Chapter 35: Betrayal
“I said what are you doing here, Niscia?! You are supposed to hide Sander from Desmond!” I raised my voice, not minding the people who were here to see me.
Niscia did not answer. Her eyes were glued to the ground, not reacting that I had been yelling and humiliating myself in front of the pack members of Desmond.
“Niscia!” I felt betrayed right now. I didn’t even know what I must do. I want to claw her out right now.
“Mama.”
I lowered my gaze and felt the tugging in my dress. I immediately hugged Sander, who I longed for. “I missed you, Sander…” I murmured.
He started sobbing and buried his face in the crook of my neck. “I missed you, too, Mama… Auntie Niscia brought me here from the orphanage five days ago. She said that I will be safe here.”
I stiffened. Five days ago? The only thing I remember asking a favor from her was three days ago. How was it five days ago?
Then it hit me.
I looked up at Niscia whose eyes were still glued to the ground. I stood up and approached her before I did an unthinkable action.
I slapped her.
“Seraphina, this is not her fault. Blame it on me.”
I felt a spark when Desmond held the hand I used to slap at Niscia whose cheek was bleeding right now because I showed my claws on it. But it quickly healed in a matter of seconds. I had never felt this anger right now. It was awful and eating me like it was poisoning my whole being right now.
Then I turned to Desmond. I yanked my hand back and took Sander. “We must leave now. Sander, transform to your wolf form,” I said as I was feeling my heart breaking right now.
But Sander tugged my hand. “Mama… How about Auntie Niscia?”
“She abducted you without my knowledge, Sander!” I couldn’t help lashing out at him as I was filled with thoughts that the people I trusted weren’t to be trusted after all. “You still want to go with her?”
Sander gasped softly before he lowered his head. His eyes were getting misty.
“Seraphina!” I glared at Desmond who suddenly separated me from Sander. “Why are you even shouting at him? If you want to blame someone, that should be me. I am the one who ordered Niscia to come and look after you.”
I scoffed before I smiled bitterly. “How long did you know that I already have Sander before?”
“Mama…”
“Quiet there, Sander.” I stared at Desmond. “Tell me. How long have you been watching us?” I clenched my hands.
Desmond pinched the bridge of his nose. “Leave us,” he said, not talking to me. “Take Sander with you.”
“No! I want to stay with Mama!” Sander exclaimed when Desmond was taking my son away from me.
I immediately held him. “Don’t hold my son as if you are a great husband to me, Desmond!” I said angrily.
“Mama…”
I turned to Sander and hugged him. “It’s alright, Sander. I am not going to let you come near to your father,” I said through gritted teeth.
Desmond’s face darkened. “You cannot do this to me, Seraphina. I am still Sander’s father.” Then he turned behind him and his pack members were still there. “Didn’t I say leave us now?!”
“Sire is my father, Mama?”
I looked at Sander who was now looking up at Desmond. Desmond gasped and knelt as he nodded.
“Yes, Sander. I am Desmond Verlice. I am your father…” His voice croaked and his eyes were getting misty.
Sander turned to me, looking at me to ask for confirmation. I nodded. “The sire you have been seeing and the one you said that you have been mistaken as his son, he is your father, Sander.”
I could have sworn Sander looked like he had seen his life flashing before his eyes. I watched how his shocking expression turned into an angry one.
“You… You hurt Mama!” Sander said before he attacked Desmond.
“Sander!” My heart flipped upside down.
Desmond was surprised and didn’t manage to evade Sander’s punch to his face. But he managed to snap back and evaded the next punch that came from Sander.
“What are you doing?” Desmond asked in a dangerous tone. “Is that your way of greeting your father?”
“Unhand me!” Sander growled. “You hurt Mama. You made her cry every time I mentioned Papa!” he barked.
His eyes widened before he looked at me. I remained a stoic expression when I saw the painful expression written on his face. Gone was the cold attitude he had right now.
“You deserve it,” I spoke, already knowing what he was about to say. “You hurt me emotionally, Desmond,” I said coldly.
He released Sander when our son kept struggling against his hold. Sander ran towards me as he had this hatred in his expression.
“Mama, let’s leave. I do not wish to stay here…” Sander said as he tugged my hand. “I hate it here…”
“You heard him, Desmond. My son doesn’t want to stay here. We will be leaving.” I took my son’s hand and was about to turn around to leave when Desmond spoke.
“You are not going to leave unless I say so, Seraphina! I have waited for so long to take you here and now, you are going to decide to abscond from me again?!”
I turned around when I felt my ears had been hit by cymbals right now. “Are you hearing yourself?!” I raised my voice. I ignored when Sander tried to hold my hand as I came straight to Desmond while he did the same thing. “I absconded because of you hurting me emotionally! You became a jerk to my eyes and now, you want me back in your life? You asshole! How dare you act as if you waited so long and you act like you suffered?! Don’t be delusional, Desmond! I shall never go back to you and act like you deserve to have Sander after all!” I pushed his chest. “After what you have done…” My voice croaked. “You made me suffer under our marriage!”
