SUNSHINE:
"Alpha Ezra…" I started, forcing my tears to come out. I began acting and sniffed as if I was about to cry. Alpha Ezra growled. "Knoxx!""Father. I'm sure the alpha had some excuse. We cannot arrive at a hasty decision. Brother is rational," the second stated. Bernard. The beta of the pack.Of course, the beta would always side with the alpha. In this house, it would always be me against the five of them. Me against these five powerful men in this pack. However, I was done with being the submissive type. It was also the reason why Aloha Jericho cheated on me. He thought I was easy to fool. "Alpha Ezra...did you know that Alpha Knoxx was the one who told me that Alpha Jericho was having an affair? Yes. A few minutes before the wedding. He was that kind of dick.""Hey! Watch your mouth! That is the aloha you're referring to!" Beta Benedict roared. "Benedict! Lower your voice.""But Father. Can't you see that woman is making us fight among ourselves?""Sunshine, keep quiet."Keep quiet? It felt like my heart was being ripped to pieces. How could Mother be so unfair? "You're asking the impossible, Mother."Stepfather sucked in a breath and glared at his son. "Why did you do that, Knoxx? To your sister?"Knoxx's face was bright red and he clenched his fist."It was what you said, Father. That we are family. It was one way of protecting my sister. I protected her from future pain."Sister? He never treated me as his sister. More like his enemy. His sworn enemy. "Really, Brother?" I asked, still sniffing. "Why did you have to do it right at my wedding? If you truly cared about me, you should have told me beforehand. You're so cruel, you know that?"My other stepbrothers glowered at me. Of course, they would be siding with Alpha Knoxx. In their eyes, I was their evil stepsister."It was meant to protect you from cheaters like him. Would you rather marry someone who will fuck anyone whenever you're not around?" Protect me, huh? More like you hated me that much. The timing was too great."I should be the one to decide on that. I already accepted that you don't care about me. The five of you. I am okay with that. I understand your feelings, but telling me that my soon-to-be groom was cheating on me was too much, Brother." My heart broke into tiny little pieces when I remembered about it again. "Would you rather have someone who was there with you, but was not faithful to you?" he pressed. "If you like him that much, you run to him and we don't care what will happen to you anymore."I inhaled deeply.His hate must be bigger than our bond for he acted as if there was nothing between us. I envy him. "Use your brain, woman," Knoxx continued. "Deep down, you know I'm telling the truth."I did. But could he blame me? I thought Jericho was the one after offering him everything I had.I hated how Knoxx was right, but my heart could not accept that. "Knoxx. Regardless of your intention, you must not be that heartless. Think of what Sunshine would feel."Knoxx smiled. I'm victorious. Alpha Ezra understood why he had to do that. "I will consider that next time, Father. Rest assured that I did it for Sunshine's benefit. Not mine."My other stepbrothers sighed in relief. 'Everything will backfire on you, woman,' Knoxx declared inside my head. "But you still have to say you're sorry, Knoxx.""What? Do I look like a child? I'm the alpha of this pack, Father.""Darling. Let the kids settle them on their own," Mother said. Softly."He needed to know it was also wrong, darling. He hurt our daughter."I looked away. Our daughter. Alpha Ezra was kind and never made me feel like I was an outsider. It was only his son and my own mother. I wished…this was only a normal family where my stepbrothers would think that I was not competing against them."You ruined her wedding. You hurt your sister. It's enough to make you say your apologies. Sons," he addressed the five men. "All I wanted is for the six of you to get along with each other. Is that difficult to do?"It was difficult for their pride. Especially my second chance mate.Second chance mate. I still could not wrap my mind around how the heck we were paired with each other. Why is the person who ruined my wedding? I could accept anyone. But not my stepbrother who never wanted me in the first place."It won't happen, Alpha Ezra.""Why?" My gaze shifted to Mother."This might be hasty, but I would like to inform everyone that I'm planning to go back to my previous pack."Mother sucked in a breath."Return to our pack where you will be treated like a slave? Have you lost your mind, Sunshine? How could you think about that after rejecting Alpha Jericho?"What do you want me to do, Mother? Die in this place? Repeatedly remember my painful relationship?Not going to happen."We were slaves before, Mother. But after Alpha Ezra brought us here, we were no longer slaves. The alpha might consider that.""Or he would not." Mother shook her head. Alpha Ezra was suddenly on her side, consoling her. I envy Mother. She had the best men that she could have while me? I was paired with jerks who did not even know how to take care of their mates. My first mate was a cheater. My second chance mate was my stepbrother. A bastard and a bully."That's what I am trying to say. Why would you go back to the place where you will only be ordered and bullied?""Because that is the place where Father was buried, Mother. I want to stay there until my last breath. I would not take it against you if you will not join