Rejected then Claimed by the Alpha King (Liam and Hope) novel Chapter 131

Chapter 2

But my father and mother always ignored it.

Soon, my mother pulled some strings and got me a job at a meatpacking plant, telling me to go earn money.

“Work hard and send the money home on time. Isabelle is in high school now-her expenses are huge.”

Every word out of her mouth was about Isabelle. She didn’t spare a glance for me, even though my face was pale, my period had just started, and a patch of blood had soaked through my pants.

The work at the meat plant was exhausting, but there was a small library filled with old textbooks and

discarded books.

During breaks, I would rush there to study on my own.

Some of the older workers had been to high school. Seeing how young I was and how eager to learn, they were happy to tutor me. Some even tried to help me get in touch with a local high school.

I sent most of my wages back home and saved a little for myself, dreaming about going back to school.

But that day, burning up with fever, I was late sending the money. My parents stormed into the meatpacking plant, screaming, hitting-no mercy, no pause.

Coworkers tried to intervene. In the chaos, my books spilled open and the cash tucked inside fluttered to the

floor.

Then came my father’s boot, a vicious kick straight to the gut.

“You ungrateful brat! Hiding money from us? I’ll beat you to death!”

My mother tore my textbooks to shreds.

“You think you can study? You think you’re good enough for school? You’re trash!”

I knelt on the floor, begging her not to do it. “Mom, please, don’t tear them. These books aren’t even mine. I worked so hard just to borrow them…”

My father slapped me hard across the face.

“Still talking back? Your mother can do whatever she want to you! And you-if you’ve got money, you be using it right, not wasting it on this crap!”

They ripped up my books and threw them into a bucket of water, stomping them down with their feet.

They turned my dorm room upside down and took every cent I had. Not a single coin was left.

should

Before they left, my mother spat coldly, “Since you have so much free time, go get another job. Isabelle has

Chapter 2

96.32%

plenty of tutoring expenses.’

I had nothing left.

While my parents poured everything into Isabelle’s future, not once did they stop to think about how I was

supposed to eat or clothe myself without even a penny in my pocket.

Since I couldn’t return the books I’d borrowed, I had to find another part-time job to pay for them.

My second job was at a construction site, doing grunt work.

It was even harder than the meatpacking plant.

One time, a bucket full of cement was too heavy. I was already weak from my period, and my body gave out.

The bucket fell, and wet concrete splashed all over my leg. The foreman shook his head and told me kindly I

shouldn’t keep working there.

I dropped to my knees, crying. “Please, I can do this. Just give me another chance!”

He sighed and tried to help me up, but the concrete had already started to harden around my foot. They had to break it off with a hammer, and my foot was injured in the process.

The foreman still had to let me go, but he gave me an extra fifty dollars and told me to find a pack doctor to treat my foot and to buy something good to strengthen my weak body.

Limping as I walked, I clutched that hard-earned money. It was my birthday, and I wanted to treat myself.

So I stepped into a diner and ordered the cheapest plate of pasta.

That was when my father, mother, and Isabelle walked in.

They were just out for a normal dinner, but they hadn’t expected to run into me.

My father flew into a rage. “You’re hiding money again? You little bastard!”

My mother grabbed my hair and started crying. “So now you’ve grown up and have money to eat out while

your parents starve?”

They stood there pristine. Isabelle in her frilly dress and ribbon, looking every inch the princess.

And then there was me: sprawled on the ground, hair tangled, drowning in hand-me-downs two sizes too small. My shoes were splitting at the seams, the scabs on my feet torn open-blood seeping into the frayed

fabric.

Still, I clung tightly to my plate of pasta and kept eating like my life depended on it.

It was delicious. The best thing I had ever tasted. For that brief moment, it made me forget all the pain.

96.32%

I saw Isabelle wrinkle her nose and turn her head away in disgust.

Seeing me like that made them even angrier. My mother tried to pry my hands away, and my father grabbed the plate and slammed it down on my head.

“Eat! Eat all you want!”

They stormed off with Isabelle, but not before my mother dug through my pockets and took the fifty dollars.

Cream sauce soaked my hair and slowly dripped down my face.

I stared blankly at their retreating figures.

They looked so much like a real family.

The diner owner didn’t take my money. He even offered to bring me a new plate of pasta.

I shook my head and hobbled out of the diner.

Outside, a light drizzle began to fall.

On the screen, my silhouette slowly dissolved into the rain.

