Staring at the ceiling, the tear slid through my eye so slowly, I felt the tingle of seriousness waving through my temple along with it.

This whole adventure from humans to wolves could have been called a hilarious joke by destiny. But now, I was made a joker myself. I wasn't here to entertain these Young wolves. No matter they were my half sisters or more than that, they were wolves.

I was good at staying with humans and I needed that. To reach my true home. To my true family. To my Gran.

It wasn't like I was being mean to any one of them. I didn't deserve that prank.

A finger reached for my face, catching the tear on the fingertip. The sudden air that was blocked by this huge presence made me look towards the person.

The silhouette of man was visible to my blurry eyes. Getting up slowly, still feeling a little pain in my elbow, I looked around the room. It was dark and the only light was coming through the door which I suddenly recognized.

It was the door of my bedroom of home in the city.

My heart curled up in shock. Moving my hand over bedsheet, recognizing the mattress of my bed, I gulped.

"Mom?" I whispered, looking around, feeling a sudden jolt in my heart that I wouldn't be seeing mom anymore. No! After a long time, I had gotten the chance to live my days with her. Now, it couldn't go back to what it was like.

But how was it possible?

"Is it a dream?" I mumbled, feeling my hands shaking in terror.

The man in front of me kneeled down, making his head at the level of mine. The more of the light entered the room and I was able to recognize those eyes again. My lips parted in utter horror. Oh God! No.

"Eva hates you. Natalie hates you. Their father hates you. This is just the beginning," the cold voice came while a hand caressed the skin of my forearm, touching my hurt elbow. "Leave before they hurt you more."

My breathing turned erratic. "But mom?" My voice came as slow as of his but shaking crazily.

"She left you for them. You leave her for yourself."

I could hear the smile in his words.

"For myself?" I asked, absent-mindedly. The coldness in the room increasing.

The silhouette of the man nodded.

"If you live here, you'll lose yourself."

The words engraved on my heart in the blank ink matching to the darkness I saw in those eyes all of a sudden. The breaths that were shallowed were frozen inside me.

The man stood up to leave but not before saying.

"Leave before it's too late."

______

My eyes opened slowly, observing the familiar ceiling of the house of wolves. A frightened gasp left my mouth absent-mindedly.

Moving my arm a little, the pain had fainted a little. But my head was still aching from the middle. It was because of the push on the ground by the big black wolf of Gilbert and I got this injury on my forehead. It was further stressed by crying whole night over asking for the justification of this prank I suffered from those bitches.

"Do you often see these nightmares, back in the city?"

Mom's soft voice was soothing but it had increased the effect of that mysterious man's words in my mind. My legs had turned chilled or maybe, it was whole of my blood.

I looked at my right, finding her kneeling near the bed with her arm stretched over the bedsheet to hold my hand. With tear-stained face, she had reminded me of what had happened today in the forbidden forest.

I shook my head, thinking if she could so easily observe that I was having a nightmare. How could she not observe that I was forced to come and live with them?

"Do your daughters often prank humans?" I couldn't stop taunting her, bringing out the hurtful bitch hiding inside me. My eyes turned blurry at seeing her face falling in hurt. "Or is it just me? The lucky half-sister. Too much for chosing to be your lovechild, mom."

Her lips parted and tears appeared in her eyes. In the lamp light, her pale face looked cream but I could see her eyes were all bloodshot. Messy hair made her look more worried about me. I couldn't calculate since when she was here with me, kneeling before the bed.

"Please don't say that, Misty." She choked out, her nostrils flaring in hurt. The desperation in her eyes turned more obvious as she squeezed my hand. "They will be punished."

"I don't want to be one of those unwanted kids who get tortured by their half-siblings or step-siblings. I don't want to be some Cinderella," my voice cracked as a sob broke out from me. The realization of how I was in such a life-threatening situation had horrified me.

"Misty," she gasped in pain. "I am here, for you only. Please don't think that way. The girls wanted to have fun-"

"By nearly killing me?" I cut her off, my voice raising a little. I glanced at the window and realized we must had passed the midnight.

"Pete and Thomas aren't like that. They like you, Misty. Eva and Natalie needs some time. They are good at heart. They were just trying to scare you. . ." She wept, staring at me.