My chest rose up and down as I harshly wiped the tears that fell from my eyes. I couldn’t accept that the wounds from the past were opening up slowly.
“This pack reminds me how much I endured the pain you caused me!” I added.
He cheated on me twice… I accepted him when I caught him sleeping with a courtesan. I forgave him and bestowed him a chance. I was too dumb to accept his reasoning. I should’ve known that he liked it that it happened that time even if he was framed up.
The second one was kissing Hazel and sleeping with her. That was the most painful thing to know at that moment. With his desperation to make a deal about her becoming a surrogate mother, I knew that he would discuss it with me even if I would disagree about that setup.
I was not a fool to stay with Desmond.
I already endured the first time he slept with another woman. But the second time around? I wouldn’t dare to forgive him even if he asked me to!
I caught Desmond wincing at my words. He looked down at me and was close to darkening his face.
“You are not going to leave until I say so,” he said, half-annoyed. “You should thank me that I didn’t get to separate you from our son after hiding the fact that you were pregnant with our pup…”
“How dare you say that as if you contributed something to our son!”
Desmond scoffed. “You wouldn’t get pregnant if it weren’t for me! I also contributed there so do not act like you made our son alone in your stomach that time!”Content © copyrighted by NôvelDrama.Org.
I opened my mouth to yell back but Sander yelled at the top of his lungs.
“Mama! Papa! Please stop!” Desmond and I turned at him and saw his devastating smile. Sander approached us and tried to push Desmond away but he couldn’t. “Stay away from Mama. I hate you!”
“Sander…” Desmond sounded dejected.
I inhaled and exhaled, trying to assess the situation. We must escape from here but Desmond’s pack was heavily guarded before. He really planned this so I couldn’t abscond again along with our son.
It would be futile to do that. That was for certain.
“Sander, come here.” He nodded and approached me. I knelt in front of him and wiped the tears that smeared his handsome, cute face. “Let’s go to your father’s manor, Sander.” I tugged my son’s hand as we left Desmond there.
“Seraphina…”
I ignored him, focusing my eyes on the road. It was annoying that I still knew where Desmond’s manor was even if everything has changed here in the Rising Diamond pack.
There were more village houses than before. There are even more flowers blooming in the surroundings. The rough road was already flattened as well as there were more trees.
“Mama, when can we leave?” Sander asked along the way.
“We cannot leave. Your father locks us here in his pack.”
He sniffed and rubbed his eyes. “Does this mean we cannot return to our flat, Mama?” I nodded.
“I am sorry but yes, we cannot return yet. But I shall find a way. For now, we must abide, alright?” I had to assure him that everything would be alright. I had to study how everything works here in Desmond’s pack. I must not rush things and must familiarize myself with my surroundings before I would concoct a plan to abscond here.
When Sander nodded, I combed his hair using my hand. I felt sorry for him that he had to see Desmond and me arguing in front of him.
That was not healthy at all.
It didn’t take long for us to arrive there. I felt bitterness when I came to realize that I once lived here for five years and had happy precious moments with Desmond.
“This is Papa’s home?”
“Yes. This is where Mama lived, too.” Before I absconded and realized that I wouldn’t stay with him for so long.
When we entered, I felt chills down my spine. The manor once looked like a zestful one and now, it turned out something gloomy. It was as if the manor was well taken care of; however, the one who was living here didn’t treat this as his home.
“Luna.”
I looked at Elron who was coming in our direction. “Elron.” I didn’t even dare to address him as ‘sir’ already because I already lost my respect for him.
“I shall take you to your chamber.”
“If Desmond sets me up to stay in the same chamber as him, quit it. I want a different chamber for me and for my son,” I ordered.
Elron looked shocked at how my tone changed into an earnest and commanding one. My attitude from being a Luna was immediately placed once I got to know that he was a pack member here.
“But, Alpha-”
“Do you wish us to go to the packhouse and stay there?” He didn’t get to answer. “I want a different chamber. I want the north hall for my son and me. Do it now.”
“Pardon me but I need Alpha’s permission for this, Luna.”
“Do not address me that!” I raised my tone. “I am not a Luna here! I do not wish to go back here! Your Alpha coerced me and my son to come here! Do as I say or I shall wreak havoc here in this place!” I clenched my hands, glaring at Elron.
Elron looked troubled. “I-”
“Just do what she says.”
Sander immediately hugged my waist when we felt Desmond was behind us. I didn’t even dare to look back as I didn’t wish to see his face. I already knew that he was following us earlier but I only ignored his presence.
Desmond halted beside me. “Prepare the north hall for her and for our son.”
Elron nodded and bowed his head. “As you wish.”