Chapter 9
As dawn broke, Dominic found us at the beach. He collapsed to his knees in front of me.
My parents stumbled in behind him. They were unrecognizable–their proud alpha appearances gone, replaced by swollen eyes and haggard faces.
The videos had vanished from the internet as if they never existed. But I knew it was too late.
“Maeve, I’ve made the worst mistake of my life. I trusted the wrong one and destroyed you without checking the facts. I had no idea Celeste would sacrifice her own reputation out of jealousy. I’m so incredibly sorry.”
“Please–hit me, scream at me–anything but this silence! Take your revenge however you want. I’m begging you, Maeve, let me try to make this right. I’ve found every one of those werewolves. Celeste’s been locked in silver chains. Just tell me what you want me to do–please don’t shut me out like this.”
I ignored him completely. I just leaned against Luke, watching the sunrise.
Luke shot Dominic a look of pure contempt.
‘Get the hell away from her,” he snarled. “You shouldn’t be here. You could have investigated this months ago–but you enforcers stop me! You could have saved her anytime–but you had me contained! Are you satisfied now?”
Each word hit Dominic like a physical blow. By the end, he was shaking with silent sobs.
had your
Mother dragged herself toward me and fell to her knees. I hardly recognized her–half her fur had turned completely white in her wolf form.
“My pup,” she wept. “I’ve destroyed my own offspring. I was wrong. I blindly believed Celeste when you–you were always protecting her. How could I ever think you’d hurt her over a mate? I failed you completely.”
“Please come home with Mommy,” she begged. “Let me take care of you. I’ll spend every moment making it up to you. Punish us however you want–we deserve it all.”
She kept reaching for me but wouldn’t touch me, as if she knew she’d lost that right.
I knew she’d seen everything–the videos, my silver scars, the full extent of my suffering. If Celeste hadn’t been so desperate to leak the videos, they might never have discovered the truth.
But what good were apologies now? Could “sorry” erase what I’d endured?
Rejected Luna Reborn in Vengoanco.
Father stood nearby, silent tears streaming doen his face something fd never seen from this pack Alphe
“Maeve “his voice broke “Please come back to Mooncrest Park with me I swear on my life no wet wil ever touch you again. I’m exiling your sister permanently. You’ll never suffer again. Please let me try to be your father again.”
At the mating ceremony, when my sister made her accusations, Father had used similar words to cast me
Back then, it had crushed me. Now, I wished they’d exiled me from the start
All these promises to banish Celeste–just empty words to pacify me. Once things calmed down, they a return to normal. And I’d only be left with my silver scars.
I gave them a cold smile.
“I don’t have a pack anymore. The Maeve you knew died in that hellhole. You made yourself perfectly dear, Father–I’m daughter anymore. So now I have no parents. And I never will again.”
My parents turned ghostly white.
Mother staggered as if physically struck. Her desperate howls filled the air.
81.920
But I didn’t want her explanations or excuses. The damage was permanent. Nothing could change that.
“Thank the Moon Goddess we never completed our bond,” I said to Dominic with a bitter laugh.
Luke held me tighter and nuzzled my hair protectively.
“If we’d mated, I’d be dead by now. You were planning to mate with me while forming a connection with my sister. I hate you.”
“I hate you most of all. You hurt me worse than anyone else could. None of this would have happened without your approval. When I
was howling for you, begging for help–where were you then?”
