The Alpha’s Curvy Cinderella - Chapter 54: Chapter 54
You are reading The Alpha’s Curvy Cinderella, Chapter 54: Chapter 54. Read more chapters of The Alpha’s Curvy Cinderella.
Jordan POV
My eyes were still watering when I let myself into the house, stopping dead in my tracks as the living room light went on and my father and Stella stood there, arms folded across their chests, a displeased expression on their faces. Evidently, they had been informed about Sarah’s confinement in the dungeon for her actions and they weren’t happy about it. It wasn’t my fault, I wanted to cry, but I doubted it would do any good. I bit the inside of my cheek, my legs stinging, despite the numerous bandages that Luna Mary had considerately provided over the cuts and scrapes provided by the glass shards that had embedded themselves in my legs.
My father was the first to speak. “You just couldn’t help yourself could you” he said smarmily “You had to do everything you could to ruin your sister’s chances of becoming Luna, didn’t you?”
Say what now? If anything, I had tried to help her, more than she had deserved. It wasn’t my fault she was a sadistic b***h who would have been better off spawned by Satan himself. She was the one who’d chosen to go too far with her stupid idea and had paid the lesson for it. It had nothing to do with me.
“That’s not true father” I stammered, warily eyeing him and Stella “I would never do that to my sister.”
Not when I knew the results of said actions anyway. Maybe if there were no repercussions I would.
His eyes glowed with anger. “Don’t bother denying it” he snarled “Because of you, Sarah sits in a dungeon, awaiting punishment for her transgressions, while you stand here, free. Does that seem fair to you?”
Considering I hadn’t done anything, yeah, it made perfect sense that I was free as a bird instead of in prison stripes, but I wisely held my tongue. Something told me my father wouldn’t appreciate my sarcasm right now. Damn, I was tired though, barely able to stand on my feet without collapsing. Luna Mary had ensured I had something to eat, thankfully, before I’d come home, but it wasn’t enough to stop the exhaustion of a long, arduous day from creeping in.
“I’m sorry Father” I whispered, licking my lips and waiting for the other shoe to fall “but there is nothing I could do.” Scratch that. Nothing that I wanted to do to help the b***h either, I thought sardonically. She’d made her bed, she could damn well lie in it. Maybe next time she would think twice before being so mean to someone ever again.
He clenched his hands into fists and I tensed, awaiting the inevitable punch or slap that normally accompanied it. It was nerve-wracking as he stared at me, his eyes narrowed, his eyes full of contempt, his lip curled back in disgust. I shivered, the tension rising in the air. I wish he would just do it already. The waiting was worse than the actual strike sometimes. He let out a huge exhale, shaking his head, beginning to mutter under his breath, while Stella shot a look of daggers at me. She put a sympathetic hand on my father’s arm, comforting him and causing him to calm down slightly.
“Maxwell,” she said quietly “I understand you’re upset and I’m upset as well. What Sarah must be going through right now… ” her breath hitched and she trailed off as she visibly tried to compose herself.
“But you must remember that Sarah is a gamma’s daughter and made of sterner stuff than what you realize” she chided, ” she’ll get through this and come out stronger for it. She has your DNA remember. I’m sure that this is all a misunderstanding. Let’s just have some patience and wait until we speak to the Alpha and Luna tomorrow in regard to this.”
Yes, please do that I thought tiredly, eyeing the stairs leading to the basement with bleary eyes. So close and yet so far. My father shot me a look and I cringed. It was almost like he was looking right through me. “Why are you such a disappointment,” he asked me hollowly “What did I do to deserve a daughter like you? Did I piss somebody off in a past life?” he asked in despair as I fought back tears “Did I do something to upset the moon goddess? I don’t understand. Why must I be burdened with the likes of you,” he said in exasperation and despair.
It works both ways, Father, I wanted to yell. Sometimes I wanted to know what I had done to be given such a horrible and demeaning father like him. I would have given anything to have a father like Grant or Jaxon did. I was envious of the relationship that they had with one another.
Stella rubbed his arm sympathetically. “Honey, please don’t fret too much. Maybe it’s time you considered the proposition I put forward to you. She is eighteen after all and like you said, she is becoming merely a burden to you” she added, giving me a snarky look.
“I thought you wanted to keep her though, as an omega for the household,” he said, looking at her with a raised eyebrow.
What in the hell were they talking about now? For heaven’s sake, did they want to clue me in or were they going to continue to talk in riddles?
“I can get a lot of money for her,” Stella said as I stiffened “I already have somebody who is interested. They need an heir as their wife is not able to provide one for them, and she does have the hips for childbirth” she pointed out, eyeing me critically.
