Chapter 7
2093 Words
Jessica shook her head. She reached out her hand to hold my hand. “No, I'm staying here.”
Doug stared at Cherry. He cleared his throat, then said, “Are you sure?”
“Yes, darling. Don’t forget our plan to visit your-,” Cherry almost said ‘pack’ when she realized there was Jessica. “-ah, your family.”
“Sure, honey. Whatever you say.” Doug caressed Cherry’s hair.
Cherry kissed Doug’s cheek and smiled at him. “Okay, see you after school.”
Then Doug left and dragged Jessica’s hand. “Leave them both. They have something to discuss.”
“But I want to be there for Emmy!” Jessica protested.
“No, you’ll bother them. Emerald is no longer a child. You don’t need to babysit her.”
“I’m not babysitting Emmy! I’m her best friend!”
Doug kept dragging Jessica’s hand. “As her best friend, let her have her space. If you keep bugging her, you’ll be a nuisance for her. Do you get that?”
I just saw Doug and Jess walk farther until both of them were no longer in my sight. I then glanced at Cherry.
“So, what do you want to discuss with me?”
Without warning, Cherry grabbed my hair, then pulled it hard.
“Ouch! It hurts! Let me go!”
“Listen to me! I’ll only say this once. Break the bond between you and Doug now!” Jessica yelled.
“It’s not your business!” Since Cherry pulled my hair harder, I screamed, “Aw! You hurt me!”
“Do you want me to pull your hair until you surrender? Fine!”
Cherry yanked my hair so hard. I thought a few strands fell apart from my head. I grimaced and tried to push Cherry’s hand away from my hair. Yet Cherry was more powerful than me. Finally, she could pull me to a secluded area of the school.
Cherry slapped me. “Surrender now! Break the mate-bond!”
I shook my head while my tears were flowing. “Why do you do this to me? It’s between Doug and me. It’s nothing to do with you.”
“Listen well, ugly pup! I’m Doug’s mate, his future Luna. You’re the one between us! Don’t you dare to dream that you’ll be with him!”
“But I’ve never intended to be his Luna!”
Cherry’s hold on my hair was looser. “Then what are you waiting for? Just break the bond now!”
“I can’t….” I sighed. “If you want to be his future Luna, persuade him to break the bond.”
Cherry narrowed her eyes. “Why is that? What is the difference between who’s breaking the bond? The only thing that matters is someone must break the bond.” Cherry said her five last words slowly as if she were talking with a child.
“If you want to know, I’ve no desire at all to be Doug’s mate nor to be his future Luna.” I stared at Cherry. “I’ll be glad if you become his mate and his future Luna. I mean it, but I can’t be the one who breaks it.”
“Then, why should it be Doug?”
“Well… it’s complicated.”
“Explain it! I can’t wait for the entire day!” Cherry snapped suddenly.
“I just can’t! If you want to make sure that the bond’s broken, come to Doug and ask him to break it. Please, I know you can do it.”
Cherry released my hair and put her hands on her hips. “Who do you think you’re to ask me that? You’re nothing, just a weak and worthless Omega! You’re not in a position to ask me anything!”
“But… I thought you wanted the bond to be broken. If you ask Doug to break it, then it’ll solve the problem for the three of us.”
Cherry sneered, then she pushed my head. “I know from Doug that it’ll cost him a lot if he should break the bond. He’s the next Alpha! His risk’s enormous. You’ve nothing to lose by breaking the bond. Just reject him now!”
“I wish I could….” I whispered. It was such a dead-end since I promised my father not to break the bond, while Doug wouldn’t end it for power and influence reasons.
“Emerald!” Cherry yelled again. “I’ve guessed you’re not so bright, but I don’t expect you to be so blunt! I’m just wasting my breath trying to reason with you.”
Before Cherry could say anything further, the bell rang.
“I’ll give you time until tomorrow. If you haven’t done it, you’ll see what’ll happen to you.” Cherry walked without looking back, leaving me behind.
I took a deep breath since my hands were shaking. Things had been worse with Doug and his bullying; now I should face Cherry too.
“Dad, what should I do? Should I give up? Can I think of other ways to avenge granddad?” I covered my face with my hands. The tears trickled down my cheeks. “I’m tired, dad…. How long should I bear this? I know I need to be strong, but I’m so tired…. Can I just quit, dad? Can I break the bond now? I only want to live my life in peace. I don’t want any trouble. Is that too much to ask?”
There was a sound of footsteps approaching. “Emmy! Are you alright?”
I wiped her tears with my clothes. “I’m not, but I’ll be later, Jess.”
“Let’s report Cherry to the teacher.”
