Chapter 78: Chapter 78
At the shrill sound, Aiden went still next to me; his jaw clenched tight. The Alpha was not used to this, of course, since everyone in the Pack spoke to him with a soft fearful voice. My stepmother, however, appeared raging mad, coming to stand in front of me, her eyes digging into my skin.
Looking over her shoulder, I stared at my father, who emerged seconds later, his feet faltering as soon as he met my eyes. He cast his head down, his shoulders sagging with an audible sigh. Judging from the tension in the room, it was pretty clear that he might have told her about our talk.
"You have some nerve denying my request after all the things I have done for you all these years...How can you so easily forget them now that you got yourself a rich Alpha? Someone you stole from your sister! You should be ashamed of yourself!” She huffed, lines marring her face, brows furrowed together. At her glare, I wanted the ground to open up and swallow me, fully knowing how loud and abusive she could get. I had no intention of Aiden listening or seeing this side of us.
“Mary, please…” My father tried to tug at her arms, but she slapped his hand away.
“You are just as selfish and useless as I thought to be, only thinking of your gain.” My stepmother’s harsh words prickled my skin, scarring them. “Why don't you answer me now? Huh?"
Her words were still something that squeezed at my heart until I could barely breathe, could barely see ahead, eyes watery and blurring everything. All the cruel things she did and said started flashing in my mind like a movie reel, rage coiling in the pit of my stomach.
“That’s enough!” A growl emitted from my side, my knees going weak and my hand curling in defence. The omega in me was shivering and shaking at the sound, a shaky breath slipping past my lips. Turning to my side, I almost let out a whine as Aiden’s eyes turned stormy, his jaw clenched tight and anger radiating off him in waves. His Alpha pheromones were in the air, making my nostrils flare.
Few seconds I managed to find my voice and reached to tug at his elbow. “Aiden, please you—”
“I am not done with her yet!” He glowered, cutting me off, eyes still boring into my mother’s skull. She cowered at his tone but still held her ground, chin held high in defiance.
“How dare you talk to my wife in such a demeaning manner?”
My mother bristled at that, her mouth opening and closing, eyes glimmering under the lights. “I can talk however I want to her. After all, I raised her for nineteen years!”
An arm, warm and heavy, lazily wrapped around my waist, tugging me closer till we were plastered together. My lips parted at that, his fingers digging into my side. Aiden scoffed at my mother. “She was your punching bag for these nineteen years, but now she is the Luna of my pack. I demand you to treat her with respect!”
I gaped at him, my eyes wide, unblinking for a while. Did I hear him right? He defended me in front of my mother, not that I needed him for that. She has been tormenting me all these years, and it’s about time I fought back.
My mother shook her head, snivelling, pointing an accusing finger in my direction. Her eyes turned hateful. “Rose must have made up some story to have you by her side, Alpha Aiden. Please do not believe a word she says. She is a manipulative, conniving omega.”
Aiden let out a humourless chuckle, the sound hollow and booming around the room, his arm tightening around me. “While your concern for me is wildly appreciated, Mrs Williams, I find it funny how you think I am incapable of seeing things. You have done nothing but yell at your daughter and call her names. It is quite clear who is the victim here.”
Her face paled at that, losing all the anger from earlier, and she frantically waved her hand. “No, Alpha Aiden, it’s not what you think. Please let me explain—”
“I think I have heard enough from you, Mrs Williams.”
I cleared my throat, placing a hand on his shoulder and stopping him. For a fact, I was very well aware of how harsh my Alpha could be. But he should not be the one fighting my battles for me. He went still under my touch, his head tilting to meet my eyes.
“Please let me handle this on my own. You promised earlier!”
“But—”
“Please, Aiden.”
He nodded, and his arm fell from my side, my treacherous body immediately missing the contact along with the warmth. I took a sharp breath before turning to face my stepmother.
“I have tried to prove my worth to you all these years in hopes that you will also love me.” My voice was hoarse, my heart pounding loudly, and my stomach sinking. “I had no idea that it was a losing battle. You will never love me because I am not your daughter.”
Her face remained impassive, and she did not bother correcting me, which only proved that I was right. Ignoring the burn inside me, I continued. “You can think of me whatever you want to because I am tired of justifying myself. What is the point? You will not believe me anyway. The only thing I want to say is that I would have helped you despite the way you behaved with me all these years because….” I choked on my breath, tears gathering in my eyes. “I am a better person and bigger person my real mother would have wanted me to be. Now doing this, you proved that you will always be the same, and it’s stupid of me to expect anything else from you.”
My stepmother rolled her eyes, her hands clenched tight, but she remained silent.
“Rose…” My father brokenly whispered, his feet inching towards me.
“Don’t!” I put a hand in front of me; my jaw set tight, feet tightly pushing against the ground. “You let me endure her abuse all these years, so please do not say anything now, dad. It will only make things worse.”
Exhaling deeply, I took a step back and motioned towards the Alpha. “Thank you for inviting both of us. Unfortunately, it was not a pleasant stay, so we will not be visiting again.”
“Let’s go, Aiden!” I whispered to him and, without another word, rushed to the room.
“Are we leaving now?” Aiden asked once he shut the door and stood against it, his teeth sinking on the plush of his bottom lip.
“Yes!”
***
I nearly slipped on the carpet in a hurry to get out, my luggage heavy and dragging along. On the way to the door, I passed by my father in the living hall, no signs of my stepmother. It was for the best anyway. Giving him a wave, I strode, holding my breath until we were standing on the porch. My legs almost gave away, body slumping against the nearby wall as I gulped in breaths of fresh air.
The clouds were hanging low, meeting the dark hedges as if it would rain anytime soon. If I squint, I could about make out the neighbouring houses.
Aiden called for a taxi right away, and we sat inside when I heard someone calling my name. I looked to my side.
“Did you hear that?”
The Alpha blinked at me, shaking his head. “N-No! I did not hear anything.”
“But—” I was about to look out of the window when he held my wrist and pulled me back. His eyes softened when they roamed over me. “What are you doing?”
“It’s nothing, Rose.”
I sighed, slumping back in my seat while giving up on reading Aiden. He's like two contradicting people put into one body; one moulded by his upbringing into this cold, powerful Alpha, and the other nothing more than a caring person to rely on who's trying to do what's right.
Blinking my eyes away, I cast my head down, staring at my folded hands in the lap. A strong urge to dry built inside me, but I was not ready to break down in front of him again. There's still a tiny piece of dignity I would like to hold onto after the things that happened. So taking a deep breath and swallowing the lump lodged in my throat, I pushed past the ache.
“You were courageous today.” The Alpha suddenly said. “If your mother cannot appreciate that, she can get bent!”
And this time, I could not help the snort that slipped out from between my lips, but when the sound reached my ears, it's broken off and somewhat resembled a choked sob. “Moons! Don't say that.”
He shrugged, a weak smile tugging on the corner of his lips.
“Thank you for your help, Aiden. I know that you said those things to get even—”
“No”, Aiden shook his head. “I meant every single word.”
***