03 Going Through The Motions

Emma.

I stumbled home with my heart shattered and tears streaming down my face, unable to believe what had just unfolded. Tomas’s words echoed in my mind, cutting deeper than any physical wound. His cruelty wasn’t just a dismissal of our relationship—it was an outright denial of my worth as a person. He had stripped me of my dignity in those moments, reducing everything we’d shared to nothing more than a casual fling in his eyes.

Yes, my father had made terrible mistakes, and his gambling had dragged our family into ruin. But that didn’t give Tomas the right to weaponise my family’s struggles against me. I was more than my father’s shortcomings. I was a person—a werewolf like Tomas, just without the privileges of wealth or power.

I might not have had the strength to fight physically, but I was educated, capable, and had potential if only given a chance. Tomas’s family connections didn’t make him superior. We were different, yes, but he wasn’t better than me.

The Tomas I faced today was unrecognizable. This wasn’t the man who once whispered promises of love in my ear, who swore he didn’t care about class or breed. He had told me so many times that we could escape the pack’s rigid hierarchy together, that nothing else mattered as long as we had each other.

I had believed him. I had believed him so completely that I gave him everything—my heart, my body, and my trust. And now, I hated myself for it. His love had been too good to be true, and I had fallen for the illusion. He might have ended things, but my heart was still caught in the wreckage.

When I stepped through the door, I found my father sitting in the living room, his face etched with worry. His expression told me all I needed to know—he’d sunk deeper into debt. Again. I didn’t even have the energy to feel sorry for him. The weight of the day pressed too heavily on my chest.

“Where did you go?” he asked, startling me. I had hoped to slip in unnoticed, but apparently, he wasn’t as lost in thought as I’d assumed.

“To sort out personal issues,” I replied flatly, trying to mask the storm of emotions swirling inside me.

“Did you go to that interview?” he pressed, and his tone grated on my already raw nerves. It wasn’t his place to ask—not after everything he’d done to drag us down.

“No,” I said sharply, meeting his gaze with defiance. He looked disappointed, as if he had the right to judge me.

“We need the money, Emma. If none of us work, we’ll never pay off the bills!” he yelled, his voice rising with frustration. That was the last straw.

“No one asked you to gamble our life away, Daddy!” I shot back, my voice trembling with anger. His eyes widened in shock. I had never spoken to him like this before, but I couldn’t hold it in any longer.

The humiliation I had endured today, the heartache Tomas inflicted, and the years of resentment toward my father all came boiling to the surface.

“You heard me! I didn’t do this to us—you did! Why should I work to pay off your debts? We were fine! Yes, we were Omegas, but we had enough. You had to ruin everything. Now we’re a laughingstock because of you. Tomas didn’t want to settle down with me because of you! Mom drinks herself into oblivion because she can’t handle the mess you’ve created! Your debts are yours, not mine! Once I find a job, I’m saving up and leaving Celio. I’m done with this pack. Somewhere else, my pedigree won’t matter. Somewhere else, I’ll be appreciated for who I am—not what you made me. I’ll be out of your hair before you know it,” I spat, and before he could respond, I stormed into my bedroom and slammed the door.

I locked it behind me and slid down, my back pressed against the wood as I crumbled to the floor. Hugging my knees tightly to my chest, I finally let the dam break. Tears poured down my face as sobs wracked my body. Everything I had bottled up came rushing out—the betrayal, the humiliation, the anger, the hopelessness.

I thought about Tomas and how I had faced him today. I didn’t know where I had found the strength to stand up to him. He could have punished me, hurt me, or humiliated me further. As a beta, he had the power to do whatever he wanted, and no one would have stopped him. But he didn’t. Maybe he felt guilty, though that seemed unlikely after the heartless things he said. Maybe he owed me that much after using me and throwing me away.

I wept until my tears ran dry, my body too exhausted to cry anymore. The ache in my chest refused to fade, but somewhere deep inside, a tiny flicker of determination burned. Tomas might have shattered my heart, and my father might have destroyed our family’s stability, but I wasn’t going to let them define my future. I had to believe that there was something better waiting for me, far away from Celio and the ruins of my old life.

I stumbled home with my heart shattered and tears streaming down my face, unable to believe what had just unfolded. Tomas’s words echoed in my mind, cutting deeper than any physical wound. His cruelty wasn’t just a dismissal of our relationship—it was an outright denial of my worth as a person. He had stripped me of my dignity in those moments, reducing everything we’d shared to nothing more than a casual fling in his eyes.

Yes, my father had made terrible mistakes, and his gambling had dragged our family into ruin. But that didn’t give Tomas the right to weaponize my family’s struggles against me. I was more than my father’s shortcomings. I was a person—a werewolf like Tomas, just without the privileges of wealth or power. I might not have had the strength to fight physically, but I was educated, capable, and had potential if only given a chance. Tomas’s family connections didn’t make him superior. We were different, yes, but he wasn’t better than me.

The Tomas I faced today was unrecognizable. This wasn’t the man who once whispered promises of love in my ear, who swore he didn’t care about class or breed. He had told me so many times that we could escape the pack’s rigid hierarchy together, that nothing else mattered as long as we had each other. I had believed him. I had believed him so completely that I gave him everything—my heart, my body, and my trust. And now, I hated myself for it. His love had been too good to be true, and I had fallen for the illusion. He might have ended things, but my heart was still caught in the wreckage.

When I stepped through the door, I found my father sitting in the living room, his face etched with worry. His expression told me all I needed to know—he’d sunk deeper into debt. Again. I didn’t even have the energy to feel sorry for him. The weight of the day pressed too heavily on my chest.

“Where did you go?” he asked, startling me. I had hoped to slip in unnoticed, but apparently, he wasn’t as lost in thought as I’d assumed.

“To sort out personal issues,” I replied flatly, trying to mask the storm of emotions swirling inside me.

“Did you go to that interview?” he pressed, and his tone grated on my already raw nerves. It wasn’t his place to ask—not after everything he’d done to drag us down.

“No,” I said sharply, meeting his gaze with defiance. He looked disappointed, as if he had the right to judge me.

“We need the money, Emma. If none of us work, we’ll never pay off the bills!” he yelled, his voice rising with frustration. That was the last straw.

“No one asked you to gamble our life away, Daddy!” I shot back, my voice trembling with anger. His eyes widened in shock. I had never spoken to him like this before, but I couldn’t hold it in any longer. The humiliation I had endured today, the heartache Tomas inflicted, and the years of resentment toward my father all came boiling to the surface.

“You heard me! I didn’t do this to us—you did! Why should I work to pay off your debts? We were fine! Yes, we were Omegas, but we had enough. You had to ruin everything. Now we’re a laughingstock because of you. Tomas didn’t want to settle down with me because of you! Mom drinks herself into oblivion because she can’t handle the mess you’ve created! Your debts are yours, not mine! Once I find a job, I’m saving up and leaving Celio. I’m done with this pack. Somewhere else, my pedigree won’t matter. Somewhere else, I’ll be appreciated for who I am—not what you made me. I’ll be out of your hair before you know it,” I spat, and before he could respond, I stormed into my bedroom and slammed the door.