Chapter 6

Katherine

Exhausted from the long walk home, I dumped the contents of my bag on the kitchen counter. It had been two days since I left Conrad's house. I had rented a small apartment still in the Shadow pack.

While I was still the Luna of Shadow pack, I was exempted from doing things like this, going to the mall, having a job, cooking, cleaning. My roles and duties were quite different but now I had to do everything myself. When I divorced Conrad, I had automatically given up all the perks and privileges of being a Luna.

Though the black card, that my father's Beta handed to me made me rich overnight, I wanted to stay on the low for the time being. I had to be responsible for myself and make my own decisions. 

I was so tired and thirsty that I had to use the last ounce of energy in me to get cold water from the fridge which I hastily gulped down, then fell back on the kitchen stool.

The kitchen had already become a mess with the way I dumped what I got from the grocery shop, but I planned to come back to that later. 

I only picked up my purse and moved to the sitting room, where my eyes caught the newspaper that I had gotten earlier in the day. 

I had forgotten to go through it, and it was more like I expected some gist to be on it. Afterall, my divorce with Conrad was out already, it was only right that different talks would fly about.

But what I had seen on it was not what I expected, well, because the topic always did hurt me as much as I acted to be strong.

A bold article was just at the second page of the paper, with the picture of Conrad and Clara spread on it.

 The caption underneath it said, 'Clara, the next Luna of Shadow pack.' I stared at the face of my ex-husband. He looked happy. I was not. 

It felt beautiful that he was finally getting what he want, after making me live three good years of my life in pain. Well if I did see it as a debt I was paying as I got saved by his father, then it made it hurt less. 

But it was not so, as I was his mate and had a wolf that had been whimpering ever since the divorce. 

Nina was not finding it easy even as she was really about me loving myself.

Stomping over to the trash can, I dropped the magazine in it. But it did not stop the tears from welling up in my eyes.

"I thought he would be different". I whispered to myself as I tried holding back the tears.

 I headed over to the couch and was about to sit down when I heard a slight knock on the door. 

Walking over to the door, I pulled it open to see Frank standing right in front of me. Think of the devil and he shows up in a different form, I thought.

"And to what do I owe you this visit?" I tried to sound as friendly as possible, even though in the actual sense, I wanted to punish him for everything I had experienced in those three years. 

Frank was just like Lina. He did not like me and made living at the pack house a little bit terrible for me.

Conrad was one person that liked listening to the advice of people, well except his wolf, and unfortunately he was surrounded by people like Frank that never gave him any good advice.

"Hello Katherine, It has been a while. Can you come in? I have a pressing matter I would like to discuss with you, if you do not mind."

I glared at him. 

"Please..." he pleaded.

"You can state your business where you are." I said as I stood tapping my feet impatiently.

"Please, let's go in." He looked around. "We shouldn't discuss this outside." 

"No, what do you want?" 

He sighed. "I know you are wondering why I showed up here unannounced so I will get straight to it."

"Fine by me." I dryly said.

He opened the file he carried, pulled out some papers and handed them over to me.

"What is this about?" I asked curiously.

"It is about Conrad, like I said." He replied, which made me look up at him. 

"He really is sorry about how things ended between you two. He asked me to give you the documents to the house. As his wife, you ought to leave with something at least. It is his way of apologizing."

"Don't start with the wife tag," I scoffed at Frank, then took the documents from him. Before that moment, he never regarded me as the Luna or Conrad's mate. And suddenly, he now remembered that we had a husband/wife relationship. Their guilt was already eating them up, probably.

I glanced through the documents which were indeed the deeds to the house. I could not believe he would even think that by giving me his house, he could buy my forgiveness after the pain and heartache he had caused me. I threw the documents on the floor and turned to look at Frank.

"What am I to do with these? I will not accept it. Conrad really thinks he can buy me over with what, a house? You say he is sorry and his way of apologizing is by sending you over to do this?" My fists clenched angrily. "I can not believe this." 

"I know it is not easy for you right now but I need you to consider taking this. You could even sell the house and use the money for upkeep or something."

"It seems my word had not been getting to your head all along. Now listen, I do not need anything from Conrad." 

Looking straight at Frank's eyes, "tell Conrad that I said that I am capable of surviving on my own, okay? I am not accepting this and he should not try to annoy me anymore."

"Okay, It's fine." He said as he put up his hands in surrender. "I am sorry I upset you." He said softly.

"Are you done now?" I said coldly, intentionally ignoring the fact that he wanted to keep us on cool terms.

