If heartbreak could kill, today is the day I die.
002.
Seyra blinked, her heartbeat picking up. "Wh... what?"
Cassiel sighed and left Astrid, then stepped forward. "I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have kept this from you."
Seyra shook her head.
Cassiel continued. "We found out a year ago and have been together since then."
Seyra laughed. "You’re joking," she laughed again, her eyes filling with tears. "Tell me you’re joking. You’re just playing around."
"No." Cassiel’s expression didn’t falter. He pulled Astrid into his arms and kissed the back of her palm. "Astrid is the one I will be presenting as my mate tonight."
Seyra felt like the world tilted a bit. This had to be a joke. No, this couldn’t be true.
All the gifts he gave her, all the words of encouragement, all the promises, all the late-night sneak-arounds they usually did, the sex—it couldn’t be a lie.
He loves her. He wouldn’t hurt her this way.
"You’re messing with me, Cassiel." She forced herself not to believe it. "If Astrid has been your mate for a year now, then why... why did you date me? We’ve been dating for eight months!"
Cassiel ruffled his hair. "Well..."
"I asked him to." Astrid stepped forward, chuckling. "I told him no one wanted you. I told him you were only a liability and that I wanted to know how you would feel if the Beta’s son took interest in you." She laughed, and Seyra gasped.
"And by the moon, you sure grew some wings after he started "dating" you. You started standing up to me, started questioning me, and even yelled at Mother. Dating him made you feel so powerful, huh? I mean, who wouldn’t feel so powerful being a girlfriend to the Beta’s son?"
The people started murmuring.
Seyra shook her head frantically.
"No." She took a step back. "Lies. All lies."
"Oh, I’m not finished yet. Save your drama for later." Astrid clicked her tongue and folded her arms. "All the gifts he gave you, I asked him to. The words of encouragement," she laughed. "I made him do them all. And the sex?" She laughed harder; it was almost hysterical. "I knew about that too. Cassiel never loved you. He was only dancing to my tune. I mean, who doesn’t?"
Seyra clutched her chest. Her eyes filled with tears. It was like countless needles were being pressed into her heart and tugged.
"Cassiel, tell me it’s not true." She held his hand. "We had something good going on. You made me confident. You told me I wasn’t ugly."
Cassiel tried to pull his hand away, but she held him tight, like him pulling away would shatter the last thread of hope she was holding onto.
"Let go, Seyra."
Seyra shook her head. "You said you loved me!"
"I lied!" He yelled. "I lied, okay? Sure, I enjoyed the sex and all, but that’s all you were to me. A toy for Astrid’s pleasure. You had a terribly low self-esteem and self-worth. You literally opened your heart to me the second I said I loved you."
Seyra froze.
"I don’t date girls like you." He pushed her away, and she fell to the ground. "I am the Beta’s son. What do you think my father would say if I brought a weak wolf to him? Astrid fits me perfectly, Seyra. We’re over. I don’t want to see you close to me again."
The last thread of hope she was delicately holding onto shattered in time with her heart. For a moment, she sat on the floor, tears rolling down her cheeks without making a sound.
The pack members started talking, each word adding to the excruciating pain she was feeling in her chest.
"Pathetic slut! What was she thinking? That Cassiel would actually love her? That he would present a nobody like her to his father?"
"She reeks of desperation."
"The moon goddess better not mate her to anybody."
"I wouldn’t accept her if she were my mate. She’s a jinx."
Seyra stayed still. This had to be a dream.
Cassiel, the only wolf she had loved, the man who made her find herself again, she thought she’d found someone who loved her for who she was.
So she opened her heart to him way too much, loved him so much that when he suggested they hide their relationship, she agreed immediately. His love was all that ever mattered to her.
Everything she thought she believed... were all built on lies.
He never loved her. He had been using her. Their plan was to make her feel good, then crush her in the worst ways possible.
She started laughing.
They got her pretty good. Their plans worked out perfectly.
She kept laughing as she scrambled to her feet, her gaze fixed on them. She laughed so hard it turned hysterical, tears pouring down her face.
Then she screamed and ruffled her hair. "How could you two do this to me? Did I offend you in any way? Are you this wicked for sport, or do you just love making me miserable?" She turned the last question to Astrid.
Astrid smirked. "I love making your life a living hell. You are so ugly, and somehow you think you can outshine me," She took a step forward, grabbed Seyra by the hair, and pulled her close enough so only she could hear. "Did you think that getting good grades in school would make you better than me? Did you think volunteering at the Pup’s shelter with the whole "I love children" act would make the Alpha and Beta want you?"
Seyra tried to break free, but she held her in place.
"You were doing too much, and I just needed to remind you where your place is, and you know where?" She pushed Seyra to the ground. "Beneath me. Where you would look up to me and bow to me once I become Lady Royal."
Seyra burst into tears and shook her head. She looked up at Beta Magnus. He scowled down at her. The man literally watched them humiliate her and did nothing about it.
There was no way she was going to survive in this pack.
She wasn’t going to sit here and watch them tear her apart. At that moment, she made a decision to leave and go as far away from here as possible.
She wiped her face and stood to her feet.
"Where do you think you’re going?" Cassiel asked. "The ceremony hasn’t even started. Why don’t you stick around? I’m certain the moon goddess will mate you to someone befitting of your class."
