"No." I took in a shaky breath. "It's the only thing I want to know. I'll leave your pack if you tell me what you did. Please, I just want to save my mother–"
"I don't fucking care what you want!" Alpha Cassian roared and I felt my knees getting weak as my last bit of courage slipped out of me. His alpha pheromones were taking a toll on me.
"How dare a lowly rogue like you demand answers from me?!" He seethed, glaring at me like I'm nothing but the dirt stuck under his shoe. It hurt my pride but I couldn't speak up. My mouth wouldn't move.
"Don't even utter a single thing about my mate or I'll forget that you're a girl and strangle you till you take your last breath. Do you get me?!" He growled. I couldn't help but gasp as I fell to my knees, my head tilted to the side as he forced me into submission.
"P-Please…" I managed to whimper out. I want to save my mother.
I slowly felt his pheromones go down. He took a few steps back, taking a deep breath before talking to me again. "Go back before I lose control, kid." He said followed by a heavy sigh.
I looked up to him with a pleading look but he just stared at me with no mercy.
"How could you be so cruel?" I asked as I stood up. "Why can't you help me save my mom?"
"I was never nice," Alpha Cassian scoffed. "And your mother can't be saved. It's a hard truth but you need to swallow it."
"She can be saved if you tell me how you survived!" I spat out, making him take another deep breath. "But you won't do that, right?" I chuckled humourlessly. "Because you're a selfish monster." I gritted out before getting out of the room and slamming the door close.
I didn't waste a single second standing there. I didn't know how I got the courage to say that to his face and slam the door shut. I didn't wait there to find out if he was coming after me or not.
I ran up to the room immediately. I needed to be somewhere safe. I opened the door to our room but stopped when I saw Mrs. Ansaldo in there. "Oh Ivy, come on in. I was just talking to your mother." She smiled widely when she turned around to see me. I gave her a nervous smile back. I was still shaky from the encounter with her son.
"Hello, Mrs. Ansaldo. How are you?"
"I'm fine, dear. Are you alright? You seem a little shaky," She frowned.
"Oh, I'm good. It was just that I was running to here…" I chuckled nervously.
Mrs. Ansaldo gave me small smile. "I came here to say that there will be a welcoming party for the new members in the evening. It's nothing big and you don't need to dress up for it. It is just so that the new members can get to know the others in the pack. There will be good food and great wine. So be there, okay?" She beamed as she told me.
My smile slowly disappeared. I looked at my mom who just sighed before looking away. Why do we need to be there? Clearing my throat, I once again moved my attention towards Mrs. Ansaldo who waited for my response. She's a nice lady but I'll have to turn this down. "Mrs. Ansaldo… I'm sorry but we'll stay in our room. This is the party for the new members. We're not—"
"I knew you were going to say this. Don't worry, it doesn't matter. You can be there too. You can socialize and make new friends. There are a lot of girls and guys your age in our pack who you can be friends with. If you're nervous, then I'll stay with you till you feel comfortable. Please come. I don't want both of you to feel left out."
I looked at my mom not knowing what to do. Mrs. Ansaldo is nice. I really don't want to reject her invitation but she doesn't know that most of the pack members already hate and Alpha Cassian despises me.
"We'll be there, Mrs. Ansaldo," My mom said suddenly, snapping me out of my thoughts. I gave her a wide eyed look.
"Perfect. Be there at seven in the evening. I'll be waiting!" Mrs. Ansaldo said before slipping out of the room. "I need to go now. See you at the party!"
I turned to my mom as soon as she was out. "Mom–"
"It's disrespectful to reject her offer, Ivy. She personally came here to invite us. We could just go there and show our faces then come back right after." She cut me off, giving me a look that said she didn't want to argue. I sighed. She looked tired and worn out. I didn't want to make her feel worse.
I told her to take some rest before walking towards the window and flopping down on one of the chairs beside it.
I have no idea what to do right now.
____
"I'm glad you both came!" Mrs. Ansaldo chirped as soon as we both came to her line of vision. I gave her a tight lipped smile and tried my best to ignore the not so subtle stares me and my mom got from the pack members.
"Here take this wine," She gave us both a glass of wine. I took it hesitantly while my mom refused it, stating a headache as an excuse.
"Oh, Ivy, you see those group of kids? They're the same as your age! Why don't you try talking to them? Maybe you could make some good friends," Mrs. Ansaldo beamed. I looked at her nervously.
"Oh, I…. I'm fin—"
"Come on, don't be shy. You need to socialize to meet new people. Just get to know them while me and Isabella get to know each other too."
I looked at my mom and she nodded. "Try talking with them, Ivy. Maybe they'll like you." She gave me a soft smile.
I gulped and turned towards the group of kids who seemed to be my age. There were three girls and two boys. All of them were beautiful and handsome. Most of them looked taller than me but I think that was mostly because of the heels the girls were wearing. I want to try to wear things like that too but I know those cost a lot of money. All I've ever owned was boots.
I cleared my throat when I got closer to them, drawing their attention towards me. "H-Hi…" I squeaked out. I'm not this nervous usually but I couldn't help how my voice trembled this time.
Maybe it's because all of their attention was on me at the moment. I really wanted to make some friends. I wanted to know what it's like to be a normal teenager.
One of the girls raised a brow and looked me up and down. "I'm sorry but do we know you?"