I felt sick. Surely my father was not encouraging this. He had always maintained that I would never leave the pack, not over his dead body. I had to pay for killing my mother, he always said. So I was pretty sure that my father was going to scoff at Stella’s suggestion and refuse. But he was rubbing his chin and considering it. Stella continued to sweet-talk him.
“I can get another omega for the household,” she said in a syrupy tone “from the pack house. It just means we’ll have to pay them,” she said sighing dramatically “But in the long term, Jordan won’t be here to mess up Sarah’s plans and won’t get her into this kind of trouble ever again” she said coaxingly.
No, no, no I wanted to scream, my feet planted on the floor as I listened horrified. This could not be happening. Not in a million years. It was sick to even consider it. My stomach churned and bile rose in my throat. I struggled not to vomit. My breathing became shallow and slightly panicked.
“The man who is interested in her, well let’s say he’s not a particularly pleasant individual, so she wouldn’t exactly be having an easy time of it,” Stella said maliciously as I stood there in disbelief, willing myself to move and unable to move even an inch.
My father looked uncertain. “I’m already wealthy,” he said gruffly “so it’s not exactly like we need the money” he added looking a bit disgruntled.
Relief flooded through me. He was seeing sense. He wasn’t going to agree with Stella. But Stella wasn’t so easily dissuaded. “True” she agreed easily “but the money could go to Sarah, for her own personal use. Fund her for college, give her an allowance, and ensure she didn’t have to rely on Grant’s money for anything. It would allow her to keep her independence” she breathed.
f**k Sarah, I thought angrily. There was a chance she wouldn’t even be Luna after the stunt she had pulled tonight, but if I knew my father, he would easily smooth talk Sarah out of the situation she had put herself in.
“Father, you can’t be thinking…” I said in a whisper “Please, you wouldn’t do this to me. I’m your daughter” I cried, wishing that was enough for him to refuse such a request.
He rubbed his chin. “I can barely stand to look at you,” he said with venom dripping from his tone of voice “and you do nothing but cause me trouble. Being a breeder is more than you could hope for, being wolfless. I mean, you can’t fight, you’re fat and ugly, and there’s nobody out there who wants you. You’re not marriage material” he said coldly.
I struggled to breathe through the pain and the hurt that washed over me. Stella’s eyes glinted as she c****d her head and regarded me.
“Child it really would be for the best” she murmured “and on the bright side, as a mistress not much would be expected of you, except to produce a couple of heirs. It’s hardly taxing on you” she explained, as though I should be shouting for joy at that admission. “Hell, you wouldn’t even be looking after the children once they were born.”
I wanted children, but not at the expense of sacrificing love for them. It was insulting that I was being considered as nothing of value but as a breeder.
“I want to get married,” I said thickly “I want to marry my mate.”
Stella laughed. “Life is not a fairy tale dear. Do you honestly think that your mate is going to take one look at you and go, that’s the girl I want to marry? When he could have a thin, good-looking girl in comparison? It’s time you faced reality” she exclaimed waving a dismissive hand at me “Life is not a fairy tale. Girls like you don’t get a prince charming who comes swooping in to save you. Life is harsh and it’s cruel. You do what you must do to survive. You accept what life has to offer, even when it’s meaningless and empty.”
“That sounds like a horrible way to live,” I said in dismay, not to mention pessimistic.
She let out a bark of laughter. “It’s the cold hard truth” she drawled, snapping her fingers at me. “Something you’ll learn soon enough.”
My father had remained silent during this whole exchange. I glanced at him pleadingly. He gave Stella a searching gaze.” Set up the meeting,” he said nonchalantly as my mouth dropped open and tears trailed down my cheeks unchecked “I want to come up with an agreement beforehand. I want a contract signed and terms agreed to before I agree to give Jordan to him” he exhaled.
“I won’t do it” my voice shook “You can’t make me. I’m an adult now” I was clutching at straws.
“You don’t have a choice. As your parent I can still sign for you to be a breeder, it’s the laws of the shifters, until you turn 21, not 18” he snapped.
s**t. I’d forgotten about that. I swore. He turned on his heel. Stella grinned and followed him. For a moment, I considered running for it, but my father easily read my mind, as though anticipating such a reaction.
“Don’t even think of running, I’ll just track you down and toss you in the dungeon until it’s time for you to leave” he yelled back over his shoulder as I hesitated. f**k. I knew he was fully capable of carrying out that threat, something that made me despise him even more.
I ran down the stairs and collapsed onto my threadbare mattress, almost choking on my tears. I drew my knees up to my chest and wept. The voice inside my head spoke again, two words, that echoed forcefully in my mind, that repeated themselves over and over again.
