Chapter Two (Playing the victim)

TXUNAMY'S POV

It was mom and dad, the alpha and Luna of the Blood Venom pack, Alpha Kelvin and Luna Gloria. 

Dad came in first, somehow, in the space of three minutes, Oliver had managed to reach for his clothes and had dressed up under the covers before dad was fully in the room.

Dad recognized him immediately.

"Alpha prince Oliver!"

He called in a somewhat delighted tone, totally ignoring me. 

Oliver nodded his head.

"It's me sir, it's a pleasure seeing you again after all these years, albeit in a very awkward scenario."

He said. 

Mom pushed past me then and asked,

"What is going on here? And what was that loud noise about?"

As though she was blind to the couple in bed and like she had not seen me at all.

"Oh, I imagine Oliver here came to see his betrothed, Txunamy."

Dad said in the most casual tone I had ever heard him use. He was not even looking at me. 

Mom nodded in agreement and my eyes just kept moving from one person to the other and then it rested on Riele's face. She had worn the scared look of a cat in a burning house now and she was going to do it, she was going to get everyone on her side, she was the vulnerable one every time, the one who deserved to be pardoned at all times. 

Oliver was back to looking confused again and he looked from me to Riele who was still by his side, He looked at Riele and asked, 

"Wait, this is not all a joke. Is she not the one I was betrothed to?"

He asked, pointing at Riele. 

Mom shook her head  and dad did too, but they looked like they were sorry it had happened and not angry that Riele had done what she had done.

"She Said she is the daughter of the alpha of the Blood Venom pack."

"And so am I, Oliver."

I said calmly.

He was standing now and I could swear that I saw the beads of perspiration suddenly start to appear on his face. He was getting hotter with the clarity of everything that was happening.

Mom and dad just stood there, obviously not comfortable but not entirely showing any feelings yet.

I didn't blame them, They were sure Riele did not know. But I knew better. I just didn't say anything. I was used to being the one who always faded in the background, the one who was not given room to speak often. The one whose opinions did not even count. It didn't matter if I said anything then, it would not matter. But Riele soon started to make drama, the one thing I was sure she did very well, especially when she wanted to have something. It worked every time, why then could she not pull that stunt this one time?

"It's not unlike everyone to point the accusing fingers at me! No one ever told me he was betrothed to Txunamy!"

She cried. She had tears rolling down her cheeks as she spoke and she was doing the one thing that I had always known her to be good at, gathering sympathy and making herself appear like the victim in every situation. 

"Don't cry now, Riele."

Dad said.  Maybe he was supposed to snap at her, but his voice came out sounding caressing. 

He sighed. 

No one was looking at me. 

"Why wouldn't I? No one tells me anything! I'm not treated any better than an unwanted stranger in this household. Why would I be with Oliver if I had known he was to be with her?"

She asked. She still had the tears running down her cheeks and I saw that mom wanted to reach her and hug her tight, but she was holding back and I didn't know why she was. Maybe she was worried I'd be hurt even more?

This was my entire life they were messing with. I had gone through the mate training and had excelled, in readiness for when my betrothed came to claim me and Make me his wife and Luna, but as I stood there, it started to become clearer to me just how easily all of that could change in a matter of minutes.

"No one treats you like a stranger, Riele."

I said softly, but it was as though it was as though no one had spoken. I was sure they had not heard me, or Maybe they had heard me but were just being the same people they had always been. Pretending like I didn't matter. 

"That is okay now, baby."

Mom said softly to Riele. She shook her head. 

"No, mom. When he came in here, I was the only one who saw him, he said he was the Alpha prince of the Moon Howlers pack and he was here to see his betrothed, the daughter of the alpha of the Blood Venom pack and I said that's me. How was I to know? I liked him and I thought I had been betrothed when I was much younger and had not met him, he thought I was his betrothed too.....I just.."

She trailed off and mom took a deep breath.

"So there was a mix-up, then!"

Dad said and it just made me become even more infuriated. 

How much he wanted to have this dismissed like he did all other mistakes of hers, mistakes that she knew well enough she was about to make.

"It was all a mistake! If he had not just asked who the daughter of the alpha was, maybe things would have been different!"

Riele cried. She was blaming everyone but herself. She didn't have to push some of the blame to herself. Didn't she know that she was not the only daughter that the alpha of the blood Venom pack had?

Did she forget that I was her elder sister and that I naturally came first before her? If anyone had been betrothed discreetly, would that not be me?

She turned to me,

"I'm sorry, sister. But....I'm carrying his child!"

And I watched as the tears ran down her cheeks again with a new intensity.