Chapter 2. Thunder and Regrets

Thunder echoed in the background as Selena stood there, watching Elijah throw her things out of the house.

It wasn’t raining yet, but the gloomy, thick clouds in the night sky were enough to let her know that it was about to pour.

“Elijah, babe, wait,” she said, her heart thumping in her chest. Her throat had a knot in it, and her body was shaking from fear and adrenaline. “Please…can you just wait?!” she shouted, the maids and other workers looking at them.

He stopped. “Selena, as much as I love you, it’s pretty clear that you don’t.”

“I do!” she cried.

He scoffed, shaking his head. “Be honest with me, Selena. For once in your life, be honest with me. Do you love me?”

She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. How could she lie to him?

“Exactly,” he said, running a hand through his hair. “I’m done. Leave.”

Tears freely fell from her eyes. “Don’t do this to me. Don’t do this to me, please.” Her voice broke at the end. She did not attempt to wipe away the tears, too focused on what was happening. “You know the state of my family. You know that I’m an omega. If you leave me, everyone will see me as a reject, and no man will ever touch me again. Not even with a ten-foot pole.”

“Well, you should have thought about that sooner.” Those were the last words he said before walking away.

Selena tried to follow him, but one of the guards stopped her. “I’m sorry, ma’am, but you need to leave. Right now.” He touched her arm gently.

She yanked it from his grasp, breathing heavily. “Or what?!” she shouted.

“Or I’ll have to throw you out.” His voice was firm. “You have a minute to leave the mansion.” He was serious; it was obvious.

Tears streamed down her face, and she still couldn’t believe this was happening. Everything felt like it was moving too fast.

Considering how cruel she usually was to Elijah, tonight had been nothing compared to that. If anything, she had been humble and had even apologized.

She had begged, and that was something she hated to do.

What was she going to tell her mom? Her mother was going to be furious. And Lily, how would they afford her treatment now?

She could die.

Her mom barely made enough money from the hospital where she worked. It wasn’t that healthcare didn’t pay well in their town; it did.

It was only because her mom was an omega, and omegas were automatically paid less.

And even if Selena got a job, she wouldn’t be able to help much either.

Her father?

She barely knew anything about him. Her mother had told her when she was old enough to ask that he had been killed in the war and that she was never to ask or talk about him again.

Selena had listened.

So yes, she had truly messed up. Six months ago, meeting Elijah had felt like a dream. Their bond, crafted by the Moon Goddess, seemed magical. He was everything and more, and he had been a huge help to her and her family.

Life had become easy, but after a month or two together, she realized she didn’t love him. She had tried, tried to love him or at least to pretend, but after four months, bitterness had crept in.

She had treated Elijah terribly and always believed the Moon Goddess had made a mistake in bringing them together.

But that was something she could never say aloud. Anyone who spoke ill of the Moon Goddess risked being stoned to death.

“Ma’am, your one minute is up. Leave.” The guard’s voice pulled her out of her thoughts.

Her heart hurt, and her chest felt tight, but she didn’t fight or argue. She turned and walked out of the mansion, certain Elijah would change his mind soon.

He would calm down by morning, she told herself. All she needed to do was wait. But she couldn’t wait on the property, she knew that.

So she grabbed her things, dragged them to the bus stop across the street, and sat down.

She wiped her tears with the back of her hand, breathing heavily. As much as she wanted to call her mother, she knew it would be the worst possible idea.

Her mother would kill her.

“It’s all my fault,” she whispered, trying not to break down completely.

Then it began to rain, making things worse. The temperature dropped, and the night became unbearable. She kept staring at the front gate, expecting the guard to come and get her, but that never happened.

She waited for almost three hours before sleep finally took her.

When she woke up, someone was tapping her shoulder. Her eyes fluttered open, and she yawned and stretched before realizing what was happening.

It was her mother.

“Mom?” she asked, sitting up, confused. Why was the woman here?

“You are such a disappointment, Selena.” Her mother’s eyes were teary. “Are you finally happy? You don’t listen. You never listen. Now you’ve ruined everything!” Her voice broke.

“I…I don’t know what you’re…Mom…”

“Oh, stop playing dumb. He called me. Elijah called me. He said he’s done with you and that he’s going to reject the bond between the two of you publicly.”

“No.” Selena shook her head and stood up. “I can do something. I can change his mind.”

“Well, you'd better, because your sister is starting to get sick again. And the Moon Goddess knows my paycheck can’t help her.”

The words of the woman echoed like a broken record in the omega’s head. It felt like she was losing her mind. What was she supposed to do?

How was she going to fix this? There was no going back in time, but she knew that accepting what had happened was not an option either. She needed to figure out how to fix this, or her life would be over.