Seyra said nothing and turned to leave, but he snapped his fingers. Two guards appeared from the ground, and her eyes widened.
She took a step back. "What are you doing?"
"You can’t leave until the ceremony is over." Cassiel smirked and gave them a signal.
They held her down. "Let go of me!" She screamed. "You already broke my heart and humiliated me. What more do you want from me?!"
Astrid chuckled. "Please, cover her mouth. We don’t want her disturbing the ceremony."
The guards clamped her mouth shut and held her down. She thrashed against them, but they were too strong. When she couldn’t fight anymore, she gave up and just sat there, getting her heart broken all over again.
Serene, the priestess, came a moment later and welcomed everyone. "Today marks the beginning of something beautiful for Harlow Hades. It’s the mating ceremony!"
The crowd howled and clapped.
After speaking on the history of the mating ceremony in Harlow Hades, and asking for the moon goddess’s blessings, she asked the awaiting wolves to step forward and drink from a vial she handed them.
She did some incantation after that, and seconds later, wolves purred to the surface and went through the crowds searching for their mates.
Tears rolled down Seyra’s cheek as she watched the mate mark appear on Astrid and Cassiel. She wanted to scream, but she was restrained.
A grey-furred wolf walked to where she knelt and sniffed her. Her eyes widened as she looked at it.
Did she really have a mate?
It flicked its tail and marched around her before stopping in front of her again. Then it let out a low growl and turned away, hitting her face with its tail.
She almost laughed.
How cruel.
That wolf did it on purpose.
The ceremony ended with everyone there getting their mates... except her. Astrid didn’t fail to smirk at her and show her just how worthless she was.
The priestess blessed them, and it was only after everybody dispersed that the guards let her go.
Astrid kissed Cassiel right in front of her. "See? I told you. You are worthless."
With that, she walked away.
Seyra sat there, watching as everyone walked past her. Did she really deserve this? Why did everybody hate her so much? Was she that difficult to be loved? Even by the moon goddess?
She saw a pair of tiny feet and quickly looked up to see a little blue-eyed boy staring at her. His expression was soft as he looked at her with big, curious eyes.
"Hi, my name is Dathan," he said. "Can you stop crying? I have two gold coins here. I will give them to you if you stop crying."
Seyra choked out a laugh. "Do you talk to strangers much?"
Dathan shook his head. "You’re not a stranger," he said. "You’re—"
"Dathan!" A lady called, causing the boy to turn.
Seyra looked in the same direction. A red-haired lady stormed to where they stood and grabbed Dathan by the arm like she was pulling him away from something dangerous. She looked annoyed.
"Don’t go close to her. I’ve always warned you not to talk to strangers!"
"But—"
"No buts!" The lady snapped, throwing a glare Seyra’s way. "Stay away from him."
With that, she stormed off with the little boy.
Seyra sighed and stood to her feet.
"I have to leave this place," she said.
She was certain she wouldn’t be able to bear it if she stayed. But where was she going to go? She would probably die before getting to the closest neighboring pack. And she couldn’t afford to turn rogue.
She wouldn’t survive it.
But she had to leave anyway. She drafted a plan in her head.
She would return home, get some clothes, steal some food from the kitchen, and then leave when everybody was asleep.
When she got to the house, she decided to use the front door this time. The family usually went to a diner to have dinner together after every mating ceremony. She was going to use this opportunity to carry out her mission.
She opened the door and stepped into the foyer but stopped in her tracks when she heard voices coming from the living room. She recognized that it had to be the Beta’s voice.
What was he doing here? And why didn’t she see his car outside?
Thankfully, the sitting area in the living room obscured everyone from seeing anybody in the foyer. She attempted to turn and walk out.
"What about Seyra?"
She stopped. That was Astrid’s voice.
"If the Alpha wants one of Father’s daughters sold to him to suffice for the debt Father owes him, it should be Seyra!"
"What?" Seyra whispered.
"She’s right, Father," Cassiel was speaking now. "Astrid is my mate. I won’t sit back and watch her get sold to the Alpha. Seyra is already useless. The Alpha can add her to his personal maids."
Seyra’s eyes widened.
Beta Magnus cleared his throat. "They do have a point, Bruce. Your daughter Seyra has no mate. We all know what happens to female wolves that have no mates in this pack. So let’s give her to the Alpha in return."
Seyra waited to hear her father’s response.
"Think about it, honey," Salome said. "We are doing her a favor. Being sold to the Alpha is better."
"Alright. I’ll inform her when she gets home," Bruce said.
Seyra took a step back. No way was she going to allow them to ruin her life like this. Being maltreated by her family was one thing, but being sold to the Alpha?
Alpha Orin?
She’d heard stories about that man. He was old, ruthless, and heartless. That’s why he never showed his face.
She wouldn’t be at the mercy of someone like that.
Forget the plan to get clothes and food.
She was leaving this instant!
She opened the door in an attempt to bolt but came face-to-face with the two guards from earlier—the ones who held her down.
"Going somewhere?" She turned, her eyes meeting Astrid’s. "You can’t run away just yet, Big sister. We have work for you," Astrid’s smile widened. "Congratulations, you’re useful for once."