Her Second Chance✔ (Published)

1 (edited)

Cari

Pain ripped through her once more, a tearing inside her that seemed to encompass her entire soul. It felt like claws were raking through her stomach, while another set was ripping her heart apart. Simultaneously, the essence of who she was was being slowly dragged out of her with the most exquisite pain there had ever been. It was unbearable, but she'd had to put up with it for so long.

In vain, tears flowed from her eyes. She despised them. Her body shook uncontrollably, as if she were having a seizure, but she knew she wasn't. Why couldn't she simply die? Why had she been born? What had she ever done to deserve this?

She knew exactly what she'd done. She had been born. She wasn't as attractive or as lively as her twin. She couldn't even blame Claire for taking the mate that had belonged to her. Why would an alpha want someone so frail when he could have Claire?

Tall and willowy Claire, the pack's most beautiful she-wolf, was sweet and serene. Why would an alpha choose an ugly, mousy mate when he could have been with her better sister? So her suffering was her penance. Her self-sacrifice for the sake of her sister, who deserved the best. This was such a small thing after everything her sister had done for her as they grew up.

So she endured the agony, as she had done every night for the past ten years, or so it seemed. She curled into herself, her teeth clenched, trying to stop the cries that tried to escape her lips. Her weakness, however, overcame her, and she whimpered for the first time.

She wanted to be quiet so she could listen for anyone who might have been disturbed by her sound, but her body wouldn't let her. The pain was suddenly too much for her to bear. Her mind could no longer keep her under control. It had betrayed her will, and she could no longer silence the whimpers.

She barely heard her door bang open or her dad's voice, but she felt his loving arms wrap around her. She sobbed into him, curling into him. At least, she thought she consciously did. Perhaps her weakness was overtaking her even now. She could have tried to reassure him that she was fine.

He rocked her in his arms, trying to calm her trembling body and alleviate her pain.  She could hear other voices, the rest of her family, but she couldn't reason them out. All she could think about was how embarrassed she was that they were seeing even more of her flaws.

With her dad clinging to her, the storm passed and all she felt were the after effects. The numbing pain she could only relieve by remaining as still as possible. Tears still streamed down her cheeks, but she could hear what her dad said against her hair as his tears wet the dark strands. It broke her heart, worse knowing she was causing his pain.

"I'm so sorry I let you down..." he said softly to her still form. "...sweet baby girl...failed you...should've seen...should've protected you...forgive me, baby girl."

Her dad was a strong man. A man who never cried, but now he was reduced to tears. He sounded broken because of her. Why couldn't she have been born with more strength? Or perhaps not at all?

"Who did this to you?" he demanded, pulling away to meet her gaze. She couldn't answer since she couldn't betray her sister. "Tell me, baby girl," his anguished demand shattered her already fractured heart even further.

"Carl," the voice that reprimanded her dad was icy cold. Her father stiffened when she shivered.

Her dad stood up to face his father, still holding her in his arms. "What do you know about this father?" he demanded.

She didn't need to see her grandfather to know his cold gaze, if he even looked at her, held no pity for her. The pack Beta always looked through her as if she didn't deserve to be noticed. "She wouldn't be going through this if you had accepted the mates I arranged for her," the man said coldly.