HIDING FROM THE MATEBOND

4.Consequences

Calista

As soon as I turned the last corner of our street in my wolf form, my heart dropped at the sight before me. Waiting on our porch were my parents. When I had run out on Aerion I had no destination in mind, I had just wanted to leave that room.

Eve, my stepmother, was pacing at the porch and I could smell the anger coming from her in waves. My father was standing beside her as usual, silent, eyes downcast as if he couldn't bear to meet mine.

I knew immediately things were bad.

It was not because they had suddenly discovered I had secretly left the house, but the news must have reached them.

At least they gave me time to shift back into human form before Eve stormed toward me, unleashing all her anger at me.

"What the hell did you do Calista?" she screamed, stepping into the glow of the porch light.

"You had one job, Calista! One job! To mate the Alpha’s son!"

Her voice was sharp, tearing into me before I could even catch my breath.

"I’m sorry," I stammered, my voice breaking between the hiccups that started to rack my body. But my apology was met with more anger.

"Sorry? Sorry isn't going to fix this, you little slu.t!" She grabbed a fistful of my hair, yanking me toward the house. My father stood off to the side, watching but never moving to help, as he always did.

"Dad?" I cried out but my cry was muffled by a scream as Eve’s talons dug into my tender scalp.

"Do you have any idea what you have done?" she spat, dragging me into the house.

"The Luna will not let this pass. Do you understand? You've ruined everything!"

She roughly released her grasp when we got into the living room and I stumbled, barely catching myself before I collapsed onto the floor. Tears pooled at my eyes but I refused to let them fall.

"The Luna will want your head, Calista. She will see to it that you are punished severely for this disgrace." Eve’s said her voice cold.

I knew she was telling the truth. Luna Amber had already warned me. If I ever hurt her son, I would face her wrath. The threat then had felt laughable and unimaginable. There was no way I would hurt Marcus. I had loved him more than I had loved myself for years.

I looked at my father, silently begging for any sign of support. But he turned his head away, unwilling to even meet my gaze.

"Eve, maybe we should... “ he tried, but she cut him off with a sharp look.

"Shut it!" she snapped.

. "This is your fault too. You let her run wild, let her believe she could do whatever she pleased. Now look at her! Following in her mother's footsteps, a disgrace." The story of my birth was well known in the pack. She was an omega who had trapped my father with a child. A brothel worker who got pregnant by a client.

My body shook as the weight of her words sank in. I had heard it all before. How I was just like my mother. How I would never amount to anything. She had made sure to drum those words into my head whenever she got the chance.

This time, the sting of the words was different.

“I’m sorry," I tried.

"I did not mean for things to go this way. I saw Marcus with Rose and—"

"Oh, don't you dare try to blame someone else!" Eve’s voice was sharp as she interrupted.

"You have always found a way to play the victim, didn’t you? You were supposed to secure our family’s place in the pack. And now, you’ve thrown it all away. No one will want you now."

I tried to speak but the words remained stuck at my throat. My throat felt tight, like I was being choked by an invisible force.

“Please, let me talk to Marcus," I begged. "I can fix this. I know I can."

Eve laughed, a bitter, harsh sound.

"Fix this?" she scoffed.

"There’s nothing left to fix, Calista. Marcus will never look at you the same again. You’re ruined. Perhaps we should disown you and save ourselves from the shame. It’s not only wolves in GreyHound who will see that cur.sed video!"

"Disown me?" I whispered, horrified, ignoring the part where she said everyone in the kingdom would probably see the video.

"You can’t do that."

"Oh, I can," she replied coldly. "And I will. That will be better than what the Luna will do. You cheated on her son with Aerion, the bastard son she despises. You just publicly embarrassed her to all the packs. She will demand for your blood!"

I looked desperately at my father one last time, hoping, praying for him to step in, to defend me. But he didn’t. He just turned his back on me, his silence speaking volumes.

I was alone. No one was saving me.

“Go to your room," Eve said, her voice final. "Tomorrow we’ll decide what happens to you."

I walked down to the basement, where my room was located. The only place I was given free rein in the house.

The reality of what I had done started sinking in. In my desire to get back at Marcus I had not thought of the consequences of my actions. I was not Marcus. I was not going to get away with what I had done unless a miracle happened.

I unlocked my phone and, like a glutton for punishment,I rewatched the video that had landed me in my current state. The comments had only gotten worse.

She couldn’t get Marcus, so she threw herself at his brother.

Bet she’ll try to trap him with a baby now, just like her mother did.

She was never fit to be the future Luna.

Each comment was like a nail in my coffin. I couldn’t stay here. Not after this.

I dialed Marcus’s number, but it went straight to voicemail. No response, there was my last chance of redemption.

I grabbed my backpack and quickly stuffed it with some clothes, toiletries, and the little money I had saved.

With one last look around my bedroom, I climbed out of the window and run into the night.

The woods felt more welcoming than the house I was leaving behind.

I shifted into my wolf form and ran blindly through the trees. I didn’t know where I was going, only that I needed to get away.

But unfortunately, I didn’t get far.

Out of nowhere, a group of patrol wolves appeared, their eyes glowing in the moonlight as they surrounded me. Their leader, Liam, a beta with a scar running down his face, shifted first, his human form emerging from the shadows.

"Look at who we have here, boys," he said with a grin.

"Trying to run away, Calista?" he taunted.

I shifted back into human form, breathless.

When it rains, it definitely pours. Nothing was working out for me. There was no way I could outrun them.

"I... I was just—"

"Save it," he cut me off, his eyes gleaming with amusement. "We already know what you did. The whole pack knows."

One of the others, who looked pretty familiar, snickered. "Couldn’t handle Marcus, so you went for Aerion, huh? You must be desperate if you fell for his cheap flattery. He was using you to get back at Marcus, but as expected, you are dumb as fu.ck!"

This was followed by a roar of laughter from the group before another chimed in. "I wonder who will ever take her as a mate."

Their words stung but I kept my mouth shut.

"You’re coming with us," Liam said, nodding toward the others. "Alpha Nolan wants to deal with you personally. We’ve been ordered to take you to the pack holding."

The color drained from my face. The pack holding? That was where they kept prisoners and pack traitors. They grabbed my arms and dragged me through the woods like I was a criminal.

As we walked, they continued to taunt me.

"I bet Marcus is glad you’re gone. He was probably relieved you threw yourself at his brother. Makes his life easier, doesn’t it?"

"She thought she could be Luna," one sneered. "But look at her now. A nobody. Not even Aerion will want her."

I bit my lip, trying to keep the tears at bay. I would not give them the satisfaction of seeing me cry.

By the time they threw me into the pack holding, I was numb. My wolf was silent, too ashamed to speak, too sad to even howl.

Morning came too quickly. The guards came for me, dragging me from the holding and shoved me into the main courtyard.

The whole pack had assembled there and everyone's eyes on me.

At the front, Alpha Nolan stood and beside him Marcus and Aerion.To his left was Marcus, his face completely blank . While Aerion looked toward me for only a brief second before looking away.

I could feel the bond ache, a physical pain that almost brought me to my knees. The mark on my thigh on fire. Something in me wanted to tell him that he was my fated. My soulmate. My wolf, Lyra, also stirred restlessly.

Tell him! She urged.

But I didn't. I let myself suffer the consequences of my actions.

I listened as Alpha Nolan announced my punishment.

I was banished from GreyHound and I vowed never to return.