Chapter 2

"Do you want me to stay with you tonight, honey?” My dad asked me, staring concernedly down at me. It seemed he had aged ten years in just a few hours.

I shook my head woodenly, staring at the same spot on the wall I had been staring at since my eyes exhausted their supply of tears.

"Are you sure?"

Another nod.

The Alpha's mother whispered something to him and finally, they both left, leaving me alone for the first time since the disaster that was my wedding.

My face was blotchy, and my hair hung in tattered strands down my face. I had refused to get out of my wedding dress despite careful prompts from both my dad and the Alpha's mother. She had acted like I imagined my mother would, and that should have touched me, but in my current state, I didn't care.

I waited for the click of the door that would signify that they had locked me in, but nothing came.

I sat still, silently staring down at my nails. They had been ruined when I scratched at Sean. Despite my not having a wolf, I had always been able to summon and retract my claws at will. The thought of my strange condition brought tears to my eyes again.

I guess I couldn't blame Sean. Who would want a mate without a wolf? I was a human living in a wolf pack.

My eyes tingled with tears, but none came.

A sound at the door had me turning to see someone push it open.

Anya entered the room, staring at me pitifully as she shut the door.

Unable to even stare at the woman who had stolen my mate from right under my nose, I settled for staring at a spot beside her head.

"Still haven't let go of the fantasy?" she said quietly, the contrast between her soft voice and the venom dripping in it enough to make goosebumps pass over my skin.

I said nothing.

"The dress isn't going to bring him back, you know,” she said again.

My hands lay unmoving on the smooth satin fabric that was now tear-stained in several places.

"Did you not know?" She asked.

I finally brought myself to look her in the eyes.

"You thought Sean was going to marry you? When he had me?" She scoffed. "You wouldn't even let him touch you. You were saving yourself for your wedding night." She laughed softly, gesturing with her hands. "Well, this is it. The night you've waited for."

"What do you want?" I finally said. My voice sounded raspy from all the crying and screaming.

She shrugged. "Nothing. Just checking to see if you've killed yourself yet."

My eyes met hers again. "Is that all?"

If she was shocked at my dead tone of voice, she didn't let on.

"No. I also hope you know that your life will be hell if you decide to remain in this pack. Your mate, rubbing his happy, loving relationship in your face while you wither away unwanted by everyone. Not exactly the fairytale ending you've always imagined."

I refused to show her how much her words affected me, so I remained silent.

She seemed to be finished, so she turned to leave. When she got to the door, she turned back to me with a smile.

"Oh, and I took the liberty to use your bouquet for the wedding." She grinned. "I hope you don't mind."

The room was silent except for the sounds of my sobs as the door clicked shut behind her. My head was pounding furiously and I felt physically sick.

Pulling myself up from the edge of the bed where I sat, I stalked to the bathroom and threw my medicine cabinet open. My bottle of Ambien stared at me tauntingly as I reached past it and took my aspirin. I pried the lid open and popped two pills in my mouth, swallowing them dry, then slid down to the floor again, burying my head in my hands.

Anya's words haunted me, her voice echoing in my head repeatedly, Sean's face as he rejected me, somehow mixing up everything.

Pressing my cheek against the cold tile in a vain effort to calm the migraine didn't help; I screamed with my hands over my ears, then staggered up and grabbed the bottle of Ambien savagely.

My hands shook as I ripped the cap off, poured a handful of pills into my hand, and tossed them back, drinking water straight from the sink faucet to force it down.

My stomach clenched in protest as I emptied the remaining contents of the bottle into my mouth and took another swallow of tap water, tossing the empty bottle over my shoulder carelessly.

I clutched the sink, staring at my reflection in the mirror. I knew what I had just done. Knew it and welcomed it.

My stomach clenched again, struggling to keep down the drugs and stubbornly, I took another gulp of water, then sat back down on the floor, thinking of the various ways I would get back at Sean if I wasn't just a weak, sickly omega.

I knew what Anya said was true. I would never be happy in this pack. I highly doubted I would be happy anywhere else. I was just one of those people cursed with a miserable life.

I shut my eyes tightly, waiting for the pills to kick in while errant tears leaked out of my eyelids.

I wondered how I would look to whoever found me. An unhappy girl died in her wedding dress on the floor of her bathroom. I smiled, wishing I could freeze it on my face so at least in death, I would look like something was going my way.

The darkness crept up on me as I lay there and I willingly gave myself to it. Nothingness was better than life with Sean and Anya.

A lifetime later, the sound of the door opening, followed by a pained cry woke me up.

Sunlight pierced my lids as Dad shook me urgently, tears flowing from his eyes.

I squinted against the brightness, confused.

"It's... morning?" I croaked out.

Dad clutched my face in his hands. "What did you do, Nova!"

I looked around the bathroom and down at myself.

Tears filled my eyes again as I took note of the vomit that stained my dress and the floor, even coating my hair.

Hours had passed, and I still wasn't dead.

I was so useless I couldn't even do that right.