THIRTEEN

"I want to invite you to my wife's family dinner at 7 pm," Derek said, disturbing my thoughts of what took place during two months.

Now, they use Derek to invite me, knowing I can't refuse him. It is a custom for foreign werewolves in a pack to dine with the alpha of that pack with his family to show respect.

'Despicable, they must want to know something, seeing how they use everything at their disposal to get me.' I thought.

"It seems I can't refuse, but my brother is coming with me, right, Aiden?" I replied.

Aiden nodded his head at my statement. Derek furrowed his eyebrows before answering. "okay."

Aiden and I left the office after the meeting with Derek to the guest house.

"Sis, are you going?" Aiden questioned me as soon as we entered my room.

I sat on my bed and removed my combat boot while Aiden stood. " You know, I have to go and can't refuse it." I wiggled my toes before collapsing on the bed.

" I don't like this," Aiden mumbled, but I heard it.

"Neither do I, and you don't have to worry, Aiden. We will soon go home," I sighed to myself.

"Hmm," Aiden replied and left the room.

'Have you noticed anything out of place?' Artemis said in my head.

"No, but it is annoying they are persistent in having dinner with me," I retorted aloud.

'But don't you think it is weird?' Artemis asked.

'what?'

'Carmen, If they want to latch onto your status, they can't because words should have spread to neighboring packs about your relationship with them. they should know you can't be with them after all they have done to you.'

"What is weird about that?" I asked, not understanding what Artemis said.

'Why are they trying to reach after knowing all that.'

"That is true unless they are quite thick-skinned."

But what Artemis said is disturbing, and If they know they can't be close, why call me instead of avoiding.

I sighed on the bed with my face covered with my arm. " Artemis, please watch out for anything."

Aiden knocked on the door of my former home, the home where everything was perfect in my world until that night. That night, I saw the reality of this cruel and wicked world.

'Aiden, you watch out for anything suspicious.' I mind-linked Aiden as the door opened.

'Yeah.' Aiden answered his sister as the beta's mother greeted them at the door.

"Carmen, you came." Mrs knight greeted her daughter with a smile.

"Yes, I came with my brother because your alpha instructed us to," I replied blankly, indicating I didn't want to come.

As expected, her smile faltered slightly but came up as she acknowledged Aiden's presence.

We entered the home as she led us to the dining room.

Aiden looked around his sister's former home, noticing her lack of pictures in the house.

'How come I can't see your pictures?' Aiden mind-linked me.

'They burned it,' I answered.

'What?'

'They burned every single thing of my presence in this house,' I replied coldly.

Aiden stopped talking when he noticed my attitude and just held my hand before releasing it.

We entered the dining room to see my ex-family members with Derek.

I sat beside Aiden on the left side of the dining facing Stella in between Derek and Dylan.

An awkward silence reigned over the room as Derek coughed to break it.

"How is stay in Rosemoon pack?" Derek asked.

Aiden answered for both of us as we settled for the meal. "We are comfortable, Alpha Derek?"

I ate calmly as Derek and Aiden conversed in the tense atmosphere.

I could feel Stella glaring at my face, but I ignored her.

'I wonder what is her problem?' I thought.

"C-Carmen, What would you like for your birthday?"

A stunned silence occupied the atmosphere as Aiden and Derek stopped talking.

Aiden shot me a questioning look.

I dropped the cutlery and wiped my lips to look at my ex-mother, who asked the question with a cautious smile.

I asked. "I thought you forgot your own daughter's birthday?"

Her smile faltered into a pained look. "H-How can we forget your birthday. you and Stella share the same date."

"You reminded me that filth can't share the same date as the future Luna of the rosemoon pack. so Mrs knight, I don't understand what you are doing." I said.

I remembered that day clearly when I didn't notice their attitudes toward me, and I thought I was doing punishments for not being able to shift.

My birthday is the same day as Stella's, but different years. That day I asked my mother why they were not celebrating mine.

'Filthy things don't share the same birthdays with the prestigious Luna of rosemoon pack.' My ex-mother slapped me with hatred in her eyes for asking that questions.

'It will do you good not to associate with my family anymore.' she left me with her parting words.

After that day, They burned my things to draw a line between us.

I looked at the same woman who is asking the same question today. " I changed my birthday to another date when you drew a line between us, and please explain why you are discussing something that you settled with a slap that day, today."

She trembled with tears in her eyes as she stuttered. "C-Carmen, we are sorry."

"stop, please stop." I stopped her from talking.

"I don't understand why you are sorry when your abuse led me to a family who loved me unconditionally," I said.

"I don't need your regrets. It is filthy." I added.

"Must you make our mother cry? she regrets it. everyone regrets it, and why are you heartless to your family?" Stella glared at me.

"I don't understand why you keep insisting that I am your family when you were the ones that abandoned me first," I replied calmly.

"Well, I did not come for a reunion with you, and I broke ties with your family. Please respect that," I added.

"Also, I am sure you know that you can't make us a family again, so why did you call me Mr knight?" I looked at my ex-father, who had been silent during this dinner.

My father stared at me for a long time before answering. "when did you shift?"

' Why is he asking about that?' I thought.

My father was the person who hurt me the most after Dylan. I was the girl version of him, so he loved me more than Stella, but after that day, he shut me out. he didn't listen to my plea and stared at me like a stranger.

"Why should I answer your question, Mr knight?" I asked back.

"You are not supposed to have a wolf after your shifting age unless you hid it from us."

"I see. Well, thank you for the food, and I hope this is the last time I step into your home." I stood up to leave the house with Aiden behind me.

"Thank you for the meal." Aiden left with his sister after thanking his sister's family.

We walked in the night side by side in silence.

"Are you okay?" Aiden looked at his sister worriedly.

"Yeah, I am fine," I replied.

"What's wrong?" I asked after detecting something from Aiden.

"Did you mean what you said about meeting us?" Aiden questioned me.

'I don't understand why you are sorry when your abuse led me to a family who loved me unconditionally.'

'That sentence.' I thought

"Yes, I did," I assured Aiden.

"You said the same thing as my mother," Aiden said.

"Hunter said it?" I asked.

"Yes, he told me I should not pity my mother, that she was fighting her way," Aiden answered.

"Then, Don't pity her. What I hate most about people is to pity me. It is like telling me that I am a failure. Hunter wanted you to love her, including her scars, not pity her." I advised Aiden.

We entered the guest house and walked to my room.

Aiden smiled. "Yes, he did."

I waved at Aiden before entering my room. I started a conversation with Artemis on my bed.

"Do you know the reason why my ex-father asked that question?"

'I don't know.'

"It seems there is something that he knows since he brought the topic on you, and the former alpha and luna didn't attend the dinner nor invited me to one."

'It seems they are avoiding you.'

"But they can't be avoiding me because of the abuse unless they know something."

'It seems Derek does not know anything.'

"No, he does not. Only the Older generation of leaders knows something."

'Is it connected to the rogues?'

"Maybe and possibly me."

My ex-father asked about my beast but not me, so it must be connected to Artemis somehow.

I sighed with my face on the bed. It seems the rogues' attack is not simple as it is.