Whole Family Begged Me Back After I Left

I was born with Alpha blood, yet I spent my entire childhood drifting from pack to pack. At the pack orphanage, the woman in charge always said I was slow and couldn't pick up on anything unless it was said outright. At the charity school, the boy at the desk next to mine shoved the phone he'd secretly brought to school into my backpack. "Hide this for me. The teacher's coming." I raised my hand. "Sir, he just put his phone in my backpack. "He forgot his own backpack today." When I grew up, I joined the Thornwood pack without any trouble and started working as a warrior trainer. The Alpha was handing out assignments. The pack's Gamma nudged me with his foot and lowered his voice. "Tell him you can take on more warriors. You're new, so you should be doing more of the work." I nodded, stood up, and looked at our new leader. "Alpha, the Gamma wants an easier load. "He says new people should be doing more of the work. "You just became this pack's Alpha, didn't you? That makes you new too. So shouldn't you be doing more than any of us?" After that, nobody in the Thornwood pack ever confided in me again. Then my birth parents brought me back to the pack I was born into. Four years later, they finally held the homecoming dinner they owed me. Their adopted Omega daughter, Elena, walked right past me and sat down between my parents. She hooked her arm through my mother's and smiled at me. "Aurora, this has been my seat for twenty-three years. You don't mind, do you?" Everybody sat there waiting for me to be gracious and step aside. I asked her directly, "You think I might mind? Is that because it's the daughter's seat?" She gave a small laugh. "Well, isn't it?" I unleashed the full force of my Female Alpha aura and went on. "If it's their daughter's seat. "Then you've had it long enough. Give it back to me now." Chapter 1 The whole hall went silent. Every relative who had been laughing a second earlier was too stunned by what I'd said to lift their heads. Elena's smile faltered. "Aurora, it was only a joke. Don't take it to heart." "Was it a funny joke?" "Aurora, you know that isn't what I meant." "How many other things could you have meant?" She couldn't save face, and her eyes turned red. My oldest brother, Lloyd, came over and wiped away her tears. "Aurora, this is a good day. Don't take everything so seriously." "I shouldn't take it seriously?" I pointed at the seat Elena was in. "I just came home. As a Female Alpha, I belong next to my parents. An Omega walks up and takes my seat, then asks me whether I mind. And none of you think she did anything wrong?" Lloyd frowned. "People sit wherever they sit. What's there to argue about?" "Doesn't she have a seat of her own?" "She's used to sitting there!" "Does being used to it give her the right to take what's mine?" That shut Lloyd up. My mother took my hand. "Aurora, Elena has been close to us since she was little. She doesn't mean any harm." "I didn't say anything about her. I'm making sure she understands something. The Omega sister has had all the love in this house to herself for years. It's time she made room for the me. Or does our pack not recognize that rule?" My mother had no answer. Elena stood up. "I'll give the seat to Aurora. "Aurora is your blood, and she's a Female Alpha. "I'm only an Omega, barely a step above a human. Of course she looks down on me. I never should have sat here!" She wiped her eyes. She gave me one wounded look and started dragging her chair away. She had barely taken two steps before my mother went after her and pulled her close. "Elena, you're not well. Don't work yourself up." My second brother, William, stepped in front of her, and my third brother, Mason, turned to me. "Does bullying our youngest sister make you feel good?" I looked at both of them. "Why would that make me happy? I'm talking about what happened, that's all. "She took my seat. I asked her when she was giving it back. And somehow that turns into me bullying her?" Mason's voice went cold. "You know she's ashamed of being an Omega and afraid we'll throw her out, yet you still rub her Omega status in her face?" "Doesn't our pack care about rank more than anything else? Isn't it a fact that her rank is lower? "Or does the Vance pack not follow its own rules? Is a Female Alpha supposed to bow her head to an Omega?" Under the weight of that aura, Mason couldn't speak for a long moment. Tears rolled down Elena's cheeks. "I'm sorry. I never should have humiliated myself by coming to this dinner. "Alphas don't give birth to Omegas! You're the real family. I'm leaving!" She turned and walked out. My mother and all three of my brothers went after her. As if she were the one the evening was for. My father sat at the head of the table, and the calm on his face was starting to slip. "Aurora, you've been home four years. How have you still not learned how to talk to people? You can't read the room at all." I watched them go. "Tonight's dinner is for me. Isn't it?" "It is." "Then why did every one of them chase after her?" My father rubbed his forehead. "Elena isn't well. "Your oldest brother is one of the best-known doctors in the pack. He should take a look at her. "Your mother worries." "And William and Mason? They worry too?" He didn't answer, so I asked him another question. "She and I have a disagreement, and this entire family rushes out after the adopted daughter. "So which one of us did you come here tonight to call your daughter?" My father finally snapped. "Enough! Why can't you show a little common sense?" I nodded. "All right." That stopped him. In the four years I'd been home, it was the first time I hadn't kept pressing for an answer. Chapter 2 The dinner I'd waited four years for broke up in under half an hour. When I got home, Elena was eating a salted caramel cake my mother had made for her. My mother was also holding a cup of tea for her. My mother knew I liked barbecue. She had never once made me any. All three of my brothers were gathered around her. Not one of them took their eyes