“Mother, I said it’s all my fault, no one should blame her for what happened!” Alonso was fast to interrupt when I made to speak up, which I was grateful for.
“You are so shameless, Alonso! I don’t care if you cajoled her into agreeing to such absurdity with you, she is still to blame as you!” Theresa blared, her nose flaring as she faced me.
I was quivering, still keeping back the tears stinging the back of my eyes from falling. I knew this would happen. It’s playing out just the way I had imagined it.
Then in the blink of an eye, Paisley stood from her chair, hissed loudly, and stormed out of the room, her countenance promising death.
At this point, I was wishing the ground would open and I would fall inside. That was when I felt Alfred’s hand on mine underneath the table. My first instinct was to snatch my hand off but I was emotionally mushed and needed that comfort even though it was coming from the last person I wanted it from.
“It’s alright,” he murmured, his eyes on his food that I almost missed it if not for the movement of lips.
“You know what, Danika? When you first came into this house, I always felt an air of disturbance around you; something telling me you weren’t genuine! You are even worse than his first conniving bitch!”
“Enough, mother!” Alonso flew up with so much force, that the throne-like chair he was sitting on nearly toppled to the ground. Judging from his vicious countenance I was afraid he was going to be forced to use his Alpha’s aura, so I flickered my eyes to him in a plea. I expected this from the onset. From the minute we lied to them about my identity, I knew if eventually they found out, they won’t take it lightly. That Alfred is holding my hand right in comfort, still amazes me.
“If you think you are going to commit such an irrational act and I will let you off mildly, you lie! You have a woman pregnant with your child under this roof, and you went ahead to sign a treaty of agreement with her father for a future alliance!” Theresa ranted, stood regally from her chair, and waited until the Omega behind her pushed away the chair to strut coquettishly to Alonso, stopping right in front of him. “Now tell me, dear son, what do you intend to do? Because you very well know you are not giving up that alliance!”
“And I’m not giving up my mate!”
“And when did you learn that? Before or after bringing her into this house, or going to make that pact at Blue moon pack, when exactly?!”
“Mother, I will handle it!”
“You sure do not look like you can, son… Why do you always, always have to disappoint me?” She shook her head with three throaty snorts of disapproval, swept around, and trudged away from him… only that it wasn’t out… it was my direction.
Impulsively, my finger tightened around Alfred, wishing his protection this once from their nerve-wracking mother.
She stopped behind me, the back of my neck reddening in terror at her callous appraisal. “Maybe you should stop acting like a damsel in distress now, Danika. We already know your true colors, so what else do you have to hide?” she questioned as she pranced off, and when I was about to exhale in reprieve, I heard her slowly come to a halt at the doorway, but I didn’t have the brevity to look up.
“And for moon’s sake stop hanging around her, Alfred! You sure know now that she never was your friend from the onset… just using you to better herself! Conniving bitch from the smelling trenches!” she bristled.
I bit down on my lower lip so tight that I felt blood leak out but I didn’t mind. This is it, what I feared most-her hatred, contempt, and bad-mouthing. Everyone fears Theresa on the usual, not to mention when she picks you as the object of her wrath.
I’m finished!
“Relax-”
“Get your filthy hands away from her, Alfred,” Alonso rumbled in such a scathing calm voice that we would have missed it if not that his stone murky eyes were fixed on us at that moment.
“I should be the least of your problems right now, bro. You just won yourself another ticket to the Queen’s animosity.” He smirked sarcastically and I snatched my hand back. “I must say you played out that very well, bro. Weldon… both of you. ” He clapped his hands ridiculously. “Is Lancelot involved in all of this? Was that why you sent him away so that you can bring her under the same roof with you when you found out he was developing feelings for her?”
“Stop it, Alfred. Now is not the time,” I gritted out, stood, slapped the napkin in my hand on the table, and made my way out to my room. I need to think; despite not having any solution in the end, I still needed to think.
As I cornered the hallway that led to my room, with my bones still frozen from the exchange downstairs, I didn’t see a hand shooting out until it grasped mine, yanking me furiously to the side of one of the pillars, a soft hand covering my mouth. I rolled my eyes and muffled the sound I was about to let out when I caught the whiff of Paisley’s sickening scent.
She pushed me off, my back colliding with the next pillar opposite her. She pointed her red painted nail at me, with a snarl on her mouth. “If you think I’m going to let you ruin everything for me, then you have something else coming for you, Danika.”
I was still reeling from the shock of her assault and couldn’t make out a word. My chest was pounding because I had thought it was the vampires that were back to grab me. Maybe I would have willingly followed them this time.
She advanced at me slowly like a predator. “What? Cat got your tongue now? You have the guts Danika after everything-”
“You will not blame me for this!” I flared back, having regained my composure. I won’t allow her to intimidate me for any reason. If anything, I deserve an apology from her for occupying the position that rightfully belongs to me for close to a year now!
She chuckled deliriously. “You fucken bitch! Who the hell do you think you are to think you can come and take away all I have worked hard to secure for myself?” She splayed her finger as she rocked back and forth with resentment now replacing the former warmth that used to be there for me.
“I thought you said you never wanted him?” I asked, wrapping my arms on my chest. “I thought your father forced you into this? Why then are you bothered? You should do be happy-”
“Happy? Are you out of your ridiculous mind? Just because my father forced me into this, you now think I will clap for your betrayal?”
“I didn’t betray you, Paisley! Stop saying that.”
“What did you do then? You lied to me.”
“I didn’t either. He made me do it! Besides I never asked for your friendship, as a matter of fact, I never liked you from the onset after discovering you as the one stopping the union between my mate and me!” Yes, there I said it! Sue me.
I saw pain flare in her eyes, then fury returned. “Was that why you never accepted for us to-”
“Stop!” I lifted my hands up to halt her. “Don’t you dare say that. I would never have done that with you under any circumstance. I’m not like that.” I eyed her.
“You know you won’t succeed, right?” she asked mildly despite her tone implying bitchy.
“He is my mate.” I matched hers.
“I’m the one carrying the heir,” she said pompously, bouncing her shoulders maliciously.
Yeah right. However, I won’t let her think I’m easily defeated. I took a bold step forward. “You might be the one carrying the child, even though I highly doubt it’s his. But Paisley, his heart belongs to me. He would never love you.” I didn’t see it coming until it was too late. Her hand crashed against my cheek, sending me backing into the wall.
“You good for nothing bitch! I liked you and wanted us to be friends but you never accepted because you were stealing my man behind my back!”
I was still bent over the wall nursing my stinging cheek when she huffed loudly, cussed at me, and matched away.
“Ow!” I cried when I made to stand and scrubbed my ankles on the wall to add to my injury. I stomped petulantly, looked around the empty hallway, thankful no one witnessed that, then with a loud puff out of angry air, I covered the remaining distance to my room. Paisley should be grateful I’m not a violent person, I would have made sure she paid for what she just did.
This evening was just too much for me and when I went in, my friends weren’t even around! I leaned against the door, packing my hair into my hand with my eyes closed to take in slow breaths.
The way things are now, there doesn’t seem to be any hope. Paisley was right. She was the one carrying the heir and no matter what, the King cannot choose me over her. Not when Theresa now looks at me with resentment. I’m the one who would be caught in the middle of these power plays and eventually, when he couldn’t handle it, he might end up telling me to go.
When would that be? Two years, three years, or even fifty years from now! What would be my condition by then?
He should have just let me go, but no, he brought me here yet again, and now I’m stuck!
From the way everything was playing out, it seemed I was hopeless. My life had gone from rosy and now seemed to be cascading back to where I came from.
I’m majorly fucked!
…