Chapter 3 No Illusions Left

Aurora's POV

Beta James was once the person I trusted the most. The one who stood by me when others looked at me like I was cursed.

The one who told me he would wait for me, that he would stand with me no matter what.

But now? Now, he was the one I despised the most.

Compared to standing in front of him, the man who once gave me hope and then cruelly crushed me, I would rather deal with Alpha Keith.

At least with Alpha Keith, there were no lies. His hatred was always open, cold, and sharp. He never pretended to care. There was no illusion to hold onto.

Unlike James who had offered me light only to push me into deeper darkness.

In the werewolf psychiatric hospital, I had to adapt to know no how to survive. When you're powerless, you don't fight every fight. It's better to seek benefits.

You learn to bow your head when you must, to avoid the wolves that circle you, to pick the lesser pain and avoid harm.

I endured the witches' punishments, their potions, their needles, their spells that burned into my skin.

I learned to stay silent when they tested me like some rogue beast. I endured the beatings, the cruel words, the drugs that numbed my body.

Days were about surviving long enough to see the end. And some nights when I lay on the cold floor, listening to my heartbeat, telling myself to just stay quiet. To wait for the next day.

Now, as I sat in the back seat of Alpha Keith's car, I could feel his presence beside me. His Beta driver stayed silent upfront as we drove.

The moment I got into the car, my eyes landed on the items scattered inside. An expensive backpack sat neatly on the seat next to me. Designer, brand new, untouched.

Beside it lay a sparkling diamond necklace inside its velvet box. All of it belonged to Helen, of course. The perfect, cherished little she-wolf of the Donald family.

I lowered my gaze to my own reflection in the window. My worn-out top, rough from years of washing, looked even cheaper next to Helen's luxuries.

The image of Helen, smiling brightly as everyone adored her, flashed through my mind.

I told myself I had grown used to it, but deep down, seeing the difference with my own eyes still left a dull ache in my chest.

As the car rolled forward, Alpha Keith finally broke the silence.

"Listen, Aurora," he said, keeping his tone flat, like giving orders to an omega wolf. "You've just gotten out. Don't cause trouble. And control your temper I don't want to hear about you fighting with Helen or creating scenes."

I didn't answer.

He glanced sideways at me, then added, as if to sound concerned, "You don't know how much stress you've caused. Dad and mum have wasted away worrying about you these past years."

At that, my lips curled slightly.

"They haven't visited me once in five years," I said calmly, my voice steady, even though the weight of those words burned inside. "Not once."

Alpha Keith stiffened. His face twitched, but he quickly tried to cover it with a careless shrug. "Father was handling important matters. You know how much responsibility the Alpha carries. Mother... she couldn't bear to see you like that."

Hypocritical excuses. Lies spoken so easily they almost sounded practiced. But I wasn't interested in arguing with him. I had stopped expecting truth from any of them long ago.

The rest of the ride passed in silence. My gaze stayed fixed outside, but my mind was far away.

When we finally arrived at the Donald family villa, it looked even larger than I remembered. But big houses don't feel warm when you were never welcome inside them.

The moment the car stopped, Alpha Keith stepped out and glanced back at me.

His eyes paused on my worn dress, a brief flicker of concern passing through them.

For a moment, it almost seemed like he wanted to say something, but instead, he gently picked up the handbag beside him.

"Get changed into something more appropriate and come to the banquet hall," he said, his voice calm.

"You've been away a long time." With that, he turned and walked ahead.

With that, he was gone.

I stood at the entrance for a moment, taking in the house that was supposed to be my home. But it never was.

It never had that warmth. I was brought here eight years ago, wearing a tattered dress, thinking I was being welcomed back into my family.

But everything that followed proved I was nothing more than an outsider.

I stepped inside, the familiar halls looking more like a stranger's house than my own. My feet led me down to the place where I had been forced to live for three years.

Not a bedroom. No, not even close. It was the basement. The place I had to share with Helen's dog after she took over my rightful room upstairs.

The air down here was always damp. The bed small, the walls cold. But I was used to it.

My wolf tightened as I sat down on the old mattress, staring at the space where I had once dreamed of being accepted.

I thought of my acceptance letter to Harvard, how excited I had been. I thought maybe, just maybe they would finally be proud. But no one cared. No one even mentioned it.

Meanwhile, Helen's graduation party had been grand and full of praise.

Lights, decorations, crowds of werewolves congratulating her. As if she were the perfect daughter of the Alpha house.

My fists curled slightly at my sides, but I forced the tension out.

Eight years ago, they brought me back into the Donald house, dressed in nothing but a tattered dress.

I was their daughter by blood, but even then, it felt like I was being let in as a guest, not family.

That torn dress became a quiet reminder of my place here. And now, after all these years of pretending, maybe it was finally time to put an end to it now.