SWNOVELS Chapter 5: Bracelet
Astrid's POV
My heart was heavy with grief and my body was fully exhausted when I returned to the packhouse.
Being pregnant made me become more emotional, and it also made me tire more easily. With everything that had happened to me lately, being pregnant made things more difficult for me.
Returning to the packhouse was the last thing that I wanted, but I had to. I had left all my things behind when I suddenly decided not to come back anymore.
Right now, I just don't want to meet anyone who would ruin my mood even further. I came to the packhouse to pack my things and that's it. I have no intention of meeting Killian or even seeing his face.
I also do not have any intention of telling him about our unborn child anymore.
I instinctively touched my bump as I had that thought. I bit my lower lip as I felt sorry for my child.
As someone who grew up without a father, I do not want my baby to experience that also. However, I couldn't also let him grow up with a father who doesn't want him either.
Since Killian already has a child with Giselle, it's clear he wouldn't want a child with me anymore.
It doesn't matter anymore. My mother managed to raise me on her own before. I will make sure that I will be a better mother to my child than my mother was.
"You're back," someone spoke from behind me while I was stuffing all my things in my luggage so I could finally leave this place for good. "You were gone for three days. What kind of Luna leaves the Pack for such a long time without notice?" I gritted my teeth as I closed my filled luggage and zipped it up before turning around to face Killian's mother.
Killian's mother had always disliked me. She had always thought that I was too weak to become a Luna and that I did not deserve her son.
For years, I've tried my best to live up to her expectations and live in peace with her as my mother-in-law. However, no matter what I did, she never liked me.
She just hated me for who I was and had always tried to force me to leave his son and denounce my position in the Pack.
Killian's mother glared at me as she stood at the doorway with her arms crossed.
Every time that I made mistakes, she was always there to point them out and shame me. She must have been waiting for me to come back so she could rub it in my face on how bad of a Luna I was and force me to denounce my Luna title once again. "I thought you did not want me here. Don't you used to force me to leave this Pack and denounce my title? Why are you angry that I was gone for three days?" I shot back at her.
Before, I used to let her insult me, yell at me, and vent her anger on me even at the cost of my own dignity.
I never talked back to her since she is my mother-in-law and I had to respect her.
Now that Killian and I are getting a divorce. There's no need for me to suck it all up when she and I will no longer be related to each other.
Her eyes widened when she heard my disrespectful response. "You!" she raised her voice as she pointed an angry finger at me. "Is that how you are supposed to talk to your own mother-in-law, huh?!"
"Don't worry, you are not going to be my mother-in-law anymore. Killian and I are getting a divorce and I'll be leaving this Pack for good. You wouldn't have to see my face just as you wanted!" I yelled back at her.
Finally, after so many years of just being silent whenever she disrespected me, I could finally yell back at her and defend myself against her.
It feels good to be able to stand up for myself again instead of just accepting insults and keeping everything in.
"Really?!" Her face which was contorted with anger suddenly brightened up when she heard my words. "You are leaving?" She asks again, not quite believing it.
"Yes! I'm finally leaving this place and I'm also so happy about it!" I yelled back at her angrily when I saw how happy she was to find out that I was leaving.
If she's happy, I should be happy too. I should be happy that I could finally leave this place where no one ever appreciated me.
"Finally you came to your senses!" She responded with a look of relief in her eyes. "Giselle is now pregnant, and the Pack finally has an heir. You have been married to my son for several years, but until now you haven't bore my son with any children." Hearing her words, I looked down on my belly and stilled.
"You have been holding back this pack and my son. It's time for you to leave and let my son live with someone better than he deserves." Killian's mother is truly glad at the news that I'm leaving, not knowing that I would be bringing her grandchild with me. "Since you have decided to divorce my son and leave, don't you ever come back in the future? You only bring misfortune to us all. You are a jinx to our Pack," Killian's mother added without shame at all.
I'm not coming back. I will never come back. Once I leave this place, I will cut all the ties I have in this Pack and live my own life as a free woman who doesn't have to please anyone else.
I smiled when I thought of the future that awaited ahead of me. I should have left a long time ago. I shouldn't have let these people demean me and lower my self-value.
For one last time, I collected myself together and took out my belongings with me. I would make sure that this would be the last time that I'd ever see this place.
As I was about to walk past Killian's mother, she suddenly pulled me aside causing my bag to fall on the floor.
All of the stuff inside was scattered all over the place just when I was about to leave this wretched place.
I dropped to the ground to bring my stuff back inside my bag when Killian's mother suddenly crouched to the ground and picked up my bracelet which was given to me by my grandmother.
"I knew it, you little thief. You still dare to steal from us before you leave?" Killian's mother hissed at me.
I stood back up and tried to snatch my bracelet from her hand, but she was too fast. She raised her hand before I could even reach it.
"That's mine, I didn't steal it." I narrowed my eyes at her.
Killian's mother just laughed at me. "You were just an omega when you came here. How could you possibly own such valuable stuff? You are trying to steal from us before you leave," she accused me.
I clenched my fists when I heard her unwarranted accusations. Killian's mother had always been hurtful with her words. Even though I'm just an omega, I am not a thief.
My grandmother raised me properly. I do not come from a family of thieves.
"This bracelet is mine," I spoke firmly. "My grandmother gave this to me. It doesn't belong to you or the Silvermoon Pack at all."
"This bracelet is made with rare gems. How could your grandmother afford it? This must be a gift from my son and you are not allowed to take it," Killian's mother rebutted.
"What is happening here?" Killian suddenly arrived at the scene, stopping me from doing anything I might regret against his evil mother.
I will never leave this place without that bracelet that my grandmother has given me.
"Killian, have you ever given me gifts before?" I asked him so that his mother would realize how wrong she was.
In our entire marriage, I have never received a single gift from Killian. He doesn't even know my birthday, he doesn't even know our anniversary, and he couldn't care less about me on Christmas. In our entire marriage, I never received anything from him at all.
I waited for Killian to give his answer, but he did not speak. I glanced at him to see what was stopping him from answering when the bouquet of lilies in his hand caught my eye.
I sneezed when its fragrance entered my nostrils. I started to laugh as I felt my nose start to clog up because of my allergies.
"In the four years of our marriage, you do not even know that I'm allergic to lilies. How could you even think of buying me a bracelet?" I asked him with a bitter look on my face. He and his mother had just rubbed on me again because of how awful they were towards me.