Selene's POV
As we all gathered in the hall, I stood at a corner alone with only my cane to lean on as the others flocked around Amelia to welcome her.
I felt like a stray dog left out in the cold. Even my supposed mate was nowhere near me, he busied himself with attending to the Casper family's needs.
"Mom, Neil," Amelia giggled softly." Don't just fuss over me, Selene's still standing there."
Good, she had once again brought me to the front line.
"Oh, Selene," Neil mumbled, a smirk crossing his face.
"Selene," I heard Leo call out to me and then his footsteps grew louder as he made his way toward me.
Well good that he finally remembered I was alive and here.
Once he had closed the distance between us, he held my arms authoritatively, pulling me roughly to himself. "A pair of jeans and a T-shirt, really? Selene?" He expressed his disappointment and I shrugged.
He finally noticed my outfit after being mesmerized by whatever Amelia had worn.
Seeing how I ignored his question, he continued. "What about the elegant dresses I had bought for you? Why didn't you wear any of them?"
"I didn't feel like it," I answered gruffly.
He growled in frustration. "You're a Luna for goddess' sake, you should dress like one. This outfit is just too basic. Why are you doing this?"
"What now? Can't I wear what I feel like to my family gathering? It's not so special," I shrugged, pursing my lips in anger.
"What's wrong with you, Selene. Why are you acting this way?" He questioned coldly, his voice was not even a whisper anymore.
"How are you acting too?" I queried stubbornly, wondering where I had gotten this sudden courage to challenge Leo , my alpha openly.
Gasps erupted from the ends of the hall, followed by a loud scoff. "Forget her, Leo . She's spoiled rotten, acting like the big shot of the Casper clan. If it weren't for us, she'd be scraping by as a blind Omega, or rather, a maid's kid in the woods feasting on decayed meat."
I clenched my shirt tightly, my heart twisting in unbearable pain. A pain of betrayal and regret.
Before Amelia came into the picture, Neil had been my protector, my rock, my confidant, and my brother.
I remembered years ago, when he fell into a deep icy cave while we were exploring, he was ten and I was eight. I recalled vividly how I pulled him out of the freezing pit. He survived, I almost didn't.
I had developed a high fever and was bedridden for weeks. I almost lost my life, but the moon goddess had healed me through a special healer.
After I got healed, I remember how he took my little hand in his, his small voice, trembling as he gazed intently at me. "I swear, I'll protect you forever, Selene . Anyone who tries to hurt my little sister, I will shapeshift into a big, bad wolf and wipe them off the face of the Earth."
But now he was the one hurting me countlessly and trying to wipe me off the surface of the earth. Did he even remember the promise he made to me? Doesn't he feel an ounce of regret?
"Neil," Amelia voice rang through the air, her voice laced with her usual fake pity. "Don't be so harsh. Selene is already a victim of her mother's mistakes. Don't take it out on her."
What a new way to insult me, Amelia Casper.
Snorting coldly, Neil replied, "Amelia, you're too soft. That's why she keeps walking all over you."
Too soft? I almost let out a chuckle at his words. Classic Amelia , always playing the pure, kind-hearted wolf to make me look like the bitter, jealous, deranged woman. Wasn't she tired of feigning innocence?
"Selene, are you going to just let them walk all over you? Will you let Neil go with what he just said to you? Let me take over and teach them a lesson they'll never forget," Nina, my wolf, growled in anger and I gritted my teeth in agreement.
Without thinking, I turned to my supposed brother. "Neil, you're supposed to be the next alpha of this pack. Do you think the qualities you just displayed match those of a next-in-line alpha? Aren't you ashamed of yourself? I am a luna today no matter what happened in the past and I demand respect from each and every one of you here."
Kissing my teeth loudly, I turned on my heels and headed upstairs.
As I mounted the first step, Neil's voice of fury reverberated through the hall. "Hey, Selene! Don't dare walk away from us!"
Ignoring him, I took more steps then I stopped in my tracks when I heard Mrs Casper's loud scoff. "Let it go. She's just like her mother, an ungrateful snake. Not worth the trouble."
My face contorted into a bitter smile and I carried on climbing the stairs. It wasn't something I hadn't heard before, It had no effect on me anymore.
Once I got to the hallway, I frantically located a familiar bedroom door and knocked softly. "Granny? It's me."
