Ten years have passed since the demise of Banastre, and the Yuen Pack thrives under the leadership of the dictator's benevolent stepson, Oscar Yuen. With a flourishing community and accumulation of wealth, the Yuen Pack has become second only to the...
A man was standing beside her, and for a split second, Ananya thought that it was Oscar. The man had a rougher look to him, though. He was tall and broad with short hair and narrow, calculating eyes. He had his arm around Rutuparna and was smiling so that two elongated fangs showed. Upon further inspection, Ananya realized that his hands had claws on them.
Is this...Banastre? Ananya brought the picture closer to her face. No...he does look a lot like Oscar, but he looks scarier. What is he doing with Mausi? She turned the picture around and found an inscription on the back.
May 7th, 19--
Took a trip with Banastre to the Temple. Our love will remain strong.
Ananya's eyes widened. "No way..." she flipped the picture again and looked with more interest at the couple. "Mausi dated Oscar's stepdad? They were together? Were they...were they mates...?" Her heart nearly stopped beating.
"Ananya," Rutuparna called as she opened the door. Behind her, the meek figure of Aman followed, his eyes shifting around the floor.
"Ananya, what are you doing?" Rutuparna assessed her niece coldly, then, when she noticed the picture between Ananya's fingers, gasped loudly. Her hand flew to her chest and she staggered into Aman. Her complexion paled. "Where did you get that?" She inquired sharply.
"Never mind where I got it," Ananya said, surprising herself with the courage in her tone. "What's this supposed to mean? You were with Oscar's stepdad? Were you both mates?" She held the picture tightly. "You knew Banastre personally, so then you should have known that he and Oscar were two different people."
"Watch your tone with me, Ananya. I don't like the accusation you have," Rutuparna said, trying to sound stern. Her voice, however, shook.
"I'm not accusing you of anything, Mausi. I'm asking valid questions," Ananya said. "What does this mean? Did you know Banastre?"
Rutuparna's teeth audibly grated against one another. "I did," she confessed bitterly. "We were fated to be together, back when the relationship between humans and werewolves was much worse than they are now." She clenched her hands. "We were supposed to be together. We were supposed to rule as Alpha and Luna, but that Hailey ruined everything! She came into our lives. She destroyed our relationship and took Banastre away from me." She inhaled deeply. "Banastre promised to love me forever, and Hailey ruined it all! She....she ruined everything...her and her sister's worthless powers..." She marched toward Ananya and snatched the photo, ripping it up. Then, she snapped her, sending Ananya stumbling at the intensity of the slap.
"Rutuparna!" Aman began to intervene, but Rutuprana turned to him with a glare and he flinched.
"I can't stand insolence. I can't stand disobedience!" Rutuparna grabbed Ananya by the collar of her shirt. "That Alpha of yours deserves to suffer. He'll suffer...he'll suffer just like I did! "
"Oscar? Oscar doesn't deserve anything!" Ananya surprised herself by talking back, but she was beyond pissed, and her cheek was aching. She pulled Rutuparna's hand off and gave her a gentle push. "He didn't choose to separate you and Banastre! Banastre was horrible to him! Banastre was horrible to everyone! He tricked Hailey! He abused her and he hurt her! She never wanted to be with him because he killed her mate!"
"That's not true! Hailey did it! Hailey did it all! She broke our bond!" Rutuparna reached for Ananya, who recoiled. "You dare disrespect me by talking back?"
"What else am I supposed to do?" Ananya exclaimed. "I can't talk. I can't walk. I can't do anything! I just have to listen to you, and anything I say is wrong. I have proof here, though!" Her eyes narrowed and her lips curled into a sardonic smile. "You never cared about me. You just cared about yourself. You even bully Mausa!"
"How dare you!" Rutuparna's eyes blazed. "I raised you! I took you in when nobody else wanted you. Do you think it's easy to raise a useless, crippled child? No wonder nobody in our family wanted you! You're absolutely useless!"
"No, I'm not! You just won't give me a chance!"
"I gave you a chance. I let you study in Bourdier. I let you live by yourself in that disgusting neighborhood with that vexatious girl! And look what happened? You went and slept with a goddamn werewolf! You became nothing! You achieved nothing!"
Her words stung Ananya, silencing her. She recoiled and drew a deep breath. Rutuparna glared at her, unwilling to back down.
"You're right," Ananya said at last, biting her tongue to keep herself from crying. "To you, I'm useless. I'm nothing to you, and no matter what I do, I'll never be able to accomplish anything. I'll never make you proud, but you know what? I don't care. I have people who love me. I have people who care. I don't need to prove myself to you, to Dafowick, or anyone else. I appreciate that you chose to raise me, but I'm done."
"Done? Done? Do you think you can walk away from me? After all these years that I spent slaving away, paying for all your medical equipment and hospitals, your education, and your clothes!" Rutuparna grabbed Ananya's wrist, and she didn't care when the girl stumbled to her knees. She dragged her across the floor and into the hall, using both of her hands to control the struggling girl. "You will listen to me because I am your goddamn aunt! That wolf will be nothing to you! He will suffer, just like I did, and so will you." She threw open a bedroom door and flung Ananya inside. Her head hit the floor and her world spun as the air was knocked out of her lungs. She coughed furiously, her body shaking with pain.
"Stupid girl," Rutuparna hissed, slamming the door shut. The room was plunged into darkness, and for a moment, Ananya could do nothing but lay on the ground, reeling from the shock. She blinked several times to clear her head as she waited for the pain to subside.
What do I do now? She thought, crawling to the bed. She flung one arm onto the mattress, then the other, and lifted herself into a crouch. Then, using whatever strength she could muster, she threw herself onto the bed with a sigh.
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