Chapter 8

ANDREA'S POV The resemblance was impossible to miss, they had the same harsh grey eyes. Up close, I could tell the difference between Kade's scent and his own. He walked like he owned the place, his cane more for show than support. “Who are you?” Easton said, his voice cold. He sniffed the air and looked me over with curiosity, his sharp eyes lingering on my stomach for a beat too long. I swallowed hard, forcing myself to stand straight. “I’m looking for Kade.” His lip curled into a mocking smile. “Of course you are. It’s you, isn’t it? The mate.” He said ‘mate’ like it was a disgusting word. I bristled, but didn’t reply. He took a step closer, leaning on his cane as if it gave him some right to invade my space. “You smell like an Alpha, but that's probably my grandson. You’re still just an Omega, aren’t you?” My wolf growled, but I kept my expression neutral. “You think we’d accept you?” Easton’s voice dripped with disdain. “An Omega who doesn’t know her place? You are too weak to stand beside him. You can’t offer him anything.” I clenched my fists, my nails biting into my palms. His words stung, uncovering every single insecurity I had. “You should do everyone a favor and end this little…mistake,” he said, his disdainful gaze dropping to my stomach again. I wrapped my arms around my middle instinctively. “Before it ruins more than just your life,” he added with a sneer. My heart sank to my feet, my ears buzzing as if the whole world had collapsed. I stared at Easton, shocked at the amount of cruelty in his words. “How can you ...... be so heartless?” I finally squeezed out a sentence, my voice was shaking. "Heartless?" Easton sneered, his eyes full of contempt. “What qualifications do you think you have to give birth to our family blood? Kade needs a perfect Luna and he has chosen one.” My heart snapped, as if it had been stabbed hard by a blunt knife. I clenched my teeth and forced myself to look him straight in the eye. “B...But this is Kade's child, your bloodline. You cannot deny that.” “Oh?” The corner of his mouth curved into a sneer, “Then how can you prove that this child is really Kade's? After all, for a woman like you, who knows how many men you have behind you?” His words were like a heavy hammer, hitting my heart hard. My fingers clenched the corners of my shirt tightly, turning my knuckles white from the force. Humiliation and anger tore at my heart, and Emrae snarled inside my mind. Yet Easton didn't stop. He looked at me with no trace of warmth, “I'll give you three days. If you still insist on keeping this child and ruin his union with Natasha, then don't blame me for not being merciful.” With that, he turned around and left, the sound of his footsteps echoing in the empty room like a pronouncement. I stood still, trembling, tears finally coming to my eyes. A wave of despair that I had never felt before welled up in my heart. Dumped by my fiancé, screwed over by my mate, and asked to have an abortion, could my life be any more miserable? Just because they were born in a higher rank, they were free to ruin my life? 'Calm down, Drea,' Emrae tried to reassure me. 'What that old man said was just bullshit. He's not our mate and we need to meet Kade. Our mate won't give up on our baby!' 'Really?' I let out a bitter smile. 'He already engaged with another woman and he didn't even try to contact us. He's probably long forgotten us.' ‘Then why did he give us his mark?’ Her question hit my heart, hope flaring up in me as I touched the mark on my neck. Emrae was right, Kade couldn't have marked me just for fun, could he? I finally got a little confidence back but as I passed the gates, I slowed down at the sight in front of me. It was Kade. He stood beside a sleek black car, opening the door for the same woman from the pictures. His fiancée. I watched, frozen, as he helped her out, kissing her hand with the kind of tenderness he had shown me that night. I had thought I was special and that those sorts of gestures were meant for me. My chest ached. The same thing was happening again. The cliché in what had just happened felt like a bad joke. Both Beck and Kade got upgrades and forgot about me. Emrae howled in my head, a mix of anger and sorrow, but I didn’t let it show. Not this time. I turned on my heel and walked away, refusing to look back. If Kade had chosen to be an ass, I refused to remain bound to his whim. He wasn’t worth this pain. Not anymore. The sight of Kade kissing Natasha’s hand replayed in my mind, along with his grandfather’s words. I was numb as I slid into the backseat of the taxi, the door slamming shut behind me. “Where to?” the driver asked. “Just drive,” I said, my voice hoarse. I didn’t have a destination. Not yet. My heart felt like it was cracking open, and my wolf whimpered in the back of my mind, unsure if we’d survive this. I felt a sudden bolt of anger. Why should I always be the one left behind? I could choose to discard them, too. I closed my eyes, focused on the bond that tethered me to Kade, and made the decision to make him feel what I was feeling too. “By the light of the moon that binds us both, I reject you, Kade Nightshade,” I whispered, my voice trembling with fury and pain. The bond snapped. Along with the emptiness came a tearing pain. Even with the air conditioning on in the car, I was sweating badly from the pain. And I knew Kade felt it, too. I looked through the rear window just in time to get a glimpse of him staggering and clutching his chest; his perfect fiancée held him by the shoulders, looking confused. He looked up just in time to catch my stare. A small part of me was thrilled at the sight. “Drive,” I said again, louder this time, rattling out an address. The driver nodded, pulling into traffic before Kade could spot me. I leaned back, still feeling angry and broken. Just then, the exclusive ringtone I designed for my parents rang. Tears burst out as I picked up it. However, the next word from Dad stunned me into speechlessness. “Drea, I've heard from Zayne that you've got your mate,” his tone was a mixture of anxiety and elation. "And I have an important secret for you and I think you and Emrae already felt it." "You were never born as an omega." "You're the next Alpha of our pack!"