Chapter 24 - Lydia
I didn’t have the heart to tell Sebastian or anyone else I was struggling.
He seemed so immersed in the gathering and was, without a doubt, soaking it all in while his friends kept him preoccupied. I was certainly included, even if it was difficult for me to keep up given the internal conflict I was shouldering on my own, but it wasn’t enough of a distraction.
After seeing my parents in the woods, I couldn’t get them out of my head. I couldn’t ignore their pleading faces and not knowing what they wanted to discuss. If they really wanted to leave Jack’s pack or something similar, I wasn’t sure if I’d forgive myself for cutting them off completely when they needed my support.
Even if they lied to me and tried their hardest to control my life, I couldn’t hate them completely. I was angry still, yes, but that was just it. They were my parents. It felt impossible to sever that relationship completely.
Regardless of how nice the gathering was or how happy Sebastian seemed, I had already made up my mind before it even started. I just needed the opportunity.
And said opportunity appeared the moment Sebastian’s friends strode in with their antics.
I knew he’d be upset if he ever found out I went to see them, but I had to take that risk. I needed to speak to them—that was it.
As I stood by Sebastian’s side, waiting for the chance to slip away, I reassured myself with the reminder that they couldn’t say anything to sway me away from his side.
He helped me in a way that nobody else could, and he showed me the harm my parents had done to me, even when I didn’t want to see it. We had a divine connection, and nothing could splinter that.
I wasn’t looking to be influenced into anything. I knew where I stood and what I wanted, and that also meant needing answers.
While there was a chance that Sebastian might not understand it, I needed closure.
I had to take that leap.
With darkness surrounding us and only the fire’s light to illuminate the space, I migrated over to where the drinks were while Sebastian was preoccupied with a story Levi was telling. I grabbed some water and downed half of it to clear my head. Then, I noted the closest path to the woods behind the house.
Everyone was so engrossed in the story—even Zoe—that they didn’t pay any mind to me back there as I carefully dipped into the shadows and kept moving. As silently as I could, I made my way into the trees.
My chest ached at the thought of going behind Sebastian’s back, but at that moment, my head was such a mess that I couldn’t think of any other way to clear it.
I knew there were risks and I was trusting the people who betrayed me before. Yet, I had to see it through.
Even if they didn’t give me much reason to trust them before.
As the party grew quieter behind me, I focused on my steps ahead, ignoring the guilt and dread as it dripped into my system.
I used my keen senses to navigate through the trees, and before long, I caught those familiar scents. My heart squeezed, bringing another wave of remorse with it.
“Mom? Dad?”
After a moment, they both emerged from within the trees, and Mom let go of a relieved breath.
“Honey, there you are,” she exasperated, quick to pull me in for a hug as she kissed my hair.
The raw emotion on their faces was enough to prick the corners of my eyes with tears. I was overwhelmed by their happiness to see me.
I never wanted to leave them without a word like that. I never wanted to disappear and put them through the emotional hell of not knowing where or how I was. But I needed them to know I couldn’t stay there, not after I was made aware of Jack’s true intentions.
“We’re so happy to see you, Lydia,” Dad agreed as he hugged me next, letting me feel the joy in their contact.
“I’m sorry I didn’t say anything,” I said, losing myself to the emotional moment. “I was just so scared.”
It was a lot to take in at once, but as I stood within that familiar comfort I had grown so used to, it was easy to let myself slip back into that state.
Mom looked at me empathetically, put a hand on my shoulder, and smiled sadly. “We know, sweetheart. We’re sorry we didn’t handle the situation with more care. We didn’t realize it was such a difficult idea for you.”
Receiving their apology felt strange, given how adamant they had been before. But seeing them there, hearing those words, and seeing the regret on their faces made it sink in easier.
Even if they hadn’t been truthful about Sebastian and his family before, they seemed to realize that the position they had put me in wasn’t right. Maybe they really did have a change of heart.
“I just didn’t see Jack that way, and it was difficult to picture myself taking up that role. I wasn’t ready for anything like that,” I admitted, gathering myself with a deep breath. “But it’s nice to see you again.”
“That’s alright, honey, there’s always time to grow accustomed to things,” Dad said reassuringly. “Sometimes we aren’t ready for things, but eventually, it’ll feel like no big deal.”
Mom nodded her agreement. “We should’ve done things on your time, not ours. Jack can wait.”
The realization sat like burning coals against my skin as I fully processed their words. I looked between them with my brows furrowed. “What?”
Mom chuckled. “We see now that we sprung the arrangement on you too soon, but we talked with Jack, and he said he doesn’t mind holding off until you’re ready. That means you’ll have more time to get to know him on a different level.”
“It’s fortunate, too. Most alphas wouldn’t wait around.”
A cold chill moved down my spine, and suddenly, that caring demeanor didn’t have the same feel to it anymore. While being genuine about their apology, they weren’t thinking the same thing I was. We were on completely different pages.
“Wait,” I murmured, shaking my head slowly. “Just because I came out here doesn’t mean I’m going back with you.”
Those relieved expressions shifted, morphing into quiet confusion.
