Chapter 23: Die!
*Jane*
Everything played out like a sick horror movie. One moment I
was trying to leave and the next my mother was trying to kill
- me. I looked into her eyes, saw the pure feral expression and
knew without a shadow of a doubt that she meant it.
Every inch of my body wanted to twist and escape from this
hellish and familiar control. But I felt as if I had returned to the
age of eight, holding onto hope tightly, hoping that this time
would be different, hoping that the look in her eyes when she
looked at me would no longer be contemptuous.
“Let me go” I said but her claw dis deeper into my skin.
“Not unitl you promised me”
I struggled to break free, but she held on tighter, nails… no,
claws digging into my arms. My blood pooled, dripping down
my arms. I didn’t just feel pain, I saw it. It triggered memories,
almost as if my life were flashing right before my eyes.
There was no love in her eyes, it was never there. It wasn’t there when she’d punish me for spilling milk, or when she’d lock me
Chapter 23: Die!
in a room for hours for going out for shifting. Or those long
lonely nights when she’d lock me outside in the cold, leaving me
shivering and humiliated.
I’d survived all those torments. And now, she’d come to finish
the job she’d started all those years ago.
“You’ve always been a disgrace to our bloodline,” she snarled.
“Everyone can see that there’s something wrong with you.”
“Xander is the Alpha every female would kill for,” she
continued. “Every woman dreams of him, and you… you still
manage to fail him as a mate.”
My throat tightened. I knew she felt this way. To her, I was a
faulty child, lucky enough to marry a powerful Alpha. But I
didn’t deserve to die for that. I didn’t!
“I gave birth to five children. Five!” She thumped her chest with
her free hand. “And you have given him none. Not even one cub
to carry on his line. That he still wants you despite your flaws is
a miracle. No other man would ever tolerate someone like you…
definitely not an Alpha.”
She traced the curve of my cheek with her claws. I winced in
pain as she gripped my chin and forced me to look at her. “You
were supposed to give him the child he wanted. Turn a blind
eye to his affairs. Let him fuck the entire world. At the end of
Chapter 23. Die!
the day, he’s still yours. Stop pissing him off. Be grateful he
chose you.”
The words were like a slap in the face. At that moment, I
realized what my feelings for my mother had been all these
years. I wasn’t sure before, but now I’m sure. That’s hate. I hate
her. She can no longer defeat me.
“Do it,” I growled. I didn’t recognize my own voice. “Push me.
End it.” I leaned toward the precipice, challenging her. “That
way, I’ll never have to look at you again.”
The shock on her face was worth every second of fear that had
come before this. Her green eyes widened, as she froze. I’d
caught her off–guard.
She recovered quickly, snarling as she yanked me even closer to
the edge. The toes of my heels scraped against the loose gravel,
sending them tumbling into the darkness below. I didn’t hear
them hit the water over the blood rushing to my ears.
Still, I held her gaze, silently daring her to do it.
“Hey!” A male voice suddenly pierced through our showdown.
“What’s going on over there?”
Three people approached the bridge. They must have seen that
something was wrong. I expected relief, but I felt nothing.
Chapter 23: Die!
My mother, however, changed instantly. Her claws retracted,
spine straightened, and the feral look in her eyes transformed
into concern.
“Is everything okay?” the tallest one asked, a man dressed in all-
black.
“Oh, everything’s fine.” my mother replied, voice honey–sweet
sometimes.” She turned to look at me. “Don’t you, dear?”
“You can’t mean that, it’s…”
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