off her. I'd barely walked in when my mother called out to me. "Aurora, come apologize to your sister." "Apologize for what, exactly?" My mother paused. Mason let out an angry laugh. "Do you not understand what we're saying?" "That's right. If you don't say it plainly, I don't know what I'm apologizing for." I looked around at all of them. "Is it because I asked her why she took my seat? Or because I didn't graciously hand my seat over to the favorite?" William shot to his feet. "Here we go again. Everything has to be spelled out, line by line, until no one in the room can save face." "Only people who aren't honest with themselves lose face. Isn't that how it should work?" "A home is not the place to argue things like this!" "Then what is a home for?" "For loving each other!" I looked at them calmly. "I've been back for four years. You've taken her on forty trips. "Supposedly, every trip was to another pack for treatment because she wasn't well. "Two weeks at a time. She spent nearly every one of her birthdays away. "And on my birthdays you didn't come home, and you didn't even send me a message to say happy birthday." William answered quickly, "I'd already made plans with her for those birthdays of yours. Years in advance." I counted them off on my fingers. "The first time, she had a breakdown and you said you couldn't leave her. The second time, she wanted to go shopping for a pretty dress. The third time, she got drunk while out with friends and you had to go bring her home. The fourth time, her dog was about to have puppies. "Which one of those could you have planned years in advance? "Did you and the dog agree on a whelping date ahead of time too?" William had nothing else to say. Elena said quietly, "You remember all of it so clearly." "My birthday comes once a year. Of course I do." My mother sighed. "Aurora, you can't bring up every little thing just because we used to spend more time with her." "Not used to. My last birthday was two weeks ago." That silenced them again. Lloyd was fed up with me and pushed a jewelry box across the table. "You're upset about what happened at dinner. Here. This is for you." I opened it. Inside was a bracelet strung with all kinds of stones. Elena's expression changed, and her hand went to the moonstone bracelet on her left wrist. Among our kind, a moonstone marks an Alpha wolf's high status. It's a blessing from the Moon Goddess. That one had been mine since the day I was born, but I'd lost it three years ago. I remembered that the first time my mother came to see me, she had a photo of it in her hand and said, "This moonstone is yours, isn't it? You were careless and lost it. It's all right. I've been keeping it safe for you." But now it’s on Elena's wrist. I pointed at Elena's wrist. "If you've been keeping it safe, why is something of mine on her arm?" My mother explained right away, "Elena was very sick two years ago. I wanted to comfort her, so I let her wear it for a while." "For how long?" "Three years." "This is the third year. When does she give it back?" Elena hid her wrist behind her back and started crying. "Mom, I really love it. Can you please not take it away?" My mother took her hand, her heart aching for her. "Aurora, it's one moonstone. If you want one, I'll have a new one made for you." "I don't need another stone. What I care about is that you said you were keeping mine safe. So why did you give it to her? "It's the mark of an Alpha. It isn't something you hand out." My mother's eyes went red. "I thought we'd never find you." "You found me," I said. "So why not give it back?" Elena bit her lip. "I don't want to give it back. Mom gave it to me!" My mother backed her up. "Aurora, I promised it to her. Nobody takes back a gift!" I nodded and set the bracelet back on the table. "I understand." My mother didn't understand. "Understand what?" "The moonstone was never being kept for me. "And this bracelet isn't compensation for anything. "You want me to take the new one and stop thinking about the one that apparently isn't mine." My father had just walked in and caught that last line. "Aurora, what trouble are you stirring up in this family now?" Chapter 3 Mason jumped in first. "She's demanding that Elena hand over the bracelet. She..." "Did I say I had to have it?" I cut him off. "I'm trying to find out whether it's rightfully mine. If it is, then it belongs to me. If it isn't, then no one has to give anything back. "Do you not understand what I'm saying?" My father was quiet for a moment. "We'll set the moonstone aside for now. "Tomorrow, we'll take care of your pack registration first." I looked at him. I'd been back with this family for four years, yet my registration still listed the pack I'd come from. I'd pushed for it more than once. Every time, they put me off, saying it required too much paperwork. Elena gave a small laugh. "Aurora's been back all this time, and she can finally have her registration transferred to our pack." I asked her, "What do you mean, finally?" Her smile froze. "I'm only happy for you." "But you said finally. Doesn't that mean you know exactly how long this has been dragged out? "And do you know why it's been dragged out?" Elena opened her mouth. My mother cut her off instantly. "Tomorrow all of us will go with you." I made her spell it out. "You and Dad and all three of my brothers?" Lloyd nodded. "Yes. All of us." William sounded impatient. "It's a registration. Do you have to make such a big deal out of it?" Mason backed him up. "You left Elena out. She's part of this family too." Elena pressed her lips together and said nothing. I glanced at her. "I don't care whether she comes. We aren't blood. I don't want to put her out. "Why am I listing everyone by name? Because otherwise, someone will suddenly have a pain here or an ache there, and then their dog will have puppies again." Elena went another shade paler. My mother took my hand. "It won't happen. This time none of us are leaving." Ten o'clock the next morning. We got to the pack registry office right on time. Elena came without