Chapter 7 - Disowned

SERAPHINA'S POV

"Excuse me?" Julian exclaimed.

"I have an important issue to discuss with Seraphina, my fiancée," Reed repeated, looking amused. He seemed to have figured out the fact that his words were news to my father and my real fiancée.

"Is this some kind of joke?" Julian barked at Reed before turning his attention to me, waiting for me to deny it.

Julian's body language suggested that he hadn't yet struck the unholy deal that led to everyone's death with Reed at this point in time. It made me wonder about the exact moment he decided to betray the pack and what made him do it.

"Sera, what is the meaning of this?" my father questioned as he struggled to sit up in his bed so he could assess the situation better.

"I'm sorry you had to find out like this, Dad. That was what I was trying to tell you earlier. I don't want to marry Julian anymore. I'm getting married to Reed instead," I confessed, and my father looked like I had just slapped him. Julian also looked equal parts confused and hurt.

"I don't understand, Seraphina. Where is this coming from? What is this? Did this bastard threaten you with something?" my father asked, his eyes begging me to tell him it was all a huge prank.

It broke my heart to see the disappointed expression on his face, but I had to do this for the pack.

"No, he didn't force me to do anything. I genuinely love him, and we've been together for some time now," I said, walking to Reed's side and grabbing his hand. He took it a step further by intertwining his fingers with mine, and I tried to ignore how my knees suddenly felt weak at that little contact and his proximity.

I really hated the way my body reacted so strongly to him.

"How did you even meet him? That makes no sense. You're always inside the pack settlement except for the past three weeks. Are you telling me you met him and fell in love within that short time frame? Is that why you've been avoiding me lately?" Julian blurted in disbelief, his eyes fixed with murderous intent at the point where my hand was joined with Reed's.

"Yes. I don't love you anymore, Julian," I lied, looking straight into his eyes, and the look of betrayal on his face gutted me instead of giving me satisfaction like I had thought it would.

Despite all he had done to me, I couldn't bring myself to stop caring about him totally.

"Seraphina, you know better than anyone that love is the last thing you should consider when choosing who to mate with. As my daughter, the fate of this pack depends on whoever you choose to procreate with. Are you going to turn your back on us for something as useless as love?" my father asked, pronouncing "love" with contempt.

It was a known fact to all pack members that my father had sacrificed marrying the love of his life to marry my mother so they could give birth to powerful shifters and ensure the future of the pack. In the end, I was the only child they could produce, and after several years of trying for another child, my mother finally got pregnant again but passed away in childbirth with her baby. Since the mating ceremony was binding for life, my father couldn't remarry. I had always wondered if he secretly resented me for not being a shifter and making his sacrifice pointless.

"As much as I would have loved to witness this family moment till the end, I have better things to do with my time. I came here for a reason, and I'd like to get that over with." Reed's words sliced through the tension-filled silence in the room.

"Let's talk outside," I said, motioning towards the door and trying to unlock my fingers from his grip, but he didn’t let go. Instead, he tightened his hold, making a warm electric shiver ripple through my body.

I detested my body's response when I knew his action was just to spite my father and Julian.

"The moment you walk out that door with him, you will cease to be my daughter." I paused in my steps at my father's words. He couldn't possibly mean that, could he?

Reed opened the door and gave me an impatient look as if he couldn’t care less about my dilemma. Tears welled up in my eyes because of the decision I had to make.

"I'm sorry, Dad, I promise it's for the good of the pack," I thought in my head as my tears fell and I took the steps that would lead me out of the room and out of the lives of the two men I loved the most.

As I walked through the corridor of the clinic towards the exit, I felt the judging eyes of the staff boring holes into my back for holding hands with the enemy. Before night, I was sure the news would have spread to everyone in the pack.

Reed and I finally made it outside where his bodyguards were waiting, and he finally dropped my hand. Since the pack guards hadn't let his vehicle in through the gate, we all had to walk to the outside of the settlement. Every pack member we saw on the way turned to stare in curiosity.

When we eventually made it outside, I saw two fancy cars parked next to each other. Reed opened the back door of one of them and gestured for me to get in before following suit.

"I came here to pick you up so we could go see my lawyers. I'll be going out of the country tonight for five days, and since I plan to introduce you to the general public at an event immediately when I get back, I need the contract finalized before I go," Reed informed me, and all I could do was nod in response because I was still reeling from the shock of being disowned.

Seeing my nod as approval, he signaled to the men outside, and one got into the driver's seat and started the car while the others got into the other car.

As the car began to move, I felt my tears start to fall again. They grew in intensity with each passing minute, and by the time we got to our destination, I was full-on bawling. Reed ignored me throughout the ride.

I didn’t pay much attention to the surroundings as we exited the car, but I observed that we were at a mansion, not an office building.

"Didn't you say we were going to see your lawyers?" I asked, my voice wobbly from crying.

"Yes, we're seeing them inside my house to ensure absolute privacy," he responded as he input the passcode at the gigantic entrance door.

Inside, he took me to a room set up like a conference room. "Wait here, the lawyers will be here soon," he instructed, and I complied, prepared to resume my crying again.

As he opened the door to walk out, a beautiful, scantily dressed woman appeared in the doorway and glanced at me momentarily before shifting her attention back to Reed.

"Is that her?" she asked, her voice sultry.

"Yes," Reed replied flippantly, and before I could comprehend who she was and what was going on, she walked up to him and threw her arms around his neck.

Then, she kissed him.