The jury of a hundred sat in hushed silence. My parents shifted slightly, avoiding the gaze of the werewolf judge, while Isabelle kept her head down, looking at no one.

96.32%

Chapter 3

Everything seemed to freeze, the only motion left was the relentless scroll of comments on the screen.

“Monsters! Her parents are the ones who should be on trial!”

“Is that how you treat your own daughter? You wouldn’t even treat an enemy like that!”

Then the judge spoke.

“The jury, please now present your verdict. You can choose to acquit her of all charges with one vote, or you may choose to rule only on this specific accusation. If any of the other charges still hold, the accused will remain guilty.”

Thirty-three votes. They acquitted me outright.

“Sure, her upbringing was tragic, but that just means she might come back with even worse revenge later.”

“Exactly. Can someone really stay that soft and innocent forever? No way she hasn’t done something.”

Next came the second accusation from my parents.

“She took two hundred thousand and disappeared without a word, leaving her parents buried in debt.”

The comment stream flared back up.

“Knew it! She did do something worse!”

“Two hundred thousand? If it weren’t her family, that would be straight-up fraud-she’d be in jail!”

Hearing the audience’s opinion shift in their favor, my father straightened his back proudly.

I looked at Isabelle. She still wore that same calm mask, but her trembling fingertips betrayed her inner

turmoil.

She should be afraid.

The screen lit up again.

“Uncle’s in trouble-come back quick!”

As soon as I got Isabelle’s call, I rushed to ask for time off from work, bought the earliest train ticket, and

hurried home.

But when I arrived, I found my father lounging on the couch watching TV, my mother sipping tea beside him, and Isabelle dressed in a lovely outfit, smiling sweetly as she nestled next to Mom.

When they saw me, my father snapped, “It was not until I was dead will you come home, huh?”

Chapter 3

97.06%

I felt furious for being cheated, I snapped back, “Then maybe I should just leave right now!”

My father’s face darkened. He grabbed an ashtray and hurled it at me. I didn’t dodge in time. It struck my forehead, blood pouring down my face.

“What are you doing? What if it leaves a scar?”

For once, my mother actually scolded him.

I was stunned. Even a little touched. Tears welled up in my eyes.

I couldn’t even remember the last time she’d shown me any concern.

But just as I was starting to feel moved, a knock came at the door.

The man who entered was someone I knew well-he used to be the Alpha of the neighboring pack.

But after years of drinking, abuse, and cheating, his Luna had finally run off with the entire pack. Stripped of

his pack, he was no longer an Alpha.

Out of habit, though, we still called him Alpha Julian.

He sat down, eyes raking over me in a way that made my skin crawl.

“Not bad, not bad at all.” He grinned, revealing a row of yellowed, blackened teeth, their faint stench hanging

in the air.

Mom greeted him warmly, tugging me along for a quick spin in front of him.

“Don’t let her slim frame fool. She’s tough as nails. She’s done giving you a pair of kids in no time.”

I stared at her, speechless, unable to believe she’d actually said that.

All the years of pain and humiliation rushed to the surface. I lost control and screamed, “Are you insane?! I’m your daughter! How could you push me into a hell like this?!”

My father’s expression turned cold. “Looks like you’re getting too big for your boots, huh?”

My mother tugged my arm, speaking in a soft, coaxing voice, “Look at you-no degree, no looks, not even a mate in sight. Sure, Alpha Julian ain’t much to look at, but he’s dependable, loaded, and he’s still an Alpha! Marry him and you’ll live happy life. You really think we’d steer you wrong?”

I felt ice in my veins. I couldn’t stop shaking.

So they did know education was important. Then why had they fought so hard to keep me from school? Sensing my resistance, Alpha Julian’s cheerful face twisted into a scowl. “Why the hell did you call me here if you hadn’t settled this? I’m telling you now-I already paid the two hundred grand. No matter what, I’m taking

Chapter 3

97.06%

a woman home with me today.”

Two hundred thousand.

So that’s why they suddenly called me back.

Chapter 4

I suddenly found it all ridiculous. I pointed at Isabelle, who had remained silent the entire time, and laughed at Alpha Julian.

“How about her! she’s beautiful, well-educated. She’d be perfect for you.”

Slap!

My mother struck me hard across the face. Her long fingernails scratched my cheek, and blood slowly oozed

out.

“How could you say that, you ungrateful brat!”

Her voice was hoarse from shouting, as if I were the one selling off a daughter.

