I opened my mouth, but no words came out. The room had fallen silent, the eyes of the pack members all trained on me, but their judgment was nothing compared to the burning fury in Eros’s gaze.
“Enough,” came my father’s voice, booming across the room. Alpha Donovan. “Remi, you are ruining the mood. Today is supposed to be a celebration. We have our beloved real daughter back, and here you are, crying and sobbing.”
His words hit like a physical blow. Real daughter. The phrase stung, a reminder that I had never truly belonged here, that I had only ever been a placeholder, a mistake—a mistake they were now eager to correct.
“You’re such a bummer,” my mother, Luna Kierra, chimed in with disgust. “You ruin the atmosphere every time you’re here. Go cry somewhere else. This is a celebration for Daisy, not you.”
I couldn’t stop the sob that escaped my lips. My heart felt like it was being ripped out of my chest. Leave, they said. Go somewhere else, they demanded.
So, I left.
I didn’t say a word. I didn’t try to explain. There was no point. Not when my own parents, the very people who were supposed to love me, had turned their backs on me. Not when Eros, the man I had given everything to, had slapped me and humiliated me in front of everyone. There was nothing left here for me.
As I stepped out into the cold night air, my wolf roared inside me. The fury was burning—my body was trembling with it. The anger, the rage, the betrayal—everything was clawing at me, urging me to tear down this world that had rejected me—urging me to use the power of the moonstone that made me stronger.
But then, my hand instinctively pressed to my abdomen. I was pregnant. I can’t, I thought, swallowing back the fire. Not yet. My wolf growled in protest, but I knew this wasn’t the time. I couldn’t risk my baby. I couldn’t let my rage destroy the fragile life I was carrying. So, I walked. Slowly, deliberately, I walked away from everything I had ever known.
I wandered aimlessly through the streets, my heart heavy and my mind clouded with a mix of anger and despair. I didn’t know where I was going. All I knew was that I couldn’t stay here. I couldn’t stay in a place where I was nothing. Where I was nobody. I wasn’t even the Alpha’s daughter anymore. I was just… Remi.