me, Mother. After all, you are now in good hands."Besides, coming into this place brought nothing but pain. I met Jericho, my mate. But then what? Staying in this was already painful."Sunshine. Can you please at least wait for your second chance mate? Maybe he is different than Alpha Jericho."Knoxx and I locked eyes and his eyes were telling me that I should continue to keep my mouth shut or he would punish me. "I no longer wished to find my mate."Mother's eyes simmered with tears. "If your Father is alive, he will like it when you stay in this pack. This is our pack now, Sunshine. Why would you go there? Was it about Alpha Jericho and your marriage? Sunshine. We will help you move on with the pain. Just stay here, please?" she begged.It was also about that.But the heaviest reason was because of Knoxx. I could not stay in the same place as him. I could not tolerate being with him especially now that I knew we were mates.And I was certain the same goes for him."I won't allow it!" Mother cried. "Going back is suicide, Sunshine. If not for Ezra, we were long dead by now."Staying here felt like I was dead.I felt empty. It was Jericho who brought happiness to my life. But now that he had broken up, there was nothing worth living for."Mother. I already made up my mind. I had been thinking about this for the whole week. Tomorrow. I will start my journey."In the corner of my eyes, I saw Knoxx playing with his food. I did not know what he was thinking. But I bet he was happy now. Happy that the woman whom he hated so much would be gone for the rest of his life. 'Are you happy now, Brother? With me gone on your pack, the fact that we were mates will be forever buried in the sand. No one will know, Brother. No one.'He lifted his gaze and the corner of his lips lifted. 'I am exhilarated. Talk to you long to decide.''I will do the favor of erasing my presence in your pack,' I responded. 'I hope you will be happy now.''Very happy,' he answered through our link. "Alpha Knoxx," I started. "Please allow me to give your blessing as a member of your pack. I would forever be happy if you would allow me."Knoxx smiled. He looked like a devil in my eyes and the way he smiled. Something was telling me that he was up to no good."Everyone knows I am the source of your headache, Brother. With me gone in this pack, you can now be at ease."No one will also know your secret."Sunshine…you have to think about this repeatedly," Mother urged. "If you are there, how can we protect you? If you are here, your brothers can protect you."You don't know what you're talking about, Mom. You never knew what I experienced in this pack because you were always glued to Alpha Ezra. I was the forgotten daughter.How I wished I had the guts to tell her that without feeling guilty. "No, Mother. My decision is final. I'm…sorry. With the alpha's permission, I will be preparing my things this evening.""Sunshine. You are not thinking straight at all.""Like I said, I have think about it a couple of times.""I won't allow it," Knoxx said all of a sudden.SUNSHINE:All eyes were trained at Knoxx. My mouth opened and closed, clearly, no words forming in my mind. His brothers were also surprised at his decision. They did not want Knoxx's decision."Brother. Why would you stop her?" Beta Benedict asked. "You wanted her to move out. That's what we all want.""Benedict. Not a word from you anymore. You made me feel embarrassed. The five of you talk like women!" he scolded. "How could you say those words?""Darling..." Mother said. She put her hands on my stepfather's arm. "Please don't get your anger ahead of you. You might say something later that you would regret."Mother was always like that. She acted like a peacemaker in the family. Acting like a bridge between me and her husband's family."No, darling. These boys need to earn their lesson.""Alpha Ezra. With all due respect, would you help Alpha Knoxx change his mind?" I said politely even if I was seething inside.My mind refused and could not accept this kind of punishment Knoxx wa
SUNSHINE:My stepbrother's burning gazes continued to burn a hole in my face.Gritting my teeth I fisted on my palms. They would always doubt what I could do. In their eyes, I was that weak woman who only knew how to follow her ex-mate wherever he went. Weak. Pathetic. Disgraceful. Name every degrading word and that would be how my stepbrothers would call me. Yeah. They were that kind of asshole."I can do it. Why do you continue giving me that look?"'Make sure you don't drag me away,' Knoxx stated inside my head. 'If they killed you there, I won't be dragging your dead body here. I will feed them to the scavengers. You hear me, woman?'A shiver ran down my spine.I knew this man had no inkling of like in me, but I never knew this would be this intense. I sucked in a breath and then pursed my lips. ‘Asshole,’ I spat.‘Not the kind of asshole like your mate.’‘You are my mate. And I also had my ex-mate. Are you referring to the former or the latter?’ ‘Your ex-mate. What else?’'No