There was no response at first and I hesitated, wondering if I should knock again.
Just as I was about to knock, I heard Granny's warm voice from behind the door.
"Selene, come in, my child."
I pulled the doorknob and the door creaked open, inviting me into the warmth and sweetness of Granny's room. This was where my heart stayed, only here was there any kindness left for me.
I made my way towards the bed and heard Granny's gentle whimpers.
"Granny," I began, settling onto the bed beside her. "How's your pain? Did the medicine help?"
Granny took my hands in hers and gave them a gentle squeeze. "No attacks for weeks, honestly, your medicine works better than the doctors," She said softly.
I let out a hearty chuckle, something I hadn't done in weeks.
"But the bottle doesn't say where it came from. Where did you get it from?" Granny asked and I smiled brightly, recalling my secret Friend.
Serena Yeager was from the neighboring pack, the Crescent pack. The pills were a special formula created by her. She is a pharmaceutical genius and has been blessed by the moon goddess with the gift of healing. Serena had been trying to help me regain my sight for three years and so far it has been futile. No herbs or special ability could bring back my sight, except getting a donor.
"A friend gave them to me, Granny," I replied softly.
Granny's grip on my arm tightened as she scooted closer. "If you weren't blind, you'd be a great artist by now. You won an international prize at seven, but then…"
Sighing, she continued. "My dear girl, you've suffered so much."
My fingers trembled before relaxing again. "It's alright, I'll heal in time," I managed to say, my voice thick with emotion.
How could I forget my gift? I had been a painting prodigy when I was younger. Painting was revered throughout the land, many believed it was a special gift from the moon goddess and only a handful of people were born with it. I remember how top artists from different packs wanted to take me in as an apprentice before I even finished elementary school.
Any mistake I made in a drawing created another masterpiece. That was how good I was.
But when Amelia came into the picture, she fought to take everything from me, including art.
I remembered the shattering sounds of my broken pallets and brush, the threatening and heart-wrenching words from my family that if I ever picked up the brush again, I'd be given to the rogues.
I still held on in faith that once I was out of their authority, I'd pick up my brush but blindness came and stole my world, wiping away all the colors I ever saw.
After spending a few more minutes with Granny, I prepared to leave, knowing she needed rest to recuperate faster.
At the door, I said softly, "Granny, please take care of yourself. Remember to eat and take your medicine. I brought another batch, it should last a year since there's a lot."
I heard Granny chuckle. "You're not saying goodbye, are you? Bringing so much medicine like it's the last time I'll ever see you."
Her words stabbed me like a knife.
I wanted to affirm to her that it was truly goodbye, but I couldn't. The words were stuck in my throat and I swallowed them hard, burying them deep in my heart.
Fighting back tears, I forced a smile. "Never, I'll always need you. You're the one I love the most."
Slowly, I closed the door behind me and whimpered silently, letting the tears out as I was lost in my thoughts. Nina suddenly began howling painfully in my head and my wolf instinct kicked in.
Leo's wolf scent wafted through my nose, and suddenly, I heard a soft moan, causing me to stop in my tracks.
A woman's breathy sigh.
Amelia's .
"Leo..."
My heart thudded frantically in my chest and I gripped my cane tightly.
Cheating with such blatant recklessness? Leo, couldn't even wait. They were making out in the hallway, in his parents-in-law's house!
How low could he go?!
Taking slow steady breaths to calm my emotions, my fingers found the familiar path on my phone screen, counting tabs and icons until the subtle vibration that indicated that the video recorder was turned on. I silently turned on my phone's video recording and located the direction of the sound. This would be the best evidence when divorce came.
I held the phone toward the voices, I didn't need to know where the betrayal was happening, their voices were good enough for me.
It felt surreal but it was happening, and for the first time, the urge to snap their necks with my bare hands filled me.
When I was satisfied with the recording, I slowly slipped away to give them more time to do their shamelessness.
I went slowly down the stairs and sighed tiredly. Today had really been a long day. Just as I was about to move towards the direction of the lobby, a hand quickly grabbed my arm tightly, jerking me violently.
"Selene," Amelia said, smiling cynically. "As your sister, I think it's only right to tell you that, your mate and I were in bed together yesterday. He couldn't get enough of me and was even more ferocious than the previous nights."