Tears leaked from my eyes as I stared back at her in wonder. "How much you love them for you can't even say the truth to justify my pain?" I whispered, sadly.

Her mouth closed in hurt while I further said, "You know what happened, Mom."

Looking away, I observed the start night visible from the window. "King and Queen are always equals. If Gilbert is the Alpha, you are the Luna. Sorry to say this, but I don't find you as his equal, Mom."

She was quiet.

"I have never seen you ordering him your wish like a true lover. You look like a scared woman to me. It's always seem like he has dominated this household over you. The women in cities are more opinionated than you. They are their husbands' equal," I whispered out, blinking slowly only to let the tears slide.

"It hurts to see that even after all this, even after knowing that he killed your brother, killed my father, You are so deeply in love with him. You can't leave him. This is sad and disheartening," I sobbed lightly. "I feel bad for myself so much, Mom."

No voice came from her and it made me turn my head in nervousness. My heart felt more squeezes at seeing her frozen in hurt. But in her bloodshot eyes, I could see that she had listened to me carefully. Those words were revolving there in her mind.

"Gran has taught me to be kind and bold at the same time. She has taught me to always value myself. She has also taught me to be selfless when it's needed. But tonight, when I feel this pain in my body, in my heart. And how I can see myself getting more injuries in future from your daughters, I remember my Gran's words," I whispered to her, gulping hard.

Softly weeping, she stared at me, shaking terribly. I pushed my weight on the fine elbow and tried to get up. Sitting up slowly, I tugged on her hand. She sobbingly got up from the floor, not moving her eyes off my face she sat on the bed, facing me.

The man from my dreams was just my imagination but his words were right. As if my guardian angel had guided me, my instincts were telling me to follow the advice.

I held her hand closely on my lap, sobbing softly. "You know, I have always dreamt of being your daughter. Not the one who used to wait for her mother for over a year. But the one who is living here, seeing you everyday, eating food made by you, listening to your scoldings and loving words. But being your daughter comes with a price," I sobbed.

"Facing all this humiliation for being daughter of a human. Facing all of this hate just because I am the result of your love affair with my father. It was Gilbert's fault that all of this happened. If he hadn't hurt your brother, you would have never met my Dad. I would have never existed-"

"I breathe because you exist, Misty."

My heart fluttered at her words and the pain in my eyes increased. I shook my head while looking at her. "You are trying to make it all fine. I see you. You are a great mother, Mom. You are a great mate to Gilbert. He is so lucky to have you," I whispered, shakily.

"But I also see the pain you feel when I and your other daughters aren't coming along. I see the pain in your eyes when Gilbert talks shit about me and my dead father. I see the pain in your eyes when you want them all to accept me," I said, softly. "I can't see that pain anymore, Mom."

Squeezing her hand, I flared my nostrils and nodded. "I used to complaint about you abandoning me. Now, I understand why you did what you did. And I love you for that," I sobbed.

She bit her lips, breathing hard and crying softly.

"I love you so much that I can go back and let them have you to themselves. Because I now know that you love me too, just like you love them all." I said, gulping hard.

Wiping my eyes with my shoulder, I sniffled and looked back at her. I was not supposed to do what I was doing. But I wasn't scared anymore.

"Your husband forcefully brought me here to live with you, after what happened on my birthday night," I told her, goosebumps rising on my arm in alertness.

Gilbert could be listening to our conversation standing outside my door. He could cut my or Gran's throat before I could even tell Mom the truth. But this pain had to end. Because I wasn't the one to suffer bullying.

Mom stopped moving, her face struck by horror of the truth. She stared at me, blankly.

"He blackmailed me to come here to live with you in return for keeping my Gran alive. Otherwise, he could kill her brutally." I gulped shakily.

The pain in her eyes was slowly turning into blankness. "He told me that he just wanted to keep his mate happy. What does this mean? That he loves you. I see the way he looks at you. He might be a dominating, arrogant freak but he cares for you. He can't live without you."

I blinked painfully and finally told her, "I want to go home, Mom."

She stiffened and stared at me blankly.

