Chapter 4
Robert was safe. Those were the only words the
doctor kept repeating-he was fine. Just some bruises, no broken bones.
But no one asked if I was safe.
Because I wasn’t.
Jason had burst into the room like a hurricane, nearly destroying the last remnants of my
composure.
“What the fuck were you thinking?” he shouted, slamming the door behind him. “You pushed a pup down the stairs?! Are you out of your
mind?”
“I didn’t!” I cried, standing up from the chair in the corner. “I swear—I didn’t push him! He broke the ur Added to the library and he ran!
He slipped never touched him!”
“Oh, so it’s his fault now?” Jason roared. “The fault of a pup who doesn’t know any better?”
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Chapter 4
+ 5 Points
“I wasn’t thinking at all—I never wanted this to happen! That urn was my mother’s. It shattered, and I just-I lost it. But I swear I didn’t mean to scare him!”
“Your mother’s ashes?” he scoffed, stepping
closer to me.
“Over that? Bella, get a grip-she’s gone. I should have thrown those ashes out the day we
moved in.”
His words hurt more than any slap.
Jason’s face twisted with disgust. “You know
what? This is why you’ll never be a mother. You
deserved to lose that pup. You’d be a terrible
mom.”
I gasped, feeling the air rush out of my lungs. “Don’t-don’t say that. That pup—”
“Was never yours,” he cut me off. “You’re just a useless piece of shit.”
Before I could respond, Bianca entered the room like a well-rehearsed act.
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“Don’t be too hard on her,” she said sweetly, brushing past him. “Robert is fine now. And she is your mate. She said she didn’t do it on purpose.”
Jason snorted.
“My mate? I regret marrying her. Every second of it. It should have been you. My Moon Goddess, I made a huge mistake. So she’d better start acting like a proper mate, or her father might stop breathing. You get what I
mean, Bella?”
I clenched my fists, trembling, my mouth dry.
“Apologize,” he growled.
I blinked. “To…Bianca?”
“Yes,” he said, arms crossed over his chest. “And
get on your knees to do it.”
“།—_”
“Now.”
Not wanting to anger him further or face more
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threats against my father, I knelt down.
Bianca walked over, kneeling beside me with a false smile fixed in place, for cameras that
weren’t even there.
“It’s okay,” she said softly, crouching next to me.
Then she leaned in, her voice a venomous whisper. “You bitch. How dare you harm my son. You’re so jealous and pathetic. Just like your mother.”
I tensed.
Before I could react, her hand shot out, shoving my chest with force.
I tumbled back by the stairs, just like Robert had.
My foot missed a step.
My arms flailed, trying to grasp the railing, but she was quicker-she pushed me again, sending me backward.
“Die, you bitch!” Bianca screamed, her voice
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manic. “This is what you get for hurting my
son!”
Pain exploded through my back as I fell.
I felt every step-sharp, unforgiving wood crashing into my spine, shoulders, legs.
My screams echoed down the hallway, loud and
urgent.
Everything twisted.
Everything blurred.
The last sharp pain hit, my head smashing against the final step.
Then-darkness.
I woke to the rhythmic beep of machines.
Blinding lights.
A pale ceiling.
A dull ache throbbed through my entire leg.
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A nurse walked in.
Her eyes were kind, but her voice was detached, professional. “You’re in the pack hospital now, Miss Bella. You fell and broke your ankle. It will take several weeks to heal.”
I blinked slowly. “Can I leave today?”
She frowned. “You should stay in the hospital
until the swelling goes down. We can contact your family, if you’d like-”
“I have no family,” I said flatly. It was the truth.
“I’m discharging myself tomorrow. I’ve already made arrangements.”
She tried to argue, but my mind was made up.
I would leave before they could drag me back.
The next morning, I hobbled down the
hallway on crutches, my body in pain but my determination stronger than ever.
Then I heard it.
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The laugh of a pup.
I turned instinctively-and froze.
Robert.
He ran straight into Jason’s arms, shouting, “Daddy!”
Jason crouched down, lifting him up, smiling like the perfect father.
Behind them, Bianca smiled, arms crossed, as if she’d already won.
She had.
I stood there.
Unnoticed.
Forgotten.
Replaced.
That night, I sat by the window of a nearby
motel.
My suitcase by my side, a folder resting on my lap.
My phone buzzed with a message from my
lawyer.
“The mate bond termination papers have been successfully delivered to the Alpha Estate of Blackstone Pack. It only requires Alpha Jason’s signature to finalize.”
