SWNOVELS Chapter 33
Chapter 33: Holding Back!
I watched silently in the mirror as my Luna, whom I had grown up attending to and adoring, stood behind me, pinning my hair off my n*eck in a beautiful bun. She had left a few strands of icy white hair to frame my face, but she was adamant my hair was to be off my n*eck. And I wasn’t a fool; I understood why.
“Everyone will say my marks,” I whispered, following her in the mirror.
“Yes, dear, that is the point.” She grinned, twirling a hair around her finger and letting it bounce free.
“But… Tonight is about Lilly, not…”
“You?” She asked, pausing to look at me in the mirror, her brow furrowing. “I have many children, something Lilly needs to remember.” She winked, spinning the chair around so we no longer faced each other in the mirror but spoke face to face.
“I love my daughter like I love all my kids- you included.” Scrunching my nose at her comment, I tried to stifle a giggle because I knew she was trying to be sweet
and share a moment with me.
“What?” She asked, grinning as she spun me back around to look in the mirror.
“Just.. sounds funny when you say that, given that I am sleeping with the twins.. who are also your children..” I watched her close her eyes as she paled slightly.
“You and Knox are made for each other.” She muttered, rolling her eyes playfully, my heart soaring at the compliment she unwittingly had just given me. Smiling at her in the mirror, I turned back to look at her.
“I am grateful, though, for everything you have done for me.. after my mother… I just mean..”
O
1/4
11:29 Thu, 14 Mar
Chapter 33: Holding Back!
“I know! And it’s ok. Your mother can never be replaced Charlotte, but I do love you like you were my own.” She smiled, touching my face lightly. “Which is why I have no qualms asking you if you are sure this is what you want?” she continued, kneeling before me as she took my hands, squeezing them reassuringly.
“I raised those boys! I know better than anyone that they are a handful! Knox wears his heart on his sleeve, but he is impulsive, reckless at times and deadly when backed into a corner. That can be a lot to manage. Kane does his best to level Knox out and protect him, which has taken its toll on him; I know he can come across as cold, uncaring and incredibly stubborn. But…”
“He isn’t!” I shook my head. “He is a moody…”
“Shit!” She laughed, arching a brow; she hated foul language, she always had, but sometimes there was just no better word.
“Yes… But he is kind, gentle and..” Pausing, I searched my mind for the word I wanted because perfect felt too cliché.
“Loyal.” I settled on it just because I knew that was a trait she valued. “And Knox, he makes me smile; he keeps me sane and makes me feel special like I am the most beautiful thing he has ever seen.” I gushed, chewing my l*p.
“Then why are you holding back?” She asked bluntly. My eyes burning with the hot tears I felt raining down my cheeks.
“Because… Lilly is my best friend, and she hates the idea. She hates me.”
“That.. is not the reason! We both know my daughter is just jealous of the attention you are about to get. She should be excited to have you as a sister.. officially. And she will be when she has gotten over the shock that she is no longer the only girl the boys worship!” She advised me with a soft smile that seemed to
make everything ok..
Sighing, I turned and looked back in the mirror, brushing the remaining tears from my lids. I took a deep breath and decided if anyone would understand my fear, it would be her- The pack Luna!… She would be the one to reassure me and talk me around to the idea that THIS was a good thing…
1/4
55%
Chapter 33: Holding Back!
‘I don’t feel worthy. That was the truth of it; I opened my mouth to tell her my fears when the door to my room opened, expecting to see Kane or Knox. I sucked in a shaking breath seeing my father standing in the door frame, his large form almost filling the door.
“Luna.” He nodded respectfully, “Can you give me a moment with my daughter.” He asked, his tone unlike Lauras’s; it held no warmth or hint of fondness.
“Of course.” She nodded, squeezing my shoulders in the same way Knox had. “I will get you something to eat; I will be back.” She smiled in the mirror at me, clearly picking up on the nerves that were eating at me at the idea of being alone with the man who had fathered me. I watched her leave and wished I was going with her, wished I was anywhere but here.
“Father.” I nodded with the same level of respect Luna had offered.
“Do you have any f**king idea what you have done!” He hissed, crossing the room with lightning speed, his hand gripping firmly around my n*eck as he hoisted me from the stool I sat on and pushed me back onto the desk, the make–up and hair accessories flying to the floor and shattering from the force.
“MONTHS! We had been working on that deal!” He roared, squeezing tightly. What deal! What had I done? I wanted to ask, but he pressed firmly, cutting off any words I may say.
“I have about thirty seconds before the f**king twins barge in here, so let me make this quick! You WILL reject them! You will find a way out of this f**king bullshit! Or so help you! I will kill you myself before you even reach the altar to say your damn vows!” He growled, pushing me back into the glass before letting go. As air raced to fill my lungs, what little food I had in my stomach emptied on my father’s feet.
“W..w..hat… Deal?” I stuttered through a hoarse throat from the floor where I had landed. My father’s anger only grew, no doubt, because I had dared to question him. Seeing his foot lift too late, I squealed when pain tore through my ribs as my father’s foot slammed down on me repeatedly.
“You should ask your Fiance! Ask him what price he had agreed to pay for you!
2/4
11:29 Thu, 14 Mar
Chapter 33: Holding Back!
A debt your precious twins will now take on!”
“I don’t understand!” I sobbed, curling up to soothe the pain in my side.
“Why would you? Just fix it! Tonight!” He growled, turning to leave.
“You will reject them! Tonight! And you will marry Mike! As f**king planned!” He ordered, slamming the door shut and leaving me with more questions than answers! Pulling myself to my feet, I tried to process the last minute of my life, but my father. wasn’t wrong, and I knew as the door flung open that the twins were here.
“Charlotte? Angel?” A chorus of concern filled the room, making me wince from the air leaving my lungs.
“I am fine!” I lied easily, “I fell into the dressing table… I told you I needed food… I am just.. lightheaded. I haven’t eaten all day.”
“You were scared!” Knox growled. I could sense them coming close, but I shook my head and stepped away towards the ensuite.
“I broke Grace’s things! She is going to be angry!” I bluffed, brushing past them and through the door to my bathroom.
“I need to wash my hands. I was sick on them,” I added, disappearing into the bathroom without looking at them, knowing if I did, I would crumble. And I had enough to deal with right now without that, too!
3/4