Chapter 64 - breaking free
Rosie
As we pulled onto the familiar road, I could feel a wave of dread washing over down to my spine. My entire body tensed up imdiately as my hands flew to clutch the seatbelt.
I wanted to run away. I didn’t want to see their disapproving gazes, didn’t want to hear their disappointed comntary, and didn’t want to feel small and worthless under their judgnt again. But I needed to do this.
Jude noticed imdiately—he always noticed everything about . His hand left the steering wheel and found mine, and he started rubbing slow, soothing circles over my trembling fingers. I felt the warm wave of his calming pheromones wash over through our bond, and I latched onto it desperately.
He leaned closer across the center console, his voice soft and gentle. "If you don’t want to go, I can turn back. Don’t force yourself, sweetheart."
I released a shuddered breath that ca out shaky and uneven, swallowing hard while I shook my head. "Give a mont," I managed to whisper.
I closed my eyes and focused on breathing. In through my nose. Out through my mouth slowly, trying to calm the frantic racing of my heart that felt like it might burst right out of my chest.
After a few monts, I opened my eyes and gave Jude a squeamish smile that I knew probably looked more like a grimace. He squeezed my hand once more before pulling into a parking spot in front of the house.
We got out of the car, and I stood there on the sidewalk for a mont, just staring at the house I’d grown up in. mories of that night flashed in my mind... when I was thrown out, crouching here in the cold until Kira had co to take ho to her apartnt.
Oh god, Kira. I needed to call her; she was one of the few good friends I’d had in my life.
I felt Jude co to stand beside , and his hand found the small of my back, that familiar, comforting touch grounding . I exhaled slowly, and we started walking toward the porch together.
My throat felt so completely dry that I had to wet my lips before I could reach up and press the doorbell. The sound of it echoing made my stomach twist.
"Coming!" My mother’s voice called out from inside, and I flinched at the sound.
Is it too late to still run away? But when I glanced up at Jude, I saw him already looking down at with a softened gaze, love and support radiating from his eyes, and I felt my resolve strengthen slightly.
The door was suddenly yanked open, and I ca face to face with my mother. She stared at from head to toe, her eyes traveling over my body slowly, taking in my appearance. Her lips curled into a sneer-like before her gaze shifted to Jude standing protectively beside , and she rolled her eyes in a dismissive way. She stepped back, opening the door wider in a silent invitation for us to enter.
I exhaled a breath I didn’t know I’d been holding and stepped across the threshold into the house I’d been thrown out of months ago, and everything looked exactly the sa, except there were no Christmas trees, no holiday designs, and no warmth that made a house feel like ho.
My mother didn’t offer us a seat, so I walked over to the couch with Jude following close behind . I sat down carefully, and Jude imdiately reached over and gently removed the knitted scarf from around my neck. He folded it neatly in his lap while my mother stood there watching the entire scene with narrowed eyes and pursed lips.
I heard a shuffling sound from the hallway and glanced over to see my father erging from his study. The mont he saw , his expression darkened.
"What are you doing here?" he bood out, and I wanted to wince from the loudness, but Jude was beside , his presence keeping steady, so I managed not to visibly react.
Jude imdiately stood up, even the gentleman despite the obvious hostility, and stretched out his hand for a handshake, but my father completely ignored it.
He didn’t even look at Jude’s extended hand, just kept his arms crossed over his chest and his eyes fixed on with that familiar expression of disappointnt and disgust that I’d seen so many tis growing up.
I gulped at the blatant disrespect and felt anger starting to simr in my belly alongside the fear and anxiety.
"We clearly told you," my father said, his voice dripping with disdain, "we’ve disowned you."
"Now you’re pregnant," my mother piped in from where she stood near the doorway, her tone so condescending it made my skin crawl. Her eyes traveled down to my rounded belly with obvious revulsion. "Is this how we raised you?" She shook her head slowly, dramatically. "You weren’t satisfied with just opening your legs and bringing disgrace to this family; now you’re—"
She didn’t finish the sentence as I cowered instinctively, my shoulders hunching inward, my fingers beginning to tremble in my lap.
"Does this..." My father gestured sharply at Jude with barely concealed contempt, "...man even know you’re a whore?"
My breathing hitched sharply, and I felt like I’d been slapped as Jude growled.
The sound was low and dangerous, resonating through my childhood ho, vibrating in my chest. My parents actually took two startled steps backward, their eyes widening as they stared at Jude. Even though they didn’t have wolves themselves, they could still feel the domineering dominance radiating off him in waves.
"Never in your life," Jude seethed, his voice deadly, "call her that again.” His jaw was clenched, and I knew through our bond that he was fighting every instinct he had not to do sothing violent.
My father seed to recover from his montary fear and quickly tried to regain the upper hand. He scoffed loudly and attempted to tower over Jude, puffing out his chest. "What can you do?" he challenged. "How I talk to my daughter is none of your business and—"
"The daughter you disowned," Jude interrupted curiously, "who is my fiancée."
"You!" My father’s face turned red with rage, and he actually raised his hand as if to—what? Strike, Jude? Shove him? But I didn’t care as I positioned my body protectively between my mate and my father, my hand gripping Jude’s tightly behind .
I was shocked at my own actions; even my father was clearly shocked too because he froze mid-motion, his raised hand still suspended in the air, his mouth falling open slightly.
This was the first ti in my entire life I had ever crossed him. The first ti I’d ever stood up to him, not cowering.
"You can talk to however you want," I said, and I was surp rised by how steady my voice ca out despite the way my heart was hamring in my chest. "You can do whatever you want. But I will not allow you to talk like that to my man."
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