So they did know this marriage was a pit of fire.

I staggered out of the house, sobbing uncontrollably.

From that moment on, I knew I would never feel even a shred of attachment to that home again.

Soon after, I was bombarded with calls and messages from Alpha Julian. He demanded I return the $200,000

deposit, or he would kill my entire family.

I responded coldly, “Go ahead, then.”

Later, things took a dark turn when the debt chase turned into straight-up harassment. I couldn’t take it anymore, so I changed jobs, moved, got a new number, anything to shake off Alpha Julian and my own

family.

Just when I thought a new life was about to begin, something else happened.

“Ugh, disgusting! Parents who sell their own daughter deserve to die.”

“Right? If she’s so great, why don’t you marry him yourself?”

Voices from the audience hurled angry accusations at my father and mother.

My father tried to defend himself. “Marriage is a serious matter-of course parents have the right to decide

for her…”

“Bullshit. You did it for the money.”

“You don’t deserve to be her father!”

Someone on the jury shouted furiously.

Chapter 4

97.79%

My father fell silent, fidgeting nervously, and turned to look at my mother.

“Second round of voting,” the judge announced.

Seventy-eight votes. Voted innocent.

But that wasn’t enough. I needed more than ninety-five votes to be acquitted.

My father was clearly growing anxious. He leaned close to my mother and whispered something. Isabelle pushed her sunglasses up and leaned over to say something in a low voice. Only then did the tension in my father’s brows relax, and my mother broke into a confident smile, looking at me as though victory was in

their grasp.

“The third charge: the defendant, Camilla, is accused of deliberately injuring the daughter of her benefactor, causing her permanent disfigurement, blindness, and severe physical and mental trauma.”

At those words, the previously buzzing courtroom fell silent.

“She was pitiful, but she can’t repay kindness with cruelty.”

“Wait, no way… this can’t be another twist, right?”

Comments began to flood the screen.

Once again, that metallic buzzing rang in my mind. A searing pain, like a steel needle, stabbed deep into my

brain.

My wolf whimpered from the pain and the invasive force.

This time, the memory being extracted was from long, long ago.

The first time I met Isabelle, she was four, and I was three.

She stood there in grubby clothes, her hair greasy from a week without washing, eyes darting nervously at everyone around her.

Meanwhile, I twirled in my frilly pink princess dress, spotless and crisp, my braids tied up with little red

ribbons.

Back then, I was still Daddy’s little princess and Mom’s golden girl.

Isabelle’s parents were arguing.

I walked over, took Isabelle’s hand, and gently tried to comfort her. “Don’t be scared. I—”

Before I could finish, Isabelle suddenly shoved me hard.

Then she clawed my face and ran off to the side.

97.79%

I was stunned. It took me a while to react, and then I burst into tears and ran to find my parents.

Isabelle looked up at the adults with wide, innocent eyes. “I didn’t do anything.”

Because of the close relationship between our families, my parents let it go.

But the claw marks left a permanent scar on my forehead. To cover it, my mother gave me bangs that hid

the small rice-sized mark.

As she held me in her arms, she whispered, “Our Camilla is still the prettiest little girl in the whole world.”

Looking back now, those fragments of memory felt like they belonged to another lifetime.

300%

Chapter 5

Sometimes, I even wondered if those people were ever really my parents.

The second time I saw Isabelle, I was ten.

It was Christmas, and her family came over as guests. Our parents had agreed to take us to the nearby town

of Grendale for some fun.

Because my parents had something come up at the last minute, I rode with Isabelle’s parents first.

On the way, they started fighting again. Then came the cold silence-they didn’t say a word to each other.

Isabelle and I sat in the back, too scared to speak in the heavy, tense atmosphere.

Suddenly, Isabelle reached out to grab her mother’s arm from the front seat and whispered, “Mom, please

don’t be mad.”

Genevieve was still furious. She flung Isabelle’s hand away.

But her motion was too forceful. Isabelle recoiled suddenly, and Genevieve’s hand accidentally struck the

face of Isabelle’s father, who was driving.

Killian exploded in rage. Like a lion, he lunged at Genevieve and slapped her hard across the face.

At that moment, his hands left the steering wheel.

A massive boulder came loose from the hillside.

He noticed too late. Instinctively, he yanked the wheel, but the boulder crashed into the front of the car, which

then veered off the mountain road.

When I woke up from the crash, I was told it happened because I had cried and begged to go back and find my parents, which made Isabelle’s father get distracted for comforting me.

