Bella’s POV
Hugo had stepped away to take an urgent call from his royal beta, leaving puzzled about who could possibly want to see . Perhaps mbers of the council had arrived for an unexpected eting.
When I was escorted to the living room for what they called a brief chat before dinner, I discovered the identity of my mysterious visitor. The sight before was utterly shocking and filled with imdiate rage.
My half-sister Camilla sat waiting for on the elegant sofa.
The mont she spotted , she rose gracefully, that familiar yet sohow foreign smile stretching across her face. She wore a sophisticated navy dress that hugged her knees, her hair styled in a sharp black bob that frad her features perfectly. Every piece of clothing she wore scread expensive designer labels, her entire appearance polished to magazine-worthy perfection.
How had her circumstances improved so dramatically after years of treating with such cruelty?
Her presence here defied all logic and sent shockwaves through my system.
"Mommy, who is this lady?" Tara questioned, her small fingers gripping my arm tightly.
Camilla’s gaze shifted from to my daughter, and that unnaturally bright smile widened even further. Her constant grinning unsettled deeply. This behavior was completely alien to the person I rembered.
"I’m your mother’s sister, sweetheart," she announced, clearly recognizing these were my children.
"Bella, what an incredible surprise this is. I simply couldn’t resist coming to see you once word reached that you’d returned ho. And look at you now, so mature and beautiful, with three wonderful children of your own!"
Her voice carried an artificial sweetness as she pressed her hands against her chest, releasing soft giggles that sounded nothing like the Camilla from my mories.
She appeared to be the sa person physically, yet her entire personality had undergone a complete transformation. Nothing about her felt remotely familiar anymore.
"This lady is really our aunt?" Leah asked, craning her neck back to look up at with wide, curious eyes.
"I’m Zack, nice to et you," my son said politely.
The mont Zack stepped forward and extended his small hand for a proper handshake, every muscle in my body tensed with alarm.
A desperate need to shield my children from her consud . I wanted to gather them in my arms and flee imdiately. But Lady Norma observed our interaction carefully, and Alpha Jack remained nearby as well.
Confronting my half-sister presented a dangerous complication.
My greatest fear was that she might create chaos by revealing that I had been pregnant when I fled years ago, that I had escaped to avoid the forced abortion, and worst of all, she might expose the true identity of my baby’s father.
I remained frozen in place, my expression rigid and my body coiled with tension, silently praying she would conclude her visit quickly.
"What a beautiful family reunion," Lady Norma observed warmly, her smile beaming with satisfaction. "It brings such honor to know that this brilliant and accomplished woman’s family originates from our very own pack."
Her comnt made her motivations crystal clear. She craved recognition among neighboring packs, wanting to boast proudly that I had been born and raised under her leadership.
I maintained my silence even as my sister knelt gracefully before my children, shaking each of their hands with genuine warmth before rising to embrace tightly. I refused to return her affection, standing like a statue in her arms.
"Perhaps we should allow them so privacy to catch up properly, while you three co see the special gifts I have waiting," Lady Norma suggested to my children, who imdiately began bouncing with excitent before following her into the adjacent room.
Alpha Jack had mysteriously disappeared, probably checking on Hugo to see what was causing such a lengthy delay.
My throat constricted with building frustration and anger.
"I can sense so hostility radiating from you. There’s no need to voice it aloud," she said with an exaggerated pout. "But please believe when I say I’ve truly changed."
She desperately wanted to accept that soone with her history could undergo such a dramatic transformation. I continued staring at her without speaking, my arms crossed defensively over my chest while my foot tapped an impatient rhythm against the floor.
"Please listen to ," she began with newfound gentleness. "I spent my childhood consud by insecurity. You rember our mother, or rather, my mother. She never showed you any maternal affection whatsoever. She had this toxic pattern of making everyone around her feel inadequate, then encouraging to hurt you as a way to earn her attention and approval."
She paused dramatically, waiting for so kind of response from .
"That toxic environnt made bitter and cruel because the only monts she ever praised were when I was being horrible to you. I grew up believing that as long as I bullied and tornted you, I could avoid becoming the target of her rage myself. I never understood how deeply wrong that behavior was until after you disappeared. But I swear to you, I’m completely different now."
Her tone carried a softness that was entirely foreign to my ears. I continued my silent observation.
While I might have found forgiveness for those who never physically hard , I could never excuse those who had plotted against my children’s welfare.
Though I had to admit, she had never been the one who tried to push down those stairs. That violence ca from her mother alone.
The most I could offer was surface-level politeness, but trust would remain forever impossible. She didn’t need to know my true feelings.
"Everything worked out fine in the end," I said carefully. "I suffered a miscarriage anyway."
Her eyes grew wide with apparent shock at this revelation.
"Yes," I continued in hushed tones, "the stress of leaving caused to lose the baby. My departure was simply about finding a place where I could build so self-worth. Eventually I t my husband, we married, and now I’m blessed with three beautiful children."
I released all of this information in one calculated rush, terrified that soone might piece together the real tiline and discover my deception.
"Oh my goodness, congratulations on everything. May I have a proper hug now?" she asked with that sa artificial pout.
The ease with which she accepted every word of my fabricated story brought trendous relief.
Simply to dispel the lingering tension and prevent her from growing suspicious about anything, I gave a reluctant nod.
She embraced once more with enthusiasm.
This ti I managed only the briefest pat against her back, hoping this gesture would satisfy her need for reconciliation and prompt her departure. Unfortunately, I had no idea she hadn’t co here planning to leave anyti soon.
As she stepped away from our embrace, her attention shifted to sothing behind , and a sultry, flirtatious smile blood across her features. Her cheeks flushed with an unmistakable pink glow of shyness and attraction.
"Darling, I knew you’d be here soon," she purred, tucking her chin coquettishly against her shoulder before rushing past toward the man she’d just called her darling.
I spun around and watched in complete horror as she threw her arms around Hugo, who stood frozen in the doorway staring directly at .
The pieces of this devastating puzzle suddenly clicked into place with sickening clarity. Her designer clothes, her dramatically improved circumstances, her completely transford personality. She was romantically involved with an alpha. Not just any alpha, but my forr best friend and the biological father of my child.
The sa man who had rejected for not eting his standards had chosen to pursue a relationship with my half-sister, fully aware of the years of abuse she had inflicted on throughout our childhood.
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