SUNSHINE:If I had a camera by now, I would have long captured the shocked faces of my stepbrothers. Especially Knoxx.It seemed like they did not expect the silent girl before who would only talk when she was being talked by Alpha Jericho and her mother would say bold words like that.That was one thing they never knew about me. In fact, all they exhaled was judging me before getting to know me. After almost three years of staying in this pack, all they did was judge me. Alpha Ezra became our referee. I smiled sweetly at them when they had not gotten over it. "Are you surprised, my dear brothers? Surprise. Your stepsister is not someone whom you thought she was."My other three brothers cleared their throats. "How disgraceful," Knoxx exclaimed. "Are you even proud of your behavior?"Compared to mine, these five brothers were treated like princes in the pack. They were luckier than me. Never experiencing the harsh reality. While me…'It's not their fault they were born from an alp
SUNSHINE:It was Knoxx who recovered from the shock first.“Don’t mind this crazy woman,” Knoxx muttered. "Not as crazy as you.""Will you shut your mouth for a second?""Will you stop being an asshole for a second?" I retorted."Brother! You must leave this woman here. I'm afraid you will kill her on the road.""Oh, thank you so much for that fair warning. I will also make sure he won't be left without a wound.""That's a threat against the alpha! She must be punished," the fourth brother said. Knoxx held his hand and stared at me. "You made us sound as if they were the antagonist of your life," Knoxx declared, his eyes narrowing at me. 'We are not the spawns of the devil.'"If not, then what do you call everything that I suffered in your hands for the past two years?" I retorted back. "You never wanted me to be happy. Especially you, Knoxx. You ruined my wedding all because you hated me. And now you think I am wrong?""You are wrong!" the three brothers— Cayden, Dustin, and Alonso
SUNSHINE:My chest kept breaking apart. Alfonso looked like a candle losing its fire. I could not blame him really for being an asshole. He was also influenced by how his brothers treated me. And the worst part of all? I allowed them back then. I did not fight them. All I did was stay silent. Which was not supposed to be. By staying silent, I was giving my bullies the power to inflict pain. 'Knight-in-shining armor, huh? In your dreams. I just did not want the servants to report that we are ganging up on you. Father has his eyes and ears.''Fuck you, Knoxx,' I spat on his mind, feeding him all my hatred towards our bond. 'I hate you.''More than you hated your ex-mate?' he asked. 'Why do you have to keep hurting me?''It will be my goal to return how your mother hurt us through you.''I hope your wolf will give you a little spanking and defend me!' I hissed. 'My wolf already did. If I don't help you, he will nag until I can no longer fathom it,' Knoxx answered through our link.
SUNSHINE:To anger Knoxx more, I tightened my hold on him. Helena purred inside my head, liking the closeness we had. 'More,' she said. 'Hug him tighter.''Look who's talking now. The last time I checked, you were still clinging on to your ex-mate.''Knoxx is my new mate now. I have to deal with that.''As if I have a choice. After this one, I will reject him before I return to my previous pack.' 'No! Was the rejection not yet enough? I almost died, Sunshine. Please think of me for a moment.'And continue forcing myself on someone who loathes me and is a bully? No, thank you very much.'If we handle it well on the first rejection, we can also deal with the second.''We barely survived, Sunshine!' Helena cried. 'How could you do this to me?'If this man did not hate me this much, then he would protect me to the best of his ability.“Release me this instant!” he growled. I was brought back to the present. “And if I don’t?” I retorted. “I will cut off your hands,” he threatened as I
SUNSHINE:Knoxx's expression darkened as the surroundings outside. His mood was more gloomy than the sky. "You will never be my mate," Knoxx declared. Ouch. That hurt even if it came from a bastard like him. Despite ruining my wedding and uncovering my ex-mate's cheating, it still hurts a lot. I wondered if there was someone out there who would accept me for who I was. Was there such a thing as a third chance mate? Because if there was, I would be forever thankful for it. I promised I would love my mate forever and I would give the love he so much deserved. As if I want to be your mate, too," I mumbled under my breath. Lifting my gaze and meeting his eyes, I added, "You think I want to be yours too? Don't forget I have already forgiven what you did at my wedding." "That wedding was bound to halt.""Why? Because you've been telling me you will do everything to stop it?" I answered back. Yes, he did. Knoxx was secretly telling me that the wedding would push through. That he wou
SUNSHINE:Oh, great. Knoxx's pride was higher than the sky. Not even accepting the drinks and foods I offered? Well, it's not my loss but mine. I opened one pack of chocolate and ate it. Tomorrow. Maybe Knoxx would get something out of the forest if there was a forest along the way. He was one of the best hunters in our pack and I just could not help but depend on him.I feel so useless right now. Depending on my stepbrother who never even liked me. And a mate for that matter. I moaned as the delicious chocolate exploded in my mouth. This was better than nothing at all. If I should have known that there was a storm, I should have brought a lot of food. Still eating, I said, "'Don't you get it?""Get what?""We need to work hand in hand. When we reach Rogue Town, we are the only ones who are considered comrades. We cannot trust the rogues, yet. It's only you and I. So if I were you, I would start forgetting temporarily that you hated me."A growl escaped from his lips. "I don't wan