No Bonds to Hold Me, but a Wolf to Run With Chapter 03

No Bonds to Hold Me, but a Wolf to Run With Chapter 03

Claire glanced at my phone. “Is that your enrollment notice? Don’t worry, we’ll get your school supplies sorted out. Just get your relationship with the family sorted first, and stop trying to carry everything on your own.”

Those words completely shattered my defenses.

Whenever we went on spring trips when I was little, Claire always checked my backpack the night before.

Band-aids went in the inner pocket, the water bottle in the side pouch, and she even reminded me twice if it might rain the next day.

All that past care hadn’t been fake.

So, I temporarily left the school’s email unanswered.

A foolish hope sprouted in my chest that maybe everything would be fine after this trip.

Until I flipped the itinerary to the booking page:

Five amusement park fast passes, five ancient town bundle tickets, two double-room breakfast packages, plus one single breakfast.

The restaurant private table reservation noted “Five people,” and the shuttle van was a five-seater.

The booking timestamp was 12:17 AM last night.

Right when I was sitting in the darkest corner of the library in wet clothes.

My voice turned hoarse. “Who made this itinerary?”

Marcus took the phone. “Alpha Victor and I booked it. We thought you didn’t like crowds back then, but didn’t we change it later?”

He quickly swiped back to the home page.

The title did indeed read “Six-Person Family Bonding Week.”

But the revision history was still there. The original title had been “Both Sets of Parents Accompanying Sienna on Her Compensation Week.”

I hadn’t been in it at all.

They only added my name because I caused a fuss.

“Don’t worry, we’ll add a seat tomorrow,” Victor said, taking his phone back. “Darling, adding someone at the last minute isn’t hard.”

“Why not add it now?” It was so ridiculous. They invited me on a trip, but hadn’t even secured a ticket for me?

Victor waved a hand. “The scenic area’s online system is undergoing maintenance. We’ll deal with it tomorrow morning.”

I didn’t say anything more.

I replied to the school’s email.

In seven days, I would check in on time.

Still, I went on the trip with them.

Consider it a final farewell tour.

If I didn’t go, they’d probably think I was throwing a temper tantrum and start complaining about accommodating their “difficult daughter” all over again.

At breakfast the next morning, the hotel front desk informed us that we only had a five-person meal package.

I suppose I really was invisible.

Both sets of parents had forgotten to include me.

Claire looked back at me and instinctively said, “Iris, why didn’t you double-check last night?”

The moment the words left her mouth, she froze.

I hadn’t planned this trip from the very beginning.

Ever since I was old enough to understand things, I had helped my adoptive parents, the Greys, manage household affairs because they were always busy with pack duties.

That was why I was always the one checking train tickets, room cards, IDs, and packing lists.

Whenever something went wrong, everyone’s default reaction was to ask why I hadn’t caught it ahead of time.

“I’ll pay for an extra breakfast.” I handed my ID to the front desk.

Sienna pulled out her own meal voucher. “Big Sis, use mine. I’m not very hungry.”

Eleanor pressed a hand down on hers. “You barely ate anything last night. You can’t starve yourself. Today is your first breakfast with both sets of parents, so don’t shortchange yourself.”

Claire had already pulled up her payment app, eager to put on a display of maternal affection, only for the hotel staff to inform her that individual breakfasts could only be purchased by the registered guest themselves.

I paid the sixty-eight dollars.

The table by the window only had five settings.

A server hurried over to squeeze in an extra chair. I sat right by the aisle, having to pull my knees in every time someone walked past.

Miserable.

And pathetic.

An extra piece of baggage like me should just disappear.