Chapter 4

CLAIRE’S POV

"She should be banished!" An elder cried out making me even more afraid.

"Pups nowadays find it hard to keep themselves chaste. What would it take her to remain as a virgin? She just turned eighteen for crying out loud!" Another elder burst out in anger.

"She knows the pack rules, this is a taboo. I believe that her entire clan should be wiped off." Another person spoke up.

My heart palpitated as I was being discussed. I guess they didn't even think about how I would feel after hearing that.

"Did you mean banished?" Someone contradicted.

My heart hung on a seesaw, about to tip over at the impending judgment. I couldn't help but wonder what would be my lot.

"She has a valid reason for this." Dimitri cuts them off but that didn't still assuage my fears.

"That settles it. She would not be punished according to the Pack rules." The alpha King said, catching even me off guard. No one could refute his order.

I snuck out of the Pack House back to my stepfather's house, at least no one would learn of the latest situation. Maybe I could escape when I had the chance to. Those were my last thoughts before lying on my bed.

The sound of music jolted me awake back to the present and my eyes widened in shock. I couldn't fathom why I slept like a baby despite knowing that there was a fire on the roof.

I headed to the kitchen to get a cup of water, yawning slightly before pushing the door open. I came in contact with my stepfather and my heart skipped.

He stared at me with contempt as usual.

No anger whatsoever. "Good morning sir."

"You are just waking up," he replied, not giving a chance for camaraderie. "Why are you staring at me like you saw a ghost? Are you not supposed to have made breakfast?" He demanded.

I pinched myself, snapping out of my dazzled state. It seemed like he had not heard the news from last night.

"I'll get to that right now," I responded and tried to escape his presence.

"What happened at the party last night?" He inquired, making me halt. "I am talking to you." He reminded me.

I whipped around and offered him a smile. "It was pleasant."

He rolled his eyes. "Who is asking if it was pleasant or not? Didn't the alpha prince choose a mate?" He asked with curiosity, lacing his tone.

I weighed my words carefully so that I didn't fall into any trap. "I don't know because I was not chosen," I responded in my best nonchalant voice.

He shot me a last stare before leaving the kitchen. I quickly whipped up some food so that he wouldn't have more things to complain about.

Two hours later, the front door opened and I peeved through my window seeing my stepfather heading out. I quickly tried to make plans to meet Emily, who was the only person I trusted to give me sane advice on how to handle this situation.

I shut the door gently behind me before heading into the street. It was almost noon. I felt eyes on me as I passed through the neighborhood. I refused to look in their direction because it would only mean that I was aware of them.

"Isn't she the one who couldn't keep herself till marriage?" I heard murmurs accompany me as I walked past.

It was evident that the news had spread from the palace. It was only a matter of time before my father heard this.

"Can you imagine the guts of this prostitute?!" Someone yelled, making me jolt in shame. These guys had the guts to say this to my face.

"Whore! You couldn't even keep yourself to the very end could you?" Another person called after me, confusing me a bit. I was perplexed as to why a person would take it upon themselves to act weirdly towards me simply because of a rumor.

I picked up my pace subtly, but they also got engaged with me, and I decided to make things faster for myself. I rushed into Emily's house.

"Come on in." My beloved friend called, making me smile a bit. "Take a seat."

Tears rolled down my eyes as I tried to calm myself down. Possible scenarios played in my head as I thought about it vicariously. What would have happened if she hadn't been around at that moment? I was probably going to be an outcast and I didn't know how that made me feel.

"Are you sure you don't want to reveal that you were raped? It's not your fault that you couldn't defend yourself from him. That should help soften things a bit, don't you think?" She suggested.

I shook my head in refusal. "It doesn't matter anymore, no one would believe anything I say anymore. It would probably sound like lies to them. I don't want to go ahead into something that could end up backfiring though."

Emily's face crumpled at my words, "So what do we do now?" She inquired in a weary tone.

"I was thinking I should lay low in your house now to prevent the angry Pack members and my stepfather’s wrath," I said sheepishly hoping that she didn't turn me away.

Emily reached for my hand. "You're like a sister to me, you can stay for as long as you want."

I hugged her tightly as more tears leaked out from my eyes. "Oh... Thank you so much." I said in gratitude. Not many people would accept me into their homes just like that, especially with the stigma that I bore.

She shook her head, "This is the least I can do considering that this is all my fault in the first place."

I nodded, not wanting to rehash the past.

Suddenly, my stomach churned with a whir as I fought off the wave of lethargy that flowed over me.

For some reason, bile welled up in my throat, threatening to spill out, as I held a hand over my mouth.

Just before I could hold back the terrible feeling down my stomach, I puked all over and instantly I fell to the floor. Feeling extremely weak than ever.

“Are you okay?” Unfortunately for me, Emily’s voice was the last thing I heard as my energy gave up. Darkness encasing me.