2 Chapter 2 Welcome Party
“Why aren’t you here yet?” he repeated when I didn’t respond immediately. I searched my memory frantically, trying to remember if I had forgotten something crucial.
I turned and walked away, fighting every instinct to run. Behind me, I could hear her soft laughter, each sound like a knife twisting in my wounds. My legs felt weak and unsteady, but I couldn’t collapse. Not here. Not where she could
see.
After a long shower that did nothing to wash away my pain, I collapsed into bed. I expected to lie awake all night with my thoughts spinning and my heart aching. But my body and mind had reached their limit. I fell into a deep, mercifully dreamless sleep.
I stared at my mate in shock. Julian was always too busy with pack business to shop for gifts. Everything he gave me was selected by his beta and delivered like a business transaction. He had never personally chosen anything for me. Not once.
“Where am I supposed to be?” I finally managed to ask.
“Where are you?” Julian’s tone was ice cold and demanding.
This brought back every horrible memory from my early days at Solstice Fang. Living there had been a daily nightmare.
I didn’t break down. I didn’t let them see how much their rejection destroyed me. I found a small empty table in a dark corner, away from their laughter and happiness. I held everything inside, but my heart felt every cruel slight,
I forced myself to get ready, applying makeup to hide how exhausted and broken I looked. My future mother-in-law constantly reminded me that a Luna must always appear put-together, that she must set an example for the pack. I hated makeup, but it was the only way to mask the pain written all over my face.
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Everyone knew Julian would have brought her a gift. When he pulled out an elegant necklace, my heart stopped.
I sat up quickly, trying to clear the fog from my brain. I was usually prepared for everything. If we had something important planned today, I wouldn’t have slept so deeply. I couldn’t figure out what he meant.
I had been humiliated many times before, but this felt different. Worse. Gift after gift appeared for Roxanne, each one more thoughtful than the last. I
hadn’t received so much as a kind word since she returned. I knew I wasn’t
their first choice, but I didn’t deserve this level of cruelty.
“Roxanne,” her closest friend said with a sly grin, “Julian personally selected that necklace just for you. Don’t you think such thoughtfulness deserves a proper thank you?”
“I can’t make it,” I whispered, already knowing it was pointless. I wanted to hang up and disappear forever, but I knew better. When Julian gave an order, I had to obey.
I barely remember making it back to my room. The second I closed the door behind me, I locked it and stumbled toward the bathroom. I turned the shower on full blast, letting the freezing water shock my system. I wanted to scream until my throat was raw, wanted to break something, but I couldn’t
afford to lose control.
“Kiss him!” someone else shouted.
“This is all so wonderful! Thank you for these amazing gifts! I missed you all so much!” Roxanne gushed, practically melting into Julian’s side. “But surely you got me something special too? Something you picked out yourself?”
I was exhausted in every possible way. Physically drained from years of trying to prove myself. Mentally worn down from constant rejection. Emotionally empty from loving someone who would never love me back. I had no tears left to cry because crying never changed anything.
I pushed through the heavy doors and stepped inside. The entire room went
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silent. Every pair of eyes turned toward me, filled with hatred and disgust. They didn’t need to say a word. Their silence spoke volumes about how unwelcome I was.
My phone ringing jolted me awake. This was unusual since nobody ever called me unless something was seriously wrong. I answered without checking who it was. His voice made my stomach clench.
I was late when I finally arrived at the pack bar. Even from outside the massive building, I could hear their loud laughter and celebration. Roxanne’s voice rang out above all the others, bright and joyful.
Everything about our relationship was fake, designed to fool others.
I thought the evening couldn’t get worse until someone suggested Roxanne should thank him properly for such a personal gift. Right in front of me.
“You’re my mate. You will be there. I expect to see you soon.” The line went dead before I could argue. Of course. The master had spoken, and the servant would comply. Just like always.
They had called me names, excluded me from everything important, and made it clear I would never truly belong.
Seraphina’s POV
All because I had no wolf.
My heart dropped to my stomach. Roxanne’s cruel words sliced through me like a blade, but I stood there and took it. This was what I deserved for even imagining a different future with Julian. The pain felt familiar, a constant companion that had lived in my chest for years.
My mother had actually told me once that she regretted bringing me to Solstice Fang in the first place. They saw me as an embarrassment, a stain on their perfect family image.
They had always chosen Roxanne over me without a second thought. My father spent hours teaching her pack management, took her hunting, showed
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her how to fight. He never once asked if I wanted to learn. My mother cooked Roxanne’s favorite meals, took her shopping for clothes I could only dream of owning, treated her like a best friend. She barely acknowledged my presence.
“Roxanne mentioned she told you about her welcome party.” His words hit me like a physical blow. He was angry at me for not being there to watch him celebrate the woman he really wanted.
They didn’t want me there, but I forced myself to hold my head high and walk toward their table. When I got closer, I realized there was no seat for me. Roxanne was sitting right next to my mate, looking like she belonged
there more than I ever had.
I didn’t belong in their perfect moment because I had never been one of them. They had all grown up together, shared memories and inside jokes I would never understand. They loved Roxanne like a sister and hated me for supposedly breaking her heart.
“I’m glad you decided to come home,” I said, forcing my voice to stay level even as my knees threatened to buckle. “But whoever brought you from the airport should be the one helping you settle in. Tell them I can’t do it.”
I was Alpha Maxwell’s biological daughter, but they treated me like I was nothing. Like I didn’t exist.
“I saw this on my way back to the pack. It reminded me of you.” He smiled at her in a way he had never smiled at me.
On my first birthday as his mate, I received flowers and a generic card. The next year brought a fruit basket. I knew he hadn’t picked any of it. These gifts were just obligations, things he had to do to maintain appearances for his father. He wanted us to look happy together in front of Alpha Quintus, so I played my part.
I wasn’t asking them to stop loving her, I just wanted a tiny fraction of that warmth and acceptance. I had tried so hard to earn their respect, but nothing I did was ever good enough.
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If he really wanted Roxanne back, why hadn’t he told me? Why hadn’t he rejected me outright? I would have been devastated, but I never would have stood in his way. He had never cared about my feelings anyway. I was a fool for thinking things could be different. I should have known she would return, and that he would welcome her back without hesitation. He always had.
Watching them shower Roxanne with the love and attention I desperately craved was torture. It felt like they were ripping my heart out over and over again.
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