Seek Sanctuary.
My eyes were still watering when I let myself into the house, stopping dead in my tracks as the living room light went on and my father and Stella stood there, arms folded across their chests, a displeased expression on their faces. Evidently, they had been informed about Sarah’s confinement in the dungeon for her actions and they weren’t happy about it. It wasn’t my fault, I wanted to cry, but I doubted it would do any good. I bit the inside of my cheek, my legs stinging, despite the numerous bandages that Luna Mary had considerately provided over the cuts and scrapes provided by the glass shards that had embedded themselves in my legs.
My father was the first to speak. “You just couldn’t help yourself could you” he said smarmily “You had to do everything you could to ruin your sister’s chances of becoming Luna, didn’t you?”
Say what now? If anything, I had tried to help her, more than she had deserved. It wasn’t my fault she was a sadistic b***h who would have been better off spawned by Satan himself. She was the one who’d chosen to go too far with her stupid idea and had paid the lesson for it. It had nothing to do with me.
“That’s not true father” I stammered, warily eyeing him and Stella “I would never do that to my sister.”
Not when I knew the results of said actions anyway. Maybe if there were no repercussions I would.
His eyes glowed with anger. “Don’t bother denying it” he snarled “Because of you, Sarah sits in a dungeon, awaiting punishment for her transgressions, while you stand here, free. Does that seem fair to you?”
Considering I hadn’t done anything, yeah, it made perfect sense that I was free as a bird instead of in prison stripes, but I wisely held my tongue. Something told me my father wouldn’t appreciate my sarcasm right now. Damn, I was tired though, barely able to stand on my feet without collapsing. Luna Mary had ensured I had something to eat, thankfully, before I’d come home, but it wasn’t enough to stop the exhaustion of a long, arduous day from creeping in.
“I’m sorry Father” I whispered, licking my lips and waiting for the other shoe to fall “but there is nothing I could do.” Scratch that. Nothing that I wanted to do to help the b***h either, I thought sardonically. She’d made her bed, she could damn well lie in it. Maybe next time she would think twice before being so mean to someone ever again.
He clenched his hands into fists and I tensed, awaiting the inevitable punch or slap that normally accompanied it. It was nerve-wracking as he stared at me, his eyes narrowed, his eyes full of contempt, his lip curled back in disgust. I shivered, the tension rising in the air. I wish he would just do it already. The waiting was worse than the actual strike sometimes. He let out a huge exhale, shaking his head, beginning to mutter under his breath, while Stella shot a look of daggers at me. She put a sympathetic hand on my father’s arm, comforting him and causing him to calm down slightly.
“Maxwell,” she said quietly “I understand you’re upset and I’m upset as well. What Sarah must be going through right now… ” her breath hitched and she trailed off as she visibly tried to compose herself.
“But you must remember that Sarah is a gamma’s daughter and made of sterner stuff than what you realize” she chided, ” she’ll get through this and come out stronger for it. She has your DNA remember. I’m sure that this is all a misunderstanding. Let’s just have some patience and wait until we speak to the Alpha and Luna tomorrow in regard to this.”
Yes, please do that I thought tiredly, eyeing the stairs leading to the basement with bleary eyes. So close and yet so far. My father shot me a look and I cringed. It was almost like he was looking right through me. “Why are you such a disappointment,” he asked me hollowly “What did I do to deserve a daughter like you? Did I piss somebody off in a past life?” he asked in despair as I fought back tears “Did I do something to upset the moon goddess? I don’t understand. Why must I be burdened with the likes of you,” he said in exasperation and despair.
It works both ways, Father, I wanted to yell. Sometimes I wanted to know what I had done to be given such a horrible and demeaning father like him. I would have given anything to have a father like Grant or Jaxon did. I was envious of the relationship that they had with one another.
Stella rubbed his arm sympathetically. “Honey, please don’t fret too much. Maybe it’s time you considered the proposition I put forward to you. She is eighteen after all and like you said, she is becoming merely a burden to you” she added, giving me a snarky look.
“I thought you wanted to keep her though, as an omega for the household,” he said, looking at her with a raised eyebrow.
What in the hell were they talking about now? For heaven’s sake, did they want to clue me in or were they going to continue to talk in riddles?
“I can get a lot of money for her,” Stella said as I stiffened “I already have somebody who is interested. They need an heir as their wife is not able to provide one for them, and she does have the hips for childbirth” she pointed out, eyeing me critically.
I felt sick. Surely my father was not encouraging this. He had always maintained that I would never leave the pack, not over his dead body. I had to pay for killing my mother, he always said. So I was pretty sure that my father was going to scoff at Stella’s suggestion and refuse. But he was rubbing his chin and considering it. Stella continued to sweet-talk him.