being asked. She said she wanted to see me come home with her own eyes. I'd told her not to come. She didn't need to put herself out. But all she had to do was frown, and my family coaxed her into the car anyway. So I let it go. The clerk took our documents. He checked them, then looked up at my mother and asked, "Your file isn't complete. You're missing one proof of kinship. Any reason for that?" My mother turned to William. "The house is in your name. Your proof is the one that matters most. How did you forget it?" William went through his folder in a hurry. The folder was empty, and his expression changed. "I left it in Elena's study." Lloyd shot him a look, then turned to the clerk and asked, "Everyone else's proof is here. Doesn't that establish that we're a family?" The clerk shook his head. "The file is incomplete. To register her in your pack, I need proof of kinship from the relative who holds the property. "And today is the deadline. How could your family wait until the last minute and still not have everything ready?" Putting on a convincing show of concern, Elena asked, "What happens if she misses the deadline?" The clerk told her, "If she misses today's deadline, she'll be cast out of the pack and forced to live as a rogue." Elena's face crumpled as she said, "Aurora, this is my fault. "I wasn't feeling well last night and William was taking care of me. He must have left it behind." I looked at her. "Why would it be your fault?" That stopped her. "Because last night I..." I cut her off. "Taking care of you was William's responsibility. He's the one who left the paper behind. What does any of that have to do with you? "Are you saying it to prove to me that nothing is more important than taking care of you? "Not even something as urgent as my pack registration?" William moved her behind him. "Aurora, your sister isn't as calculating as you think she is." "Then what was she trying to say?" "She was blaming herself." "She never touched the paperwork. You lost it. What is there for her to blame herself for?" My questions got William worked up. "Fine. Blame me. Are you satisfied?" "Sure." I made a note of the missing document on my phone. "We'll replace it this afternoon." Mason turned to leave. "You take every little thing so seriously." I caught his arm and demanded an answer. "This is my registration. If I don't take it seriously, am I supposed to count on you to do it for me? "Right. You only take things seriously when they're about Elena." Nobody answered me. My father sent the driver back for the document. We waited twenty minutes in the lobby before Elena's phone rang. She looked at it and went white. "Mom, I'm going home." Chapter 4 My mother grabbed her arm. "What's wrong?" "It's nothing serious. I..." She clutched the phone tightly in one hand. William took it from her. Instagram was full of posts tearing into her. Someone had posted what happened at the homecoming dinner online. Among our kind, an Omega who upstages an Alpha gets torn apart for it. My mother's stomach dropped and she looked at my father. "Who posted this?" He blinked at her. "I don't know. I'll have Ellis quietly trace the IP address." Elena closed her eyes. "It's all right. The seat was always Aurora's. "They have their reasons for coming after me. Why should I feel hurt?" Nothing to feel hurt about, she said. Meanwhile, she was doing everything she could to look as pitiful as possible. I thought it was ridiculous, but for once, I didn't say a word. My mother couldn't bear it and pulled her close. "How could you not be hurt by it? My baby girl." She led Elena toward the door. William and Mason couldn't stay seated either, so they got up to follow. Lloyd stopped to explain. "She's bipolar. With people attacking her like that, she'll probably have an episode." "You're a doctor. Shouldn't having you there be enough for her?" I turned to the other two. "Do either of you practice medicine too?" William's face turned purple. "She's like this because of what happened between you two last night! "She's your little sister, and you can't even bring yourself to give in to her! "If you'd just given in to her, would they still be attacking her? "And you're still standing here, keeping us from her? Are you that jealous?" It was blatant favoritism. I finally saw him for what he was. I said, "I'm not keeping you from anything, and I'm not jealous. "I'm making one thing clear. Every one of you made me a promise yesterday. So why are you leaving now?" My mother held on to Elena and said through her tears, "Aurora, we can finish the registration this afternoon. Elena is suffering right now. Please try to understand." "I'm suffering too. Why doesn't anyone try to understand me?" That stopped her cold, as if she'd never expected me to put it so plainly. I asked her, "Why do all of you rush to her whenever she's hurting? "But when I'm hurting, do I have to wait until she feels better before anyone pays attention to me? "She's sick and I'm not, so I have to wait and accept that you love her more?" My mother still hadn't answered. Elena gagged a few times, then crouched down and held her head. After that, nobody paid me any attention. My mother and all three of my brothers crowded around her. My father took a call and stepped away. In under thirty seconds, they were walking Elena out. My father looked at me before he went. "Wait here for the driver. We'll come back once she's calm." "How long?" "Don't take everything so seriously." "I'm not. I'm asking you for a rough idea of when." His expression hardened. "How would I know? It's an illness!" The elevator doors shut. I made up my mind and walked over to the clerk. In front of him, I tore up every document that proved I was related to those people. I tore the pages into strips, one after another. My expression never changed, and I felt nothing inside. When I was done, I handed him my documents and said, "Excuse me. I don't want to register with their pack anymore. "But I have several years of work experience. Could you check whether another pack needs me?"