The Alpha’s Curvy Cinderella - Chapter 45: Chapter 45

Jordan POV
I managed to make it home and into bed without disturbing anyone. Surprisingly, the house was empty, with no sign of Father anywhere. He must have gone out, I’d mused, grateful for it and I’d tiptoed down into the basement, had a freezing cold shower, and then dressed into comfortable sweatpants and sweatshirt, dragged a threadbare blanket over me and promptly passed out on my thin mattress.
The next morning, there was still no sign of father but there was also no sign of Sarah either. I was able to not only make breakfast but also eat it for myself. I cleaned up the dishes and then went and put a huge load of laundry on, deciding I would use the time to catch up on the housework that needed doing as I only had that day to do it and then would be back at school again and would have even less time to do it. I refused to dwell on what had happened at the ball. Or maybe it was sheer stubbornness, but I knew that if I thought about it, the more upset I would become at the notion that the man I had given my virginity to, had abandoned me in the hotel room, rather than face me when I woke up. He must have really been repulsed by me, I thought with a sigh, blinking back tears. But why had I given myself to him? Unless…I stiffened. Had he by chance, perhaps been my second chance mate?
That was even worse, I thought miserably. It meant that my own mate didn’t want me. I sucked in a breath and got back to hanging out the washing, enjoying the warm sunshine that was directly shining down on my shoulders, the gentle breeze cooling me down and making the clothes sway slightly on the clothesline.
A limousine pulled up and I blanched. Was it Sarah, here to gloat about what she’d done to me? Or was it father, coming back from his night out? Or the stranger? I felt sick, my nerves stretched to breaking point. I considered running into the house and hiding in my room, but if it was Father that would only enrage him. I wiped my sweaty palms on my shirt and quickly finished hanging up the last of the washing, grabbed the basket, and reluctantly made my way inside, standing in the living room as the limousine door finally opened and a woman, I had never seen before, slid out and stood up. The passenger side then opened and my father came out, walked around, and grabbed the woman’s hand, holding it tightly, a smile on his face.
I sucked in a breath. The woman was gorgeous with red hair in a perfect chignon, green eyes, a long slender nose, golden honey skin, and a tall, slender frame. She was clad in a designer dress and heels. She had a snooty expression on her face and was looking at the house with an expression that looked taken aback. She screamed wealth. Not that we weren’t wealthy, but we weren’t excessively rich. She looked like she was of the upper class and it made me wonder what on earth she was doing with father, not to mention holding hands with him.
They walked to the front door. My father rapped smartly on it and I hurried to answer it, opening it in a rush and bowing my head to father.
“Hello,” I stammered.
Both of them walked past me as though I was invisible and I slowly closed the door as they walked into the living room. My father gave a long suffering sigh. “Stella,” he said to the redhead woman who graciously inclined her head “This is Jordan, the girl I was talking to you about,” he said with derision as I tried not to flinch at his tone.
“Ah yes” Stella murmured eyeing me critically “the fat one. I see what you mean” she muttered looking me up and down and shaking her head “She could stand to lose a few pounds and then some.”
It was as though I wasn’t there. “Um it’s nice to meet you” I squeaked out.
The front door opened again and Sarah came waltzing in, practically glowing. She was bouncing up and down as she walked, and it was blatantly clear she was excited about something.
“Father” she squealed “I have exciting news” she added.
Father scowled at her. Sarah noticed Stella and fell silent.
“Where on earth have you been?” he barked as she fidgeted with her hands.
“I spent the night at the hotel,” she said in a low voice “Luna Mary reserved rooms in case we needed to.”
He did not look pleased, giving a grunt as Sarah avoided his eyes. She looked at Stella who eyed her with interest. Stella pointedly cleared her throat.
My father swiveled his head around and then his eyes cleared as realization dawned. He harrumphed. “Stella, this is my daughter Sarah. Sarah, I would like you to meet Stella” he said proudly.
I winced. It was hard not to realize he’d used the word daughter when introducing Sarah and not when he’d introduced me. It hurt. Stella held her hand out to Sarah who shook it, glancing between the woman and her father.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Stella said demurely “And your father was being modest when he spoke about you” she exclaimed warmly “You are much more beautiful than he described. Like a supermodel,” she said as Sarah preened from the compliment.
“Thank you” Sarah gushed “But um, how do you and father know each other?” she asked.
Stella laughed, her eyes crinkling at the corners. My father gave a sheepish smile, running a hand through his hair.