I stood up and grabbed Jessica’s hand in a rush. “No! I’ll get over it. Let’s go to class.”
“But….”
“I’m okay, Jess. No need to report anything.”
Jessica sighed. “I know it’s bad to leave you behind with Cherry. Did she hit you?”
“No, she didn’t,” I replied while hugging myself. “I’m okay, don’t worry.”
“But you’re crying. Cherry should hurt you. What did she do to you? Your left cheek’s so read. Did she slap you?”
I sighed. Jessica would keep asking me, so I replied, “She grabbed my hair and pulled it hard. She threatened me to break my bond with Doug. Yeah, she slapped me too.”
“Oh, no! We definitely should report this!”
I grabbed Jessica’s arms and held them tightly. “No! Promise me you won’t report any of this, Jess.”
“But Cherry hurt you, Em! I hate to see you being bullied with no means to defend yourself.”
“Do you think things’ll be better if we report Cherry and Doug to our teachers? No, Jess. It’ll be worse.” I sighed while looking at the ground. “I’m sure of it. Cherry’s and Doug’s have significant influences in our school, to the point the teachers even submit to their attitudes. Also, if I reported them, other students would hate me more. It’d lead to a worse situation.”
“Oh, Em….”
“We’ve been late. Let’s talk again later after school.”
The class began soon. I had a hard time concentrating on the lesson. Luckily, there were no quizzes today; otherwise, I would be in big trouble.
***
~ Douglas/Doug ~
After school, I waited for Cherry in front of her class. Then I saw her. Oh, boy! Isn’t she wonderful? “Hey, gorgeous, you’re getting more and more beautiful every time I see you.”
Cherry smiled a bit. “Flatterer.” Her hand touched my chin. “You’re not so bad yourself either.”
“Ready to meet my pack now?”
“Sure! I’ve never been more ready than now.”
We walked to the parking lot. Then I opened my black sports car’s door for Cherry. “Please come in, princess.”
“Thank you, handsome.”
“Anything for you, honey.”
We talked along the way while I was driving. Cherry held my right hand and frequently touched my upper arm to tease me. I didn’t object at all; I even loved how Cherry treated me so intimately. She had excellent initiative.
When we arrived at the Rainfall Hill Pack area, I quickly opened the door again for Cherry. Then we were walking hand in hand.
Some of the pack members saw us. I just smiled toward them and kissed Cherry’s knuckles for a show. The pack members assumed that I came to the pack with a woman, so they observed Cherry intently.
Cherry nodded her head and smiled toward them while leaning closer to me. Then I slipped my hand to Cherry’s waist and held her closer. Some pack members nodded; they assured their assumption was correct.
Cherry and I walked toward my house. We should step on the stairs before entering since it was built on the highland. After retrieving the key from my bag, I opened the door and let Cherry enter my home.
I led Cherry to a room. After knocking on the door first, I called, “Dad, are you there?”
“Doug? Come in, son.”
I entered the door and held it for Cherry. With straight shoulders and chin up, Cherry entered the room. “Good afternoon, Mr. Campbell,” Cherry greeted politely.
“Good afternoon. Well, well, well, look who’s coming here. What’s your name, sweetie?” Daniel Campbell, my father, smiled a little to see Cherry.
Cherry reached out her hand to my father. “I’m Cherry Brown, sir. Nice to meet you.”
My father shook Cherry’s hand and stared at her for a while. “Brown. Do you know Jacob Brown?”
Cherry nodded. “He’s my father.”
My father laughed aloud. “What a wonderful coincidence! Your father and I are having a good relationship!” Then he stared at me with a grin. “Is Cherry your mate, son?”
“Yes, dad. She is.”
“It’s awesome. Ah, and what are you in your pack?” My father asked Cherry again.
Cherry smiled. With her eyes kept staring at my father, she replied, “I’m a Beta on the Moonvalley Venture Pack, sir. Hopefully, it’s enough for you to accept me as your son’s mate.”
My father clapped his hands. “Impressive! Beta in your pack and the daughter of my ally! It can’t be better!” He glanced at me. “Then we should gather our pack members, and you can mark her in front of our pack.”
“Yes, dad,” I replied fast. See! Cherry was impressive. Even my dad thought so.
Cherry beamed to hear my father’s praise. She blushed prettily, then said, “I feel honored, Mr. Campbell.”
“Don’t call me Mr. Campbell, sweetie. You’re Doug’s mate; call me ‘dad’ instead.”
Cherry grinned too, then nodded, “Yes, dad. Thank you for accepting me as your future daughter-in-law.”
“I can’t be happier. The Highest One surely picked a great match for Doug.”
- Writer
