After I Severed the Kinship Bond, My Whole Family Regretted It Chapter 07

After I Severed the Kinship Bond, My Whole Family Regretted It Chapter 07

Life with my new parents settled into a warmth I’d never known family life could have.

They took me on trips. They paid for dental work I’d needed for more than a decade. I didn’t know how to dress, so Mom bought me outfit after outfit and signed me up for yoga and piano lessons.

Dad told me I never had to swallow mistreatment just to keep the peace. If anyone hurt me, he would always have my back.

My wolf form had always looked ragged, probably because I was malnourished and my biological parents had never taught me how to care for or train my wolf properly.

But the Hales loved both of us back to health. They told me over and over that I was beautiful, and they bought Snow treatments to restore her coat.

The dull, timid look in Snow’s eyes slowly sharpened into something bright and strong.

We’d started as strangers, but everything they did proved that love had nothing to do with blood.

Senior year was relentless. I was juggling an internship, graduate–school applications, and my senior thesis, but I still called Mom every week to tell her I was doing okay.

One day, my phone lit up with “Mom” on the caller ID, so I answered without thinking. Clara’s voice came through instead.

Then I remembered I’d never deleted my biological parents‘ numbers.

The mind–link was gone too. Once our Kinship Bond was severed, that connection disappeared with it.

Clara skipped hello. “Elara, your father is in the hospital. Take time off and come back here to take care of

him.”

Her tone got under my skin immediately. “No. We aren’t family anymore. I’m not on call for you. If Marcus needs care, you can handle it yourself.”

Her voice went shrill. “You ungrateful brat. You’ve been gone a few days and suddenly you think you don’t> have a father? He’s still your dad. You don’t get to walk away from that responsibility. Get back here now.”

I laughed. “Where’s Lyra? You never stop telling everyone how loving and devoted she is. Sounds like the

perfect chance for her to prove it.”

The line went silent.

I kept going. “Let me guess. Another Rex show? Hate to break it to you, but I don’t think either of you ranks

anywhere near her favorite celebrity. You might want to stop lying to yourselves about that.”

Clara’s breathing went heavy. Then she hissed, “Who do you think you are? We were happier without you.

Stay gone for all I care.”

I hung up feeling lighter, and somehow even my thesis became easier to write.

On Monday, Eleanor texted to tell me Dad had a tumor in his stomach. Thankfully, it was benign, and they’d waited until after his surgery to tell me. I immediately asked my adviser for time off and took the first train I

could get to the hospital.

I walked into the room carrying fruit and supplements, only to find Clara sitting beside Marcus.

Because of course we’d all ended up in the same pack hospital.

Clara saw me too. Her eyes lit up before her mouth went straight back on the attack.

“Well, look who showed up. I thought you said you weren’t coming back. And don’t think a couple bags of

cheap stuff mean I’m forgiving you. We don’t need anything from you. Go. Just looking at you gives me a

headache.”

She said all that while automatically reaching for the bags in my hands. Marcus’s whole face folded into a

grin.

“See? I knew Elara still cared about her dad. Put that stuff down. The doctor said bone broth would help me

recover. Go home, make a pot, and bring it back.”

The sheer entitlement of it made me laugh.

“Hire a caregiver. I’m not here for you, and I’m not your daughter anymore. Now move. You’re blocking the

way.”