“I have something to confess,” he told Sarah in a low tone of voice “Stella and I are mates. We have been secretly dating for the last two months and now we’ve decided it’s time for her to move in. We eloped last night” he explained as Stella held out her hand, a huge wedding ring, sparkling on her ring finger as Sarah and I gasped simultaneously.
“But why keep it a secret?” Sarah complained, obviously put out by the information.
I was struggling to digest it and worried about what it would mean to me. I wasn’t going to lie, I was secretly hopeful that it would mean Father was a little bit nicer to me. Surely he would have to be now, right?
“That’s my fault,” Stella said kindly “Your father is my second chance mate, after having lost my first in a dreadful rogue attack. I wasn’t sure I wanted a mate initially so I asked him to keep it a secret until we developed a proper relationship, in case we chose to call it off.”
“Oh, okay,” Sarah said doubtfully, still a little shell-shocked.
I said nothing. What could I say? That she would never compare to my beautiful mother who I thought about every single day. That I had no desire for a stepmother to enter my life? That this was the very last thing I was expecting today, on top of everything else I was going through? I wisely kept my mouth shut.
“So sweetheart what was the news you were going to tell your father?” Stella prompted Sarah who looked confused.
“Yes, when you came in, you said you had some exciting news” my father added, as Sarah blinked, focussing on her father and biting her lip.
“Um well, now I’m not sure how you’re going to take it” she stammered “So maybe it’s best I just leave it for another day. Especially since we should be celebrating your happy occasion” she added meaningfully.
“Oh, we can do that after. Besides if you have good news then it just means double the celebration” Stella scoffed, sitting down on the couch and folding her long legs, one over the other, eying Sarah with a wide smile on her face. “There’s no reason we can’t celebrate both.”
Sarah bit her lip, clearly still hesitating. She took a deep breath. My father crossed his arms across his chest and waited. I stood in the corner of the room, feeling invisible and trying not to be seen.
Finally, after what felt like forever, Sarah spoke, her voice a little hushed and a tiny bit shaky. “Well the thing is that Grant took a chosen mate last night at the ball,” she said and my father nodded, not surprised by that in the slightest.
“Well that was the intention of the ball” my father pointed out evenly “so it comes as no great surprise honey.”
“I know” Sarah admitted, sighing heavily and linking her hands together “The thing is though…” she paused for dramatic effect.
“The thing is what?” my father asked suspiciously.
Sarah beamed at him. “He chose me to be his chosen mate” she squealed, pulling her hair aside and showing everyone the mark on the nape of her neck, clear as daylight for everybody to see.
Silence. For a moment my father looked as though he was about to faint. Stella stood up and approached Sarah, wrapping her arms around her. “Congratulations” she shrieked “you’re going to be the future Luna of the pack. Well done” she enthused.
My father snapped back to reality and hugged Sarah, tears in his eyes. “I’m so proud of you baby girl” he muttered thickly ” and your mother would be as well” he added.
“Congratulations,” I said quietly. Sarah ignored me.
“I have to pack my things up and move into the pack house tonight,” she said excitedly as my father nodded, his jaw tight and Stella grinned.
“Do you want help honey?” Stella asked.
“Oh, could you?” Sarah said surprised by the offer “We could get to know each other as we pack” she suggested and Stella began to follow her upstairs, both of them chatting eagerly to themselves.
My father looked off into the distance, his lips curling back into a smile. “My daughter is going to be Luna of the pack” he murmured thoughtfully “Imagine that.”
He glanced at me, his expression turning to one of scorn as I cringed. “Once Sarah is gone, I’ll be stuck with you, a permanent reminder of the disappointment I’m forced to endure on a daily basis. Nothing you do will ever amount to anything” he snarled “If only Sarah had been the only one to have been born, my life would be fulfilled and I wouldn’t have to be dragged down by the likes of you.”
He turned and stomped away, heading upstairs to help Sarah pack, while I stood there, tears pricking the corners of my eyes. I willed them away. But all I could think about was why didn’t anybody love me? Why was Jaxon the only one who was kind to me? Was there something so inherently wrong with me that people automatically hated me? What did it take to find somebody to love me, not as a friend but as a mate, a lover, a wife? At this rate, I thought, a tear trailing down my cheek, nobody was ever going to love me, not unless the moon goddess had something up her sleeve. If that was the case, I prayed she’d hurry up and send somebody to me, cause I could really use them right now.