"Yes, I will take my leave now. It was nice seeing you. Are you sure you will not reconsider?" He asked one last time. 

"Leave Now !" I growled. 

At my voice, Frank beat a hasty retreat, almost tripping in his haste to leave. 

I closed the door and walked back to the sitting room on weak legs. I picked up the magazine from the trash and placed it on the table top, staring at the picture of the man I was once married to and that woman. 

The way I hated her caused me to grit in anger. My blood boiled as I stared at her perfectly made up face. 

I grabbed the newspaper and tore off the part that had her face in it. I balled it up in my fist and threw it in the trash, throwing the rest of the newspaper on the floor as I backed away. 

My hands shaky as I pulled in deep breaths. 

"They are not worth your anger," I mumbled, trying to calm myself down. Before I finally stomped out of the sitting room.

Laying in my bed, I stared up at the ceiling. Continuing that way, till my phone lit up and vibrated on my dresser. I wondered who it was as I rolled over to pick it up.

 The caller ID showed it was Conrad. Frank must have already told him about my decision. I hit the end button only for the phone to vibrate again. Tempted to pick the call and hear what he had to say, I rolled away. Conrad did not stop calling so I turned off my phone. I stared at the ceiling again and made a decision. It was time for me to try to get my mind off these issues. I had to distract myself.

Standing to my feet, I settled for a movie that I finally selected after so much effort, with the drinks and snacks I had taken in the kitchen before settling in the sitting room.

I had barely sat for an hour when I heard a knock on my door. 

Who was it again? I could only wonder. And what exactly did the person want?

I tried my best to stay away from the limelight ever since the divorce. But with the knocks I was getting on my door just the second day after getting the house, I began to feel it was impossible. 

How did they even know my house?

Wondering who it was, I moved to the door and opened it.

"Conrad?". I whispered, as my eyes came to face with the person I did not expect, though a part of me wished he had come since instead of Frank.

"Katherine..." 

The way he said my name made it feel like we had some sort of connection which I quickly pushed away by raising my face to him, sternly.

"And what are you doing here?"

"I came to take you back with me."

"Oh! You must be joking," I chuckled dryly. 

He had not even said anything and his presence was beginning to piss me off already.

I tried to close the door but his foot between the door prevented it from closing.

"Katherine, Just hear me out," He said with his voice raised, and when I sent him a glare that he had no right to talk to me like that, he folded his arms before me like he was about saying a prayer. 

"I am really sorry. Please do hear me out."

Conrad still had a hold on me which was the exact thing I was avoiding. And when I did not want to keep on seeing him beg that way, I walked into the house leaving the door open. 

Without being told, he followed just after, shutting the door behind.

"How have you been?" he asked as he sank down on the couch.

"Can you go straight to the point. I really don't have time for this formalities." Conrad's face fell slightly at my words, it was obvious.

Trying to sound unaffected, "Frank told me you sent him away and about your decision regarding to the house." He leaned forward. "Look I know we ended things badly but I am trying to make things right here, okay? The house is a peace offering. Just take it Katherine. You could really use the money anyway." He glanced around the room apparently taking in it's small size. 

"I do not need anything from you. I thought I made that clear to Frank." It just seemed to me that Conrad did not even feel remorse for everything he caused me. 

He still had the same pride and arrogance.

"Katherine, I am sorry. I know that Clara..."

"Don't you ever bring up her name in my house again!" I yelled and stood up. "You hurt me Conrad and you think can just breeze in and throw apologies around? You actually are the worst. I did try to make our marriage work. I tried several times but you would not even give me a chance."

"Katherine try and be considerate here." He pleaded.

"You can not tell me what to do, okay? We are done with this conversation." The anger in my heart was so obvious and I was trying my best to not cry in front of him.

"Don't be like this."

"Just get out of my house Conrad."

The look of frustration and anguish on his face almost made me cave in. I had to do something to make him leave or I would give in. He stepped closer and reached for me.

Moving backwards, "You know, the biggest mistake of my life was getting married to you. That chapter of my life is done." I said, looking straight into his eyes.

He jerked back as if scalded, his expression that of pain and disappointment.

Wordlessly, he walked over to the door and opened it. He ganced back at me one last time and stepped out. I wondered if he would come back. I counted backwards in my head, waiting for him but he never did.

I felt numb as I moved towards the door and shut it. The tears came all of a sudden. I could not stop them even as I tried. I could hear the pounding of my heart in my ears. It felt like my heart was been ripped out of my chest over and over. 

Bowing my head, I let the tears flow.