“What do you mean, honey? Aren’t you ready to come home? It’s been so long already,” Mom said with a tone that seemed much less tender as I connected those pieces.
I took a hesitant step back, feeling a rush of adrenaline as it pumped into my veins. Blinking through the subtle confusion and the disorienting shift, I could hardly believe what was happening. “That place isn’t my home anymore. I live here now with Sebastian and his pack.”
The mention of his name was enough to make Dad’s soft exterior crack. He sighed. “Come now, Lydia. There’s no need to keep up this silly charade. You can’t possibly believe he’s your mate. It’s not possible.”
I swallowed hard, trying to back away as that fear reached for me all over again.
“Our daughter would never be mates with a monster like him.”
“No,” I whimpered, eyes welling with tears. My chest ached all over again, feeling the burn of that deceit. “You’re wrong about him. You lied. Both of you.”
They hadn’t changed. They weren’t going to leave Jack’s pack. They were just as indoctrinated as before.
Mom’s brows furrowed as she stepped closer, voice sickeningly soft. “Lie to you? Honey, we’d never do that to you. We told you the truth about that awful family.”
“Don’t call me that,” I growled, swathed with deep sadness and anger.
“Lydia—”
Prepared to run back to Sebastian and the others then, I turned and pulled in a breath.
But the moment I saw his face—the one I had been dreading seeing for weeks—all the oxygen was pushed from my lungs.
Jack’s lips curled into a cruel smile as he looked down at me, looking far too pleased with himself. “Trying to run again, Little Finch?”
It felt as if an icy hand gripped the back of my neck. That nickname—the one he called me since I was just a girl—brought an even more sinister edge to it all.
I wanted to run as fast as I could, but seeing him froze me to the spot. Those cold, icy blue eyes pierced right through me, and I was at a complete loss.
I was cornered with him in front of me and my parents behind me. There was no way for me to escape.
Especially not as headlights streamed through the trees while a vehicle raced through the clearing, following a path I hadn’t noticed. I didn’t realize how close we were to a road until it was too late.
Jack chuckled darkly. “Nowhere to run now, Lydia. It’s about time you realized your fate.”
But that couldn’t be true. That couldn’t have been my fate. Not when I had come so close to reaching a good place in life. When I finally had people around me who genuinely cared and didn’t want to use me for their gain.
My breath caught in my throat as Jack moved in, easily grabbing me and hoisting me over his shoulder.
As the adrenaline roared in my ears and the shock of it passed, I struggled, fighting against him.
“Put me down!”
But my voice might as well have been a noise passing in the wind. He didn’t care, not as he hauled me to the black SUV in time with the door popping open.
“Stop!” I screeched, heaving in panicked breaths as everything I hoped to achieve in my future seemed to flash before my eyes.
The solidified bond with Sebastian and the life we hoped to have together; the child in my belly and the light they would inevitably bring us every day; the close-knit community of the pack he built from the ground up and was more than willing to share with me; and my mended friendship with Zoe.
All of it mattered so much to me, yet those things didn’t matter to Jack or my parents. I was not considered—not even for a moment.
Realizing that my voice was the last thing I had, I pulled in a deep breath and prepared a scream, but sensing it first, Jack put me down and clasped a hand over my mouth. His eyes nearly burned into mine.
“Don’t even think about it.”
My entire body clenched as I fell back into that old fear again—the perpetual state of not wanting to disobey or risk facing the consequences.
Without missing a beat, he motioned toward one of his betas, and Will stepped forward with a smug grin as he handed Jack a roll of thick tape.
I swallowed hard, eyes wide with panic, as he slapped some over my mouth and handed me off to Will.
“That should do the trick.”
The syrupy triumph in his voice made me wish I was close enough to strike him, but as Will pinned my arms back and dragged me closer to the vehicle, my wish was far from granted.
“Please, be careful with her,” I heard Mom say through my struggle. “Please, Jack. She’s our daughter—”
A loud crack echoed through the space, and my eyes widened as I barely managed to catch the scene as it unfolded while Will shoved me into the SUV.
Mom staggered back, holding her cheek as fear and disbelief filled her eyes, all while Jack held a finger in her face.
“Don’t make demands of me, Iris!” He growled, tone as sharp as a blade. “You’re lucky I even followed through with this after your bitch of a daughter made me chase her around the countryside.”
Once the door was closed and I was locked in the backseat, I blinked through my burning tears and watched as Dad stepped forward to interfere, but he cowered the moment Jack threatened to raise a hand against him, too.
It was that moment when I realized how much of a monster Jack truly was.
How he manipulated my parents into following his every order, and even when they did, it still wasn’t enough. How that same behavior must have trickled down through their raising of me.
They were only throw-away pawns to him, yet to them, he was everything.
Even if their pained expressions seemed to reveal a shake in their faith, there was nothing they could do then to take back their involvement. The damage was already done as Jack jumped into the passenger seat, and the vehicle pulled away.
I sobbed into the tape as I watched them disappear, along with the pack grounds and everyone I cared about back at home.
While I should’ve been celebrating the existence of my growing child, I was whisked away in the night, unaware of when or if I’d be back again.