The Alpha’s unclaimed bride

I sat on the floor of my cramped apartment, staring at the boxes I had packed. My hands rested on a cardboard box filled with things I once thought I’d never let go of. Books with dog-eared pages, a cracked photo frame, a mug I stole from my first job at the diner, I’d held onto them like they were pieces of me, memories that grounded me. Now, I couldn’t care less. The only thing that mattered was the debt. Clearing it, wiping it off my back, and maybe finally, finally, I could breathe again. “I have to do this. I have to let them all go.” I muttered to myself. “Seline, all will be fine.” I ran a hand through my tangled hair and stared at the half-empty apartment. Everything looked even smaller now, reduced to piles of things I was about to sell off for pennies. But what else could I do? That debt had my throat in a stranglehold, and every time I thought I was pulling myself up for air, the grip tightened. “Really? Now?” The alarm on my phone beeped, as I had set a schedule for when I wanted to go see my mother. I wasn’t even sure why I was going to see my mother. Maybe out of some desperate, last-ditch hope that she’d finally act like a mother for once. Maybe I wanted her to say, “You’ll get through this, Seline. I believe in you.” God, even the thought of hearing something like that from her was laughable. My chest ached at how much I wished it were possible, even though I knew it wasn’t. Still, I stood up, grabbed my jacket, and forced myself out the door. If I didn’t do this now, I knew I’d sit in my empty apartment, drowning in thoughts of how everything went so wrong, which was why I set an alarm in the first place. I needed to go, to at least tell her what was happening, even if all I got in return was a look of disappointment. The walk to my mother’s was short but felt agonizingly long. By the time I stood in front of the door, I was second-guessing everything. What did I expect? A hug? Reassurance? Maybe the tiniest shred of comfort? I knocked twice, each sound echoing louder in my chest than the last. "Seline? What do you want?" Were the first words to exit my mother's lips upon seeing me. "I’m packing up." I said, stepping inside. "Selling most of my stuff. To pay off the debt." She raised an eyebrow. "Finally decided to be responsible?" "Yeah, well, it’s not like I have a choice." I looked around her place, trying to avoid her gaze. "I thought, maybe I could talk to you about it." Her laugh cut through the silence, cold and sharp. "Talk to me? About what? How you got yourself into this mess? Or I should convince you not to?" A mocking chuckle escaped my mother’s lips. I bit my lip. "I just thought you’d want to know. That maybe, you’d, I don’t know, care?" "Care?" She folded her arms across her chest, leaning against the doorframe. "Why would I care, Seline? You had this coming. You’ve been a screw up since day one." "That’s not fair." My gaze met with her own. "Fair?" She laughed again, shaking her head. "What’s fair, Seline? You ruined my life the moment you were born. If there are debts on ground, it’s no one’s fault but your own." "These are not my debts, but yours. Yours that I'm trying to pay off.” My teeth gritted. “The one’s you left for me to pay off." I reminded her, as my cheeks heated from the tears that was piling in my eyes. "And you speak about ruining your life?" I flinched. "I didn’t ruin your life. I was a kid for God’s sake. You put me in this debt." "You were a burden." She shot back. "And now, you’re paying the price for it." I took a deep breath, trying to stay calm. "I just thought maybe you’d understand. That maybe...just maybe." A dry chuckle escaped my lips in disbelief. "Maybe what?" Her eyes narrowed. "You really think I’m going to help you? After everything you’ve done to me?" "What did I do?" I snapped. "That's the thing, what exactly did I do?" The words slipping out before I could stop them. "You bringing me to life is that bad, that you hate me so much?" I had to ask her. "You existed." She said flatly, her voice cold. "You ruined everything for me." I stared at her, my chest tight. "I didn’t ask for this, you know. I didn't ask to be born this way too.” She shrugged. "Well, here you are. And now you’re reaping what you sowed." I clenched my fists. "I don’t need this." "Then why are you here?" My mother asked, her tone mocking. I shook my head. "I don’t know. Maybe because I thought you might care, but clearly, I was wrong." "You always are. Everything you do is wrong." My mother said blatantly, and I shook my head. What exactly did I expect? I turned on my heel, heading for the door. "I’m done. With you, with this. With this town. Everyone with it! I’m done with you all. I’m done trying to fix something that was broken from the start. Just because I refused to turn, shouldn’t make you see me less of your daughter.” My chest heaved as I spoke, the pain hitching my heart heavily. Her voice followed me out the door, sharp and biting. "Good. Get out of here, I never needed you anyway." And with one last look at my mother, I walked away.