Chapter 25
I saw red. The moment Amaya and my father walked into the ballroom together, every rational thought in my head snapped. Gasps echoed around me. Whispers spread like wildfire. But I didn’t care.
I marched straight toward them. My heart pounded in my chest, a storm of rage and betrayal crashing through me. The people in the room blurred into the background, their murmurs fading into meaningless noise.
“What the hell is going on?” I demanded, my voice sharp, unforgiving.
Amaya flinched.
My father—the man who abandoned our family, the man I hadn’t seen in years—stood there like nothing was wrong. His sharp eyes, so much like my own, flickered with something unreadable.
“Aurora, listen, I can explain.” His voice was calm, too calm.
“Explain?” I seethed. “EXPLAIN?”
I barely glanced at him before turning to Amaya. My hands shook with fury.
And then—I slapped her.
Hard.
The sharp crack of my palm against her cheek echoed through the ballroom.
A stunned silence followed. Amaya didn’t move. She didn’t cry. She didn’t yell. She just stared at me with empty eyes.
Like she felt nothing. That only made me angrier.
“How could you do this to me?” I screamed, my voice breaking. “How could you LIE to me like this?”
Amaya didn’t answer.
She just stood there, like a soulless doll, her face blank, her silence cutting deeper than any words ever could.
And then—my father stepped between us. And he shoved me. Not hard, but enough to make me stumble back.
“Don’t you dare touch my girlfriend.”
My breath hitched and my world stopped. For a moment, I thought I had misheard him. But no. He had actually said it. I stared at him, at the man who raised me, the man who left me, the man who was supposed to be my father.
“Do you even hear yourself?” My voice barely came out. He didn’t even look ashamed.
“Yes, she’s my girlfriend,” he said simply.
I wanted to tear him apart. My mother is dying, and here he is, flaunting my best friend like she’s some kind of prize—like she’s his to show off. I’ve never hated anyone more in my life.
“How are you not EMBARRASSED?” I whispered, my entire body shaking. “How do you feel no SHAME, no GUILT?”
My father exhaled, completely unbothered. “Behave, Aurora. You are a Luna now. Act like one.”
Something inside me snapped. I lunged. I didn’t care about the ball. I didn’t care about the people watching. Alex even tried to stop me but it was too late. I jumped on my father, my fists swinging, my nails clawing at anything I could reach.
“YOU DISGUST ME!” I screamed, rage consuming me whole.
Amaya tried to pull me off, but I turned on her next.
We crashed to the floor, dresses tangling, hair being pulled, a mess of rage and betrayal.
I didn’t even recognize myself. All I saw was red. Strong arms yanked me back. I thrashed wildly, my breath ragged, still trying to reach them.
“Aurora, STOP!”
It was Killian.
His hands tightened around my waist, pulling me away from the chaos. His voice was sharp, angry.
“Hey, stop it! Aurora! BEHAVE!” He shook his head in disbelief. “How are you acting like this as my Luna? You’re embarrassing all of us!”
I didn’t care. I couldn’t care. Because the only thing I saw was betrayal. The room erupted into chaos. People whispered, gasped. And then—the decision was made. A voice rang out. It’s from one of the respected elders.
“Enough! Killian, take your Luna and leave.”
We were being kicked out.
Killian’s grip on me tightened. His jaw clenched, but he didn’t argue. He didn’t fight for me. He just nodded once and dragged me out.
My father and Amaya followed, but they weren’t being dragged. They walked out together. Like they had won. Alex retreated to a corner, like the coward he is. I didn’t see Arla after the commotion. The cool night air hit me the second we stepped outside, but it did nothing to cool the fire inside me.
I spun around, chest heaving, teeth clenched.
“You are the CURSE to this family,” my father sneered.
I froze. For a second, everything went silent. His words hung in the air, poisonous, irreversible. A curse.
That’s what I was to him? Not a daughter. Not blood. Not family.
Just a curse.
