Chapter Nine
1439 Words
Bella POV
After I pretended to take Caleb’s offer to keep only Violet, I made sure to stay away from them. I wanted to make them believe I took the deal and that I won't stand in their way. I wear a plain dress for the ceremony and make sure no one notices us. The ceremony begins, the fire burning brightly under the star-filled sky. This time, the ceremony is even bigger, and the place is buzzing with laughter and voices. Emma is the daughter of a strong Alpha, and naturally, all the alphas in the kingdom are present. Emma and Caleb look like the royalty they are. The perfect couple. The perfect handsome Alpha and his beautiful Luna. They are chosen by the gods. Caleb and Emma are smiling at everyone, accepting greetings. A familiar feeling of sadness and loss starts to blossom
in my chest, but I push it away.
I won’t beg him anymore, not again. I won’t fight for him. He chose Emma and rejected me. But I am going to take my kids with me, and they will never see us again. This is what my fight is for now.
The air is heavy with scented oils and smoke. I stand in the back, alert. One of the maids brings Nicholas to Caleb and Emma, and my heart stutters. We will soon be together, the three of us. I have warned Violet to stay by my side and that if I tell her to run, she has to run.
My eyes search the crowd. There is no trace of my maid. My blood stills. That means only one thing - Olivia has got rid of her. The royal family has always been cruel. What makes them more cruel is the fact that they act with the blessing of their royal blood. To the world, they are perfect. You can be happy as long as you have their favour.
And if you don’t…. I close my eyes and take a breath.
Everything will be fine. We will soon be out of here. I follow every step of the ceremony carefully, waiting for the perfect moment. And it comes. Caleb and Emma are distracted, talking to their guests, and no one is with Nicholas. Olivia is somewhere far with the old Alpha. Now is my time.
“Wait for us at the stone gate,” I whisper in Violet’s ear, and she nods. She heads away while I sneak through the crowd. I get to Nicholas - he sees me, my boy looks confused, so I approach him carefully. He is looking at me like he doesn’t recognise me.
“It’s me,” I smile at my son, “It’s Mommy. “
“But… Where… where have you been these days?” He asks, but does not come closer.
“I was here. “ I smile affectionately at him. We don’t have much time- it won't take too long for Caleb to see me here, so we have to act.
“Nicholas,” I begin, outstretched my hand as if he were a scared puppy, lost in the woods.
“You need to come with me.” My heart is thumping, I am afraid someone will hear it, even though the yard is full of people and no one looks in our direction. Nicholas hesitated, and I shifted closer to him.
“Come on,” I whisper, my eyes fixed on him. But instead of taking my hand, Nicholas takes a step back. And then I realised what a huge mistake I made. Nicholas starts screaming, and everyone turns to look at us.
***
Nichola’s shout attracts everyone’s attention, and Caleb’s eyes land on me instantly. His entire expression changes, his eyes burning bright red with the anger of his Alpha. My son runs to Emma and Caleb, and Emma opens her arms to embrace him. I stare at them, stunned.
What?.... Why is Nicholas doing this? …
“Come here, “ Emma says, and Nicholas goes to her without any trace of hesitation. And while Emma is comforting my son, as if I am the intruder, Caleb is the embodiment of fury.
“What is she doing here?!” Caleb snarls, already walking in my direction. The guards rush towards me, ready to grab me, but he lifts his hand to stop them. They step back. I freeze in my spot, ready to take my fate. I can't run- and even if I try, the guards and Caleb's wolves will catch me in the blink of an eye. So I stand my ground and prepare for his fury. Caleb stands before me, the flames rising high. They react to his anger, too - now that he is the Alpha of the Bloodflame pack, he is much more connected to the fire than he was before.
The elders stay in the background- it is Caleb who decides my fate now. And I am pretty sure I know what his decision will be. Caleb is unable to contain his anger- he hates me more than ever. My once-husband grabs me forcefully, and I let a pained gasp escape me. He is going to break my wrist.
“How dare you come here!” he shouts, “Again!” His hand is so tightly closed that I feel my bones breaking, the pain splitting my entire arm.
“You tried to kidnap my son!” Caleb is looming over me, threateningly.
“What were you thinking? That you could take him away from me? Are you really trying to kidnap the Alpha heir?! “
This is how he sees it- this is how they will all interpret my actions… that I am doing it because he is the royal son.
“An Omega like you even approaching the royal heir?!”
If there weren’t so many royals around us, Caleb would have ripped me to pieces, I can tell. Caleb's hatred for me is indescribable, stronger than anything we’ve ever felt for one another.
“I … he is my son, too!” I manage through clenched teeth when he lets go of me.
And then he hits me.
I feel the blood of my split lip filling my mouth, and I try to remain where I am. No one says anything- no one would ever contradict the Alpha.
Caleb takes a step away from me - he has never hit me before, but I also know he doesn’t regret doing it now. He runs a hand through his face, steadying himself and continues in a more controlled voice.
“I, with the power given me from the pack and as a rightful Alpha, banish you from the Bloodflame pack and our land, “ he begins, and I feel my entire body growing heavy with fear. It is so quiet that only the crackling of the fire fills the air.
“If you ever cross our boundaries, you will be prosecuted. “ Caleb says, “ And killed. You are no longer connected to the pack in any way. “
Then he makes a disgusted face.
“I can’t believe I even offered you a deal and a recommendation letter, “ he says, his eyes a lighter colour of red. “I would be crazy to vouch for a useless Omega like you. Get out of here before I kill you for what you did. Because this is what you deserve. “
And then it's all over.
I feel the emptiness inside me beginning to grow. I felt the bond breaking when he rejected me. But now that I am banished from the pack, it’s like everything disappears. It’s like someone has carved out everything from inside, and there is nothing there. I don’t feel any connection to the place anymore, to any of the wolves. To the land, to the woods. Nothing. It’s scary and dark. Nothing is scarier than emptiness. I feel cold and close my hands so that no one sees them trembling.
The Elders are waiting. Everyone is waiting because I need to say it out loud - I need to publicly accept the word of the Alpha.
The Bloodflame pack’s traditions are cruel; they always have been.
“I…" I begin, my throat unable to move, “I accept the rejection and reject you too, Alpha Caleb. And…” I hear the murmurs and unrest, but force myself to continue, the copper taste still filling my mouth.
“I am no longer part of the Bloodflame. “ I whisper. Then there was just a numbing cold - I can no longer feel the fire.
- Writer
