The Forgotten Twin Princess Found Her True Pack Chapter 03

The Forgotten Twin Princess Found Her True Pack Chapter 03

Maybe because it was the first time I’d ever refused, our Luna mother froze for a second. Then her expression hardened.

“Then we won’t attend your mating ceremony. Let’s see who ends up humiliated.”

It was the middle of summer, but I felt cold from head to toe.

I suddenly remembered the screenshot Morgan had sent me the night before. His mother had messaged him:

[Does Vanessa like beef? I learned a new recipe. I’m worried if I keep texting her she’ll find me annoying.]

I’d saved that image. I’d stared at it for a long time.

I wasn’t asking anyone to be good to me. I just wanted proof that I was worth loving.

“Hello? Are you listening?” Mother waved her hand in front of my face again. “Did you hear what I said?”

“Fine. I’ll give it to her.”

Fifty thousand dollars to sever every last thread of family feeling. A bargain.

But a week before the mating ceremony, Mother suddenly said she wanted to meet Morgan.

I was surprised, and beneath the surprise, a small, pathetic flicker of hope.

I booked a restaurant for the next day at noon and told Morgan to dress up.

I arrived at eleven-thirty and ordered a full spread. Then I waited.

One o’clock. Two o’clock. Three o’clock.

Waves of diners came and went. The restaurant turned on its evening lights.

Mother never showed.

Finally, my phone screen lit up with her message.

[Vanessa, I had an urgent logistics matter to deal with today. Let’s reschedule.]

At the same time, a notification popped up in the family group chat. From Leona.

[Look! Mom came with me to get my nails done. Aren’t they gorgeous?]

In the photo, her fingers glittered with tiny crystals under the salon lights. The sparkle stung my eyes.

Killian replied instantly: [Beautiful! They’re perfect for you.]

Our Alpha father chimed in: [Lovely. My daughter is the most beautiful.]

My hands were shaking as I set the phone down.

So Mother’s “urgent matter” was getting Leona’s nails done.

What was I still hoping for?

The whole thing was a joke.

I packed every emotion away and shook my head at Morgan, who was watching me with concern.

“I’m fine. Let’s have the waiter bring the food.”

Morgan’s eyes were full of heartache. “The day after the mating ceremony, I’m taking you home to Ironclaw Pack. We’re never coming back.”

I smiled and nodded. “Never coming back.”

When I returned to the pack house, both redwood chests were packed to bursting. Expensive clothes spilled onto the floor around them, summer and winter pieces alike, all brand new.

Mother said, “Leona, we’ll find another way to bring the rest later.”

She turned and caught sight of me. Her eyes carried a flicker of reproach.

“Where have you been? The mating ceremony is almost here. Why haven’t you prepared anything?”

My throat tightened. I forced the words out. “I waited for you at the restaurant until four.”

Mother’s face soured immediately. “I told you I had something urgent. I’ve been running around all day preparing for your ceremonies, and you don’t even have the decency to be grateful?”

“Getting Leona’s nails done was urgent?”

Killian shot to his feet and snapped at me. “Vanessa! Mom spent the entire afternoon getting supplies ready for both of your new lives. She already packed everything and put it in your room!”

“Are you really going to make a scene over one meal? Is your mate on his deathbed? Can’t he wait until after the bond is sealed to meet the family?”

I stared at him in disbelief.

My own brother. Saying something that vile about my future mate.

The living room fell silent. The only sound was Mother’s quiet sobbing.

This scene was familiar.

Yes. Once again, I was the family’s villain.

Before, whenever this happened, I would have apologized immediately.

But now all I felt was tired. A bone-deep exhaustion that seeped out from somewhere inside me.

I turned in silence and walked back to my room.

Beside the bed sat two leather suitcases. Nothing else.

This was what Mother had spent all afternoon preparing for my journey to Ironclaw Pack.

An empty room. Two cheap leather cases, painfully conspicuous.

Like a silent mockery.