Chapter 7 The New Game (The Weight of the Secret) Part 3

(POV Amethyst) The walk back home was agonizingly slow. The emotional residue of the rejection had been eclipsed by the terrifying exhilaration of defying the Alpha. The looks the pack members were giving me in disgust. Yes, Seraphina had blabbed her mouth about the rejection to everyone. But now, fear was setting in—not for myself, but for my parents and what Alaric could do to them. I pushed open the front door. Dad and Mom were waiting in the living room, their faces etched with a fear that went beyond the normal worry of a shifter. They had heard the cries of the broken bond. They knew. Mom rushed to me, pulling me into a fierce embrace. Her scent, usually comforting, was laced with panic. "Oh, Ame. My little Ame," she whispered, her hands running over my body as if checking for wounds. "Are you alright, baby girl? Did Desmond... did he hurt you?" my father asked, his Beta aura—usually steady and calm—flickering with suppressed rage. I gently pulled back, forcing myself to meet their eyes. "I'm fine, Mom. He rejected the bond yesterday, and I accepted his rejection. He felt the pain, Dad. It's done." "The pain will pass, my darling," mom murmured, dabbing her eyes. "But the dishonor... to throw away what the Moon Goddess had given him." That is so shameful. Doesn't Desmond know, since he was the one to do the rejection, the Moon Goddess would not give him a second chance mate. "It’s not a dishonor to me, Mom," I said firmly. "It’s freedom." Desmond knew what he was doing because he wanted Seraphina. She was his girlfriend after all. He had already chosen her for his mate and Luna. Mom, he has known for a long time I was his mate, but that isn't the worst of it. My parents just looked at me with a strange look in their eyes. At the same time, they both asked what could be worse than a wolf rejecting their fated mate, Amethyst. Mom dad, you might want to sit down for what I am about to tell you. Because it really does get worse from here. And neither of you will be happy with what is happening now. Mom and dad sat down on the living room couch and waited for me to start. I took a deep breath. "You need to know what Alpha Alaric wanted from me next." I recounted the meeting: the Alpha’s calculating gaze, his cold lie that the rejection was a political tactic, and his offer for me to be Desmond’s Head Enforcer. What would make Alpha Alaric think that I would want to be around Desmond and Seraphina? The pain of the rejection was enough. I sure as hell don't want to watch them together. Dad stared at me, with anger in his eyes, his strong hands clenching into fists that trembled visibly. He was usually the rock of the family, but now his control was unraveling. And it worried me seeing my dad like that. The look on mom's face wasn't much calmer than dads. “That son of a b**tch!” Jesse said, hearing dad talk like that was shocking us both. Dad never used words like that in front of me. I was seeing a part of my dad I didn't know existed. He slammed his fist onto the coffee table, making it splinter. “He used us. Eighteen years of quiet obedience, eighteen years we guarded your secret, believing he was protecting his future Luna—and all the while, he was cultivating a tool for his arrogant boy!” Mom sank onto the couch, tears tracking clean paths through the worry lines on her face. Her voice was thin, laced with bitter understanding. “He didn’t care that Desmond hurt you. He only cared that your wolf was too powerful to waste. He was offering you a cage with a grand title, Ame, so you could stand guard over the Luna you should have been.” "He thinks he can harness you," Dad muttered, his jaw tight, walking in a tight circle in the small room. "He saw Sable. He saw her size, and he knew what you could be for his son. He was never protecting you, Ame. He thought he was cultivating a weapon." Well, not my baby girl. If he doesn't think you are good enough to be a Luna, I'm not going to sit here and watch him use my daughter in any way for his greed. "I know," I replied. "And I told him no." But mom, dad he is adamant about keeping me caged here. He's probably on his way now. I need to get away from here, but how? Mom and dad agreed with me about getting away from here as soon as possible. Dad said, you will go to the Diamond Moon Pack. Your Uncle Ethan and Aunt Serena live there. Uncle Ethan and Aunt Serena met when they were at Gamma training. Ethan Walker is my dad's baby brother. He was also best friends with the Alpha of the Diamond Moon Pack and when Uncle Ethan found his mate, who was the daughter of the Beta of Diamond Moon. He decided to move there so he could be with his mate. Yes, normally it is the other way; the she-wolf would move to our pack. But Uncle Ethan didn't want that. Uncle Ethan and Alpha Alaric didn't get along with each other. That happened when I was still a baby. Why was I never told? I don't know. So he renounced Alpha Alaric and the pack he grew up in and moved to his best friends' pack, the Diamond Moon Pack. Dad spoke up and brought me out of my thoughts. Sorry dad, I zoned out for a minute. Now what were you saying to me? No baby girl, I know where your mind went to, but we have to get you out of here and fast. Dad told me to go get my backpack and just get enough belongings to get me to Diamond Moon. I went upstairs to my room, got my green backpack. I picked out some clothes. I knew I would need some undergarments, so I got them first. I walked to my closet to get some clothes. I picked out five of my favorite shirts and a couple pairs of shorts and jeans. Now, of course, I can't forget my favorite jammies. I neatly folded them in my backpack. As I went to leave, I reached for my favorite picture of us. The picture when we took our family vacation at Hilton Head, South Carolina. I took one more look at my room and walked back downstairs to the kitchen where mom and dad were waiting for me. I could see the sadness in their eyes. Dad walked to me and handed me a burner phone. He told me to leave my phone with them and use the burner phone, so our calls can't be traced. He handed me a pouch of money he had been saving, He said that he and mom had been saving this for 18 years. Just in case something like this happens. I took the items and some food mom fixed for me. Dad said it was time for me to leave. I hugged mom and dad with tears in my eyes. They are my whole world and, because of a greedy Alpha, I have to leave the most important people to me. I love you, mom and dad. As soon as I get to Diamond Moon and get settled I will call you. I walked out the back door and cautiously searched my surroundings. When I didn't spot the Alpha or any of the warriors, I ran to the forest as fast as I could.