Kieran's True Mate

Chapter 2

Sheryl’s POV

I froze. Slowly turning, and then I saw Victoria emerging from the shadows, her eyes gleaming with a satisfied smirk that sent chills down my spine.

“You can’t escape, Sheryl,” she said, her voice dripping with malice. “If you run, Sinclair won’t just kill you. He’ll destroy our entire pack. Is that what you want?”

I turned to face her, my body still trembling from the fact that I'd lost my only chance at escaping.

“I don't want to exchange words with you, Victoria. Step aside and let me pass.”

She threw back her head and laughed hard as she came to stand in front of me. "You must be delusional to think I'll let you walk through that gate."

I couldn't let her stop me. Not when my life was at risk. "You don't understand. Sinclair will kill me immediately I set foot in his park."

She stepped closer, “Oh, but I understand perfectly,” she replied, her voice a venomous whisper. “I understand that you’ve always been the problem in this family. The unwanted daughter. The constant reminder of father’s great loss.”

“Oh, shut up!” I snapped, suddenly dropping the ‘begging act’ and fuming with rage. “You’re not even his real daughter, so you have no right to say that to me. You know nothing about this family.”

Her smile was wicked. “Yet he loves me more than he will ever love you. And that is why he gave you up to Sinclair instead of me. I am valued in this family, while you’re… invisible.”

I could feel more of my control slipping. The wolf inside me began to stir, a primal rage building up with each word she uttered.

“You call yourself the real daughter, but look at how you turned out,” she continued, circling me like a predator. “A debt payment. A disposable daughter that father couldn’t wait to be rid of. I bet Sinclair will…”

“Shut the f**k up!” I yelled, my control finally shattering into pieces.

Our transformations happened immediately, with bones cracking, skin rippling… and within moments, two wolves faced each other - one dark and powerful, the other leaner but fierce.

Victoria’s wolf was larger, her coat a deep midnight black - it was to be expected, since she lived a free, expensive life. My wolf was smaller - which was no fault of mine, since I wasn't given the freedom to roam and grow - but I still tried to look fierce and fearless, even though I wasn't.

“You’re nothing,” Victoria’s wolf snarled through our mental connection. “Nothing but a mistake father wants to erase.”

Then she struck - a lightning-fast attack aimed at my throat. I dodged, but not completely. Her claws raked across my side, tearing flesh, drawing blood. The pain was agonizing, but I fought on, refusing to give up or let her win.

She bared her teeth, sinking them into my fur, her claws digging into my skin. She was larger, stronger, relentless - like she was fighting to kill.

Despite my bravery, I couldn't keep up, and with a final devastating blow, she sent me flying, a deep wound opening on my flank.

Her eyes were filled with triumph as she shifted back and called out, “Father! Sheryl tried to escape!”

Moments later, I was surrounded and dragged before Theodore. The pain of my wounds was nothing compared to the emotional agony consuming me as I stared at my so-called father.

“How could you?” I screamed, my voice raw with pain. “I am your daughter! Your blood! How can you hand me over to Sinclair like some worthless trade? I won’t survive it there! Don't do this, please.”

Theodore remained stone-faced. No emotion. No compassion.

“And who said I wanted you alive? You are a liability,” he said coldly. “Your existence has been nothing but a reminder of my pain. It’s time to make yourself useful. Either that, or I kill you myself.”

My mother. Always my mother. I wish she were here. I wish she had taken me with her when she was leaving this godforsaken world.

“Guards, take her out of my sight. To the medical room, if she’s willing.” Theodore commanded.

“No…no, please… father please…” I tried begging again, but it fell on deaf ears.

The guards dragged me, pushing me roughly to the small medical room within the house. My side was bleeding out as I walked, leaving a trail of blood on the floor.

Victoria stood nearby, watching with that cold, triumphant smile that made my blood boil even more than the physical pain.

The pack healer, an older woman named Margaret, worked on me silently. Her hands were gentle, trying to soothe my pain instead of making it worse.

“You’re lucky,” Margaret muttered. “The wound isn’t deep enough to prevent your transformation or healing.”

I said nothing. What was there to say? Lucky? I was being traded like cattle to a monstrous Alpha, betrayed by my own family. There was nothing lucky about that.

Theodore stood in the doorway. His eyes never met mine, always looking just past me, as if I were a ghost he wished would disappear. A wish he would have very soon.

“You’ll be prepared for Sinclair’s arrival tomorrow morning,” he said coolly. “Margaret will ensure you’re presentable.”

The word “presentable” hit me like a physical blow. What am I? A flower vase? I screamed inwardly.

As the healer finished bandaging my wound, Victoria couldn’t resist one final twist of the knife.

“You should be grateful,” she whispered, leaning close enough that only I could hear her. “Most rejected daughters would have been killed long ago. At least Sinclair might find some use for you.”

Her meaning was clear and horrifying. I felt my wolf rise inside me, ready to tear that stupid look off her face. But I knew any further rebellion would only make my situation worse.

The night passed in a blur of pain and agony. I could hear the pack moving outside, preparing for tomorrow’s transaction. Whispers. Shuffling. The occasional bark of orders.

No one came to comfort me. No one came to whisper words of encouragement. I was alone in a pack where I was once treated like a princess.

And as dawn broke, I realized my fate was sealed. Alpha Sinclair would arrive soon, and my life would move from bad to worse.

I closed my eyes, thinking of my mother. Would she be disappointed in me for not fighting harder? For being weak? Or would she understand the impossible situation I was trapped in?

The sound of approaching vehicles broke my moment of reflection.

Sinclair had arrived.