Chapter 2. In Trouble

Issahil's POV

“What is going on here? And why was I locked outside my own room?”

That question was meant for the both of us, but his eyes were solely stationed on me. I shivered at his angry glares. He was always angry and rough with me, and it usually scared me. But today, because of what I’d unintentionally done, the fear was crippling. I was almost tempted to find a wall for support and my eyes were stinging with tears I was struggling to contain.

“I’m sorry, Alpha. It was a mistake on my part.”

Phena spoke. I could barely form a sentence.

“A mistake?”

“Yes, Alpha. I had gone out to ease myself and when I came back, I closed the door without even realizing it. And you had just come in few minutes after I came in. I’m sorry, my Alpha.”

He said nothing more to her.

“You!”

He pointed to me.

I swallowed.

“Yes, Alpha?”

He had ordered I give him the same respect like every one of his subjects. But that wasn’t the case for Lillian, she called him grandfather.

“What are you still doing cleaning here? I thought you’d be done by now and tend to trimming the gardens outside.”

“I’m sorry, Alpha. I..I..”

I became tongue-tied. My brain was in a scramble. Fear was not letting me think straight. 

“Yes?”

Then I felt his move from my face to the oak-wood table behind me. My stomach lurched. Please, don’t let me see. Please, don’t let him see. Please, don’t let him see. But even as I chanted those words, it was futile because he would see.

“Where is my vase?”

And he had seen. Tears flowed limitlessly, and I didn’t bother to stop them.

“And why are you crying? Who whipped you?”

A rock type of hardness edged his voice.

“No…no one Alpha.”

I quickly cleaned my face with the hem of my dress.

“I ask again, where is my vase?”

Phena and I exchanged nervous looks. Phena didn’t look like she wanted to say anything about it. She’d helped me enough by lying about the reason why she’d closed the door.

“Where is my vase?!”

I flinched, and wordlessly shifted to give him a better view. His gaze landed on the floor and they became murderous.

“Is that my vase? What in the world happened to it?!”

He roared thunderously. His grey orbs darkened in great fury. I could swear I almost saw fire burning in his eyes.

“I broke it by mistake, Alpha.” I went on my knees immediately. “I’m sorry Alpha, it was a mistake. I was cleaning and then, I didn’t know how it toppled off the table and before I could get to it, it had landed and shattered to piece. Oh please, have mercy on my Alpha. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to.”

I begged as if my life depended on those pleas, and in a every sense, my life did depend on my pleas.

“You broke my vase? How dare you touch it what belongs to me? Everything that gets connected to you gets destroyed.”

His words tortured me. I knew what he was referring to. He had always blamed me for my mother’s death. She was his beloved daughter and ever since she died giving birth to me, he’d always blamed me for it.

“Alpha please, it wasn’t intentional.”

But he wasn’t listening to me and he no longer cared that Phena was there.

“Shut up, you stupid girl. You are of no use to me here in my pack. You are as useless as the man who impregnated my daughter with an evil that killed her.”

Oh Mother of the Moon, what have I done to have warranted these heartbreaking words? My heart crumbled. Because of a vase? It wasn’t even intentional.

“Grandfather, why? What did I do to deserve these mean utterances?”

“What did you just call me?!”

But I was no longer paying attention to his words. I was broken. Just then, I heard some people rush in.

“What’s wrong, father?”

That was Duncan Morbelle. My uncle and the only son of my grandfather rushed in. 

“What’s wrong, grandfather?”

Lillian was here too. Just perfect. Family embarrassment. I was the outcast of the family.

“She broke my vase.”

He growled.

“What? Where?”

Lillian asked, then she saw the pieces on the floor. The she let her gaze roam to where I was.

“You broke grandfather’s most expensive vase?”

“It was a mistake.”

My voice was low and defeated.

“No, it wasn’t. You were just careless. You always have been careless.”

I wasn’t careless but when you’re the whole family’s rejected, anything goes. I didn’t reply her. I was two years older than Lillian but she spoke to me rudely and treated me bad too.

“How could you be so careless, Issahil?”

My uncle Duncan asked. His voice was calm but I could clearly hear the accusation in his tone. 

I didn’t say any word.

“Answer me!”

He raised his voice, obviously upset that I had ignored him.

“It was a mistake, uncle.”

“That was my father’s vase, and you know he loved that vase.”

“It wasn’t intentional, I swear it uncle.”

“Shut up, you careless girl.”

My grandfather admonished, anger could still be detected heavily in his tone. I wasn’t sure it the vase any longer, he just looked for reasons to always torment me. Treating me like a slave wasn’t enough for him, he had to make sure I was constantly humiliated and insulted. I wish I knew where my father was. I would have ran to him, left this place of unhappiness and agony. This pack was a nightmare to me. My family made sure they drained anything that had the smallest possibility of making me smile.

“I know what to do.”

My grandfather spoke.

“What do you plan to do, grandfather?”

Lillian was always looking forward to my period of humiliation and punishment, she enjoyed it and used it as an opportunity to constantly remind me that I was the family’s rejected.

“I am going to sell her off as a slave to the Alpha of Nightshade pack.”