"I don't want to stress you by being here anymore. Gran can't rely on her relatives in my absence for long. She needs me. It is for the best of us all. I know, I behaved like a bitch to you on my birthday. But I was so angry at finding out the truth, I couldn't control my tongue."

I wiped her tears with my hand and nodded at her. "You have a beautiful world that I don't want to spoil. I can't fit in. But you can always come to the city whenever you want to see me. You can even stay for longer now that I know the truth. Thomas and Pete can come. But here, it's so freaking difficult, Mom."

The tears spilled again and let out the last sob. "I was just so scared of dying. Of that wolf. I don't know how I would feel if one day I see you in your wolf form. I don't have the heart to blend in. Please tell your mate to allow me to go home, Mom."

I cupped her cheek, making her look at me when she had looked away. Her eyes looked like glass, unmoving.

"Mom?" I sobbed, shaking her face. "Answer me, please."

Fresh glossiness covered her eyes when she nodded at me, shakily.

Seeing her looking numb, I knew that she was hurt by my decision. I hugged her and said, "Please, don't hate your family for coming in between us, Mom. One of us has to compromise. I can do that because I have been doing that all these years. That won't make you love me less. Would it?"

"No, my child. No," she cried on my shoulder, while I closed my eyes. "I love you so much, Misty. Never forget that."

I breathed hard, sniffling slowly.

"I won't."

With sad smiles on our faces, we decided to sleep together for the last time before I would leave tomorrow. No words were exchanged after that and the more I could remember, I had finally gotten a sleep without nightmares.

_______

I didn't bring too much clothes when I was kidnapped by Pete and Ivan. It was just a duffel bag full of some inner clothes and bathroom slippers of mine.

With the same duffel bag, I had readied myself to leave as early as I could.

Mom had woken me up with a sad smile, saying that she would tell Gilbert everything and prepare someone who could take me back to town.

Honestly, the thought of leaving this place was making me nervous about going back to the old life without Mom. For sometime, I had even thought of forming bonds with my half-siblings but how could something that would take a childhood spent together, be formed in just few weeks.

Mom forced me to wear this new summer dress for the day, even when I denied. I wanted to go back into the clothes I had work while being kidnapped. But how could I just be more bitchy to her. I had said too much last night.

Picking up the duffel bag while taking a last look of the bedroom, Mom had always dreamt of me living forever in, I walked out of the room.

Getting down from the stairs, the dining table was filled with Thomas and Nirvan waiting for me.

I smiled sadly when Thomas got up without giving me any glance. He never looked that angry before.

"Everyone's out. Let's go." Nirvan said while pointing towards the main door.

I nodded, not really understanding how easily Mom had prepared everything. Gilbert must have give in to her words as I had told the truth. What could be better for me to stay out of his world?

Walking out with Nirvan, I released a long breathe when my eyes caught the crowd of the size same as of the day I was brought here. The way was made for all the Pete's friends made way for me along with the girls who lived in neighbourhood.

My heart squeezed at seeing the neighbour wolf families standing in a semi circle in their night robes, to see me leaving. It felt good to see them valuing saying bye to me, even with the presence.

How much presence mattered to me? Only J knew.

The wolves made path and I found Thomas walking on my right with his nostrils flaring continuously.

Looking back in the centre of the big ground between these houses of wolves, I found the same black car parked. The realization hit me hard and I stared right in Mom's eyes who seemed blank.

Beside her was standing Gilbert. On their each side was Eva and Natalie. Uncle Robert too was present with Aunt Kate who looked at me sadly. I smiled tightly and approached Pete who was standing in front of the car.

Nirvan joined his parents and Ivan standing on the other side with the crowd. I found Ivan giving me soft smile.

Releasing a sigh, I walked towards Mom, to give her the last hug. Her arms wrapped around me, squeezing me nearly with all her love. Tears escaped quickly and I closed my eyes.

Pulling away, I wiped my eyes and gave her the last look. But before I could even turn around properly, she tugged on my hand, making me look back at her.

The sudden anger visible in her eyes blinded me. Her grip on my wrist was tight and firm. I looked questioningly at her, my mouth opening in shock.

"I am leaving with you, Misty."

_______

"What do you think?"

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___

The mating ceremony will arrive soon.😉