnant in a gutter. My crime? Talking to a kind classmate.
Hot tears pricked my eyes as the memories washed over me. Would I never be free of her cruelty? Even here, far from home, her poisonous words still haunted me.
A sudden knock startled me out of my tormented thoughts. Hastily wiping my eyes, I called out, “Come in.”
The door opened to reveal Addy. I smiled in anticipation of the gist she wanted give me about her parents, But one look at her face told me something was wrong. She bit her lip, clearly nervous about what she had to say.
“Freya… I’m so sorry but… your parents are practically causing a scene and asking you come out to meet them .”
“And what if I don’t want to see them? Kelly can meet them, I don’t care.” I said to Addy. Her eyes softened with pity.
Ice filled my veins. I really wished they didn’t come here. I wished I didn’t have to pretend that I wanted to see them. They couldn’t be here. I had only just begun to feel safe, to hope I could build a new life for myself.
My hands began to tremble and I felt lightheaded with terror. Addy rushed to my side, grasping my shoulders.
“Breathe, Freya. It will be alright. I’ll stay right beside you, I promise.” She knew how I felt about my step sister and parents. Addy was such a good friend to me. I did not deserve her.
I finally managed a jerky nod, struggling to compose myself. But inside, I was quaking with dread. What fresh torments would they inflict this time?
Clutching Addy’s hand like a lifeline, I forced myself to my feet and towards the door – towards my own personal hell. I could only pray I would survive it once again.
The moment I stepped into the room, the tension was so thick it was nearly suffocating. My father stood rigidly by the fireplace, his face an unreadable mask. But it was my stepmother’s icy glare that sent chills down my spine. Her eyes raked over me with undisguised contempt, as if my very presence offended her.
I swallowed hard, my mouth suddenly dry as parchment. Addy gave my hand a reassuring squeeze before slipping away, leaving me to face my tormentors alone.
“YOU’VE GROWN into a fine young woman, Freya.” My father commented softly, his gaze going over my body. It was true. Somehow, my body had started to fill it in the right places and there was a softness in my cheeks that was never there before.
That is because you and your wife are not here to maltreat me, dad. I thought sadly.
“But why didn’t you inform us you wanted to compete to be the Alpha’s breeder?.” My father’s voice was gruff, devoid of any warmth.
“I tried to.. but you were too busy to even know what I was up to.” I saw the guilt flash my father’s eyes and I was glad I lied.
“I.. I am sorry I was too busy to notice. Anyway, it is a good thing is it not?” My father appeared genuinely good happy for me. I wondered if it was all an act. I nodded jerkily, not trusting myself to speak. My stepmother’s lip curled in a sneer.
“Well? Aren’t you going to greet me properly, girl?” she snapped, her tone dripping with venom.
I flinched, my heart hammering against my ribs. “H-hello, Stepmother.” The words felt like broken glass in my throat.
An uncomfortable silence stretched between us, broken only by the crackling of the fire. I twisted my hands in my skirts, wishing I could disappear.
Finally, my father cleared his throat. “How are you finding life at the castle?” he asked stiffly.
I hesitated, choosing my words with care. “It’s… it’s going well. The Alpha has been very kind to me. And I’ve made a new friend, Addy.” I darted a glance at my stepmother, half-expecting her to lash out at the mention of the Alpha.
But she remained silent, her eyes narrowing to slits. I could feel her malice radiating across the room, making my skin crawl.
My father nodded, seemingly at a loss for words. The tension was becoming unbearable, pressing down on me until I felt I might suffocate under the weight of it.
I wanted to flee, to escape back to the safety of my chambers. But I knew I couldn’t show weakness, not in front of them. So I forced myself to stand straight, to meet their gazes with a steadiness I did not feel.
Inside, however, I was trembling like a leaf in a storm, praying for this nightmare to end.
My stepmother’s voice sliced through the tension like a knife. “Don’t think you can worm your way into the Alpha’s good graces,” she hissed, her eyes flashing with malice. “He’ll never want a pathetic creature like you. Not when he could have my Kelly.”
I flinched at her words, feeling them cut deep into my heart. My father shifted uncomfortably beside her, his face creased with worry. “Now, dear,” he began, placing a hand on her arm. “There’s no need for-”
But she shook him off, her glare never leaving my face. “Don’t you ‘dear’ me,” she snapped. “You know as well as I do that this little wretch is nothing but trouble. She’ll sabotage Kelly and ruin everything we’ve worked for!”
I felt something snap inside me, a dam of rage and hurt that had been building for years. Before I knew what I was doing, I was on my feet, my hands clenched into fists at my sides.
“Enough!” I said, my voice shaking with barely contained fury. “I’ve had enough of your cruelty, your lies. I won’t stand here and listen to you tear me down anymore.”
My stepmother’s face twisted into an ugly sneer. “How dare you speak to me like that, you ungrateful brat? After everything we’ve done for you-”
But I was already turning away, my steps quick and purposeful as I strode towards the door. I could hear my father calling after me, his voice pleading. “Freya, wait! Please, forgive your stepmother. She doesn’t mean-”
I whirled to face him, hot tears pricking at the corners of my eyes. “Don’t defend her for once!” I said, my voice raw with emotion. “Not after everything she’s done. She has made my life a living hell and you just stay quiet and watch!…”
“Freya, daughter, I…”
“I don’t want to hear no more. Just leave me alone!” My words choked off into a sob, and I turned and fled, letting the heavy oak door slam shut behind me. I ran blindly through the halls, my vision blurred with tears, until I reached the safety of my chambers.
There, I collapsed onto my bed, my body shaking with the force of my sobs. I knew things could never be the same, not after this. But for the first time in my life, I felt a flicker of hope.
I was done being their victim, their punching bag. It was time to start fighting back.
****