Sienna
I regretted giving in, but what choice did I have?
Victor sat beside me, and his eyes constantly ran over me and the children I clutched my triplets to me, shushing Charles whenever he tried to speak, caressing Cleo's hair as she slept, and reassuring Caleb with a steady gaze.
"So, whose bastard son is this?" He demanded, causing the silence to become far more tense than before. Victor's words triggered a part within me, one part that would never let my children hear such filth.
"It's none of your business. They're mine, not yours," I snapped at him. His eyes narrowed at me. He wasn't pleased.
"You better think about how you're going to explain this to your parents then," he sneered, annoyed showing in his eyes. "You went out and got yourself pregnant. What an example you are. Your father would be ashamed of you."
"Recall," my voice was low and a little hoarse from holding back all the anger. "That they had practically denied me before. I have no parents. And you have no right to talk about them or me like that."
"Hmph," he snorted, and looked away. His attitude, his very personality infuriated me, and even Winter within me was riled up, itching to caw his face out. How had I not seen the truth behind his facade back then? How had I let this fool wittingly deceive me, and break my heart.
I pursed my lips, noticing the way he was tense. I scoffed internally. He didn't appear to be happy. Was marriage with Gemma not satisfactory? Wasn't he meant to take the position of the Alpha in the Greyhound Pack?
Unfortunately, I had overestimated my own father it seemed.
Upon crossing the gates, something clicked in my mind. Was this pack like this before? My eyes widened as I glanced around, my chest heaving with unsaid words. The entire glamour of the Greyhound Pack had dimmed, leaving a shell. I noticed the once prestigious and well-maintained buildings now had signs of wear and tear on them. And even the scent in the air was different, full of turmoil and tension. My gut clenched, I didn't want to know. I wasn't going to ask, or rather, I shouldn't. Before now, they had made it clear I wasn't a part of this family.
As we stepped out, eyes fell on us immediately. It was nerve-wracking. My body felt like it was being battered from all ends. It was a terrible experience, one I didn't wish to repeat. By the time we reached the front porch of my old home, my heart was in knots. The entire atmosphere reeked of desolation, of rotting, something that I didn't know how to compute. How had the Greyhound Pack turned to this…? This was not what I had expected at all.
And the whispers behind us, they stayed steady, like flinging rocks onto my skin. I exhaled sharply the moment the door was slammed shut behind us. Finally, at least those eyes of the rest of the pack wouldn't be on us.
"Where is the Alpha?" Victor demanded from the guard that welcomed us.
I glanced at the guard who bowed to Victor, responding, "he is in a meeting. He demands to not be disturbed."
I swallowed, aching deeply inside. Even now he refused to see me. He had to have known that I was returning. Yet he hid himself away, because I didn't matter. I never did.
Cleo tugged at my arm whispering none too loudly, "Mummy, where are we? When can we go home?"
I pulled her close, regaining my composure, my gaze sharpened as I asked Victor in a low voice, "Are you done? Or do you intend on keeping me standing?"
"You," he ordered the guard flanking me. "Take them away."
I made sure my three children were at my side, unwilling to let anyone lay a hand on them. When a guard got too close to Caleb's side I hissed, baring my teeth at the guard, making him step back a pace. I was going to protect them, from all of this, from whatever the Greyhound Pack wished to do to me.
We were led down a long hallway, and I recognized the familiar path. I kept silent as we descended the steps down to the basement. The room I had once slept in was right here.
I stepped inside, and flicked on the lights. Only the hanging, flickering bulb from above and the faint glow of sunrise from the tiny window at the corner illuminated the space. Though it was large, it was also musty, damp and filled with junk on one side of the wall.
I turned to the guard as he was about to leave and shut the door behind him.
"I need some water and clean sheets," I stated. He didn't say anything back, only shutting the door with a loud thud.
But fifteen minutes later, a maid appeared holding a large basket, freshly laundered sheets, some worn clothes, and a pitcher of water were what she brought in.
I expected her to come alone, but what I didn't know was that someone was right behind her.
"If it isn't my beloved elder sister," A voice, soft yet edged with something dark, echoed in the room, making my head snap up. I immediately tensed, seeing the familiar yet unfamiliar face.
Gemma.
"Sister," I responded quietly, unsure of what to expect. However I couldn't help but feel a faint pain upon seeing her.
Why did she look so… different?
Gone was the brightness in her beautiful eyes, though her expression of innocence remained no different, it appeared to be a mask, one that couldn't conceal the weight of time and realities of the harsh world we lived in.
The maid left, bowing her head low, after a glance from her. She shut the door, and a brief silence passed.
"H-How have you been?" Gemma's voice was softer, so soft it made my heart ache, reminding me of the past when we were both young and she had no idea of our parent's preferences, not until time took its toll and she began to behave more like them. "I see you've settled down. Are they yours?"
She gestured towards the triplets playing by the window, only Caleb glancing over every now and then, with a worried expression on his adorable face. They were mostly unaware of what was going on and I wanted to keep it that way.
Upon seeing her gaze stay fixed on my triplets, my instincts took over and I snapped, "If you have anything to say to me, then say it, Gemma. My children have nothing to do with you."
Upon my words, it was like a dam had broken loose, tears streamed down her face one after the other, unwittingly touching a soft spot within me.
"Elder sister, I am so sorry," She choked out, falling to her knees.
…