That was why the car was hit and fell off the cliff.

Isabelle’s parents died on the spot. Only Isabelle and I survived.

I was just ten. I couldn’t explain what really happened, let alone accuse Isabelle of lying.

“No! That’s a lie!”

My father leapt to his feet, pointing at me and shouting.

My mother stared at me in shock, her lips trembling, unable to accept the truth.

At some point, Isabelle had quietly left the plaintiff’s bench, though her purse remained on the seat.

Chapter 5

98.53%

“Memory cannot be fabricated,” the werewolf judge said coldly. He signaled the warriors to restrain my

father.

They forced him back into his seat. He glared at me with resentment.

The memories continued to play on the screen.

Now, Isabelle was portrayed as the daughter of my saviors.

She moved into our home. Half of my room was cleared out and given to her.

I protested, and for the first time, my father hit me.

Under the weight of his slap, I quietly obeyed.

It started with the room. Then it was my clothes, my bed, my desk, my notebooks, my pens…

Anything Isabelle wanted, my parents would do whatever it took to give it to her.

At first, my mother would say, “Camilla, be good. We’re repaying your debt.”

But what debt did I owe?

At night, after my parents were asleep, Isabelle would lift my blanket and walk across my bed with her shoes

During the day, she’d cut up my clothes with scissors.

She tore my homework into pieces and threw it from the balcony.

When I argued with her, she stabbed me with a compass, again and again.

She laughed with pure joy.

“Camilla, you don’t belong in this house.”

“You’re the extra one, don’t you get it?”

“Why didn’t you die with them? You should’ve died too.”

I cried and told my mother.

But every time Isabelle would burst into tears. “I don’t know what I did to make Camilla hate me so much and accuse me of things. Maybe it’s because I’m an orphan… people just hate orphans.”

My mother looked at me with disgust. Then she pulled Isabelle into her arms and gently comforted her.

“Isabelle, sweetie, don’t stoop to Camilla’s level. Let’s ignore her. Come on, I’ll take you out for a treat.”

98.53%

Chapter 5

The day after the SSAT exams, Isabelle lay on her bed, smiling at me with fake innocence.

“What a shame. A top student can’t even go to school now.”

In the years I worked at the meatpacking plant, Isabelle would drop by occasionally.

“Look,” she said. “This is the dress your dad bought me. The phone your mom gave me. All paid for with your

money.”

Chapter 6

“Everything you have belongs to me! Why are you still alive? Why haven’t you died yet?!”

At last, I saw Isabelle’s true, vicious nature.

I had left the pack not just because of my parents’ favoritism, but also because I didn’t want to fight Isabelle

for status anymore.

If she could steal even the love of my biological parents, what couldn’t she take from me? Power, dignity-my

very life.

I had come to terms with my lineage and my place in this world. I no longer wanted to struggle in the muck

of lies and power plays.

But even though I tried to avoid Isabelle, she came looking for me.

She sneered as she told me that after the first failed attempt to “offer” me to an Alpha, our father hadn’t

given up.

They had planned a second “transaction.”

“This time, it’s a rogue. He’s old, ugly, addicted to gambling, and a pervert. He offered three hundred thousand dollars. If you give him a son, he’ll add another hundred thousand.”

I couldn’t understand why Isabelle hated me so much-hated me like a rabid wolf hell-bent on tearing me

apart.

We argued, and our wolf instincts surged uncontrollably.

I shouted at her in rage, “Isabelle, are you out of your mind? You keep obsessing over me-are you trying to get revenge? You know better than anyone how Mom and Dad really died!”

“You’re the one who killed them!” Isabelle roared like a deranged she-wolf. “You deserve to die! Why won’t you just die?!”

She lunged at me, wild and fast like an unhinged beast.

I dodged her swiftly and caught sight of a broken compass clutched in her hand. The sharp tip gleamed coldly, pointed directly at my eye.

She had lost her mind. She wasn’t trying to scare me. She truly meant to kill me.

I didn’t want to fight her, but she refused to back down.

Maybe even the Moon Goddess couldn’t stand it anymore. As she swung the compass, aiming for my eye, her foot suddenly twisted. She lost her balance and crashed to the ground.

99.26%

Her face struck the sharp edge of the curb.

Blood streamed down her face-her eye was injured. Without a corneal transplant, she would eventually go

blind.

Just as I feared, once word reached our parents, they twisted the story into me deliberately hurting Isabelle.