“I can get another omega for the household,” she said in a syrupy tone “from the pack house. It just means we’ll have to pay them,” she said sighing dramatically “But in the long term, Jordan won’t be here to mess up Sarah’s plans and won’t get her into this kind of trouble ever again” she said coaxingly.
No, no, no I wanted to scream, my feet planted on the floor as I listened horrified. This could not be happening. Not in a million years. It was sick to even consider it. My stomach churned and bile rose in my throat. I struggled not to vomit. My breathing became shallow and slightly panicked.
“The man who is interested in her, well let’s say he’s not a particularly pleasant individual, so she wouldn’t exactly be having an easy time of it,” Stella said maliciously as I stood there in disbelief, willing myself to move and unable to move even an inch.
My father looked uncertain. “I’m already wealthy,” he said gruffly “so it’s not exactly like we need the money” he added looking a bit disgruntled.
Relief flooded through me. He was seeing sense. He wasn’t going to agree with Stella. But Stella wasn’t so easily dissuaded. “True” she agreed easily “but the money could go to Sarah, for her own personal use. Fund her for college, give her an allowance, and ensure she didn’t have to rely on Grant’s money for anything. It would allow her to keep her independence” she breathed.
f**k Sarah, I thought angrily. There was a chance she wouldn’t even be Luna after the stunt she had pulled tonight, but if I knew my father, he would easily smooth talk Sarah out of the situation she had put herself in.
“Father, you can’t be thinking…” I said in a whisper “Please, you wouldn’t do this to me. I’m your daughter” I cried, wishing that was enough for him to refuse such a request.
He rubbed his chin. “I can barely stand to look at you,” he said with venom dripping from his tone of voice “and you do nothing but cause me trouble. Being a breeder is more than you could hope for, being wolfless. I mean, you can’t fight, you’re fat and ugly, and there’s nobody out there who wants you. You’re not marriage material” he said coldly.
I struggled to breathe through the pain and the hurt that washed over me. Stella’s eyes glinted as she c****d her head and regarded me.
“Child it really would be for the best” she murmured “and on the bright side, as a mistress not much would be expected of you, except to produce a couple of heirs. It’s hardly taxing on you” she explained, as though I should be shouting for joy at that admission. “Hell, you wouldn’t even be looking after the children once they were born.”
I wanted children, but not at the expense of sacrificing love for them. It was insulting that I was being considered as nothing of value but as a breeder.
“I want to get married,” I said thickly “I want to marry my mate.”
Stella laughed. “Life is not a fairy tale dear. Do you honestly think that your mate is going to take one look at you and go, that’s the girl I want to marry? When he could have a thin, good-looking girl in comparison? It’s time you faced reality” she exclaimed waving a dismissive hand at me “Life is not a fairy tale. Girls like you don’t get a prince charming who comes swooping in to save you. Life is harsh and it’s cruel. You do what you must do to survive. You accept what life has to offer, even when it’s meaningless and empty.”
“That sounds like a horrible way to live,” I said in dismay, not to mention pessimistic.
She let out a bark of laughter. “It’s the cold hard truth” she drawled, snapping her fingers at me. “Something you’ll learn soon enough.”
My father had remained silent during this whole exchange. I glanced at him pleadingly. He gave Stella a searching gaze.” Set up the meeting,” he said nonchalantly as my mouth dropped open and tears trailed down my cheeks unchecked “I want to come up with an agreement beforehand. I want a contract signed and terms agreed to before I agree to give Jordan to him” he exhaled.
“I won’t do it” my voice shook “You can’t make me. I’m an adult now” I was clutching at straws.
“You don’t have a choice. As your parent I can still sign for you to be a breeder, it’s the laws of the shifters, until you turn 21, not 18” he snapped.
s**t. I’d forgotten about that. I swore. He turned on his heel. Stella grinned and followed him. For a moment, I considered running for it, but my father easily read my mind, as though anticipating such a reaction.
“Don’t even think of running, I’ll just track you down and toss you in the dungeon until it’s time for you to leave” he yelled back over his shoulder as I hesitated. f**k. I knew he was fully capable of carrying out that threat, something that made me despise him even more.
I ran down the stairs and collapsed onto my threadbare mattress, almost choking on my tears. I drew my knees up to my chest and wept. The voice inside my head spoke again, two words, that echoed forcefully in my mind, that repeated themselves over and over again.
Seek Sanctuary.
End of The Alpha’s Curvy Cinderella Chapter 54. Continue reading Chapter 55 or return to The Alpha’s Curvy Cinderella book page.