"I'm sorry but it sounds like you are kicking me out of my own father's house, Uncle Russell. Which is weird because the house belongs to me as his only child" I told him.
"Junno" he moves to closer and rub my shoulder like he is trying to stop things from escalating. "Your mother and I…"
"Keep my mother's name out of your mouth, Rus. We both know mom would never kick me out. Unlike you, she actually loves me"
Russell Rodriguez was quiet for a few seconds before he rubbed his beard and exhaled.
"Fine. I made the decision. I don't want you under the same roof as my children. Your reputation is ruined, Juno. If you stay, you will make Belly and Ronny targets too and I can't have that…"
"Too bad. It's my house" I said in a quiet voice.
"Not anymore" he said and handed a piece of paper to me. "Alpha Carsten agrees with me. Everything that's yours is mine now"
I look at him.
I mean, they would all like you to believe that blood is thicker than water yet it's often those we share blood with that are capable of hurting us the most deeply.
Else how could he conspire with the rest of Hellsgate pack to deny me of what's mine?!
Me!
I am his niece, his step daughter…yet he would stoop so low.
He'd be so cruel.
"Don't do this" I whisper, hoping my plea would reach parts of his heart that aren't as dark as his soul.
A part that still remembers throwing me up in the air as a two year old and watching me as I giggled before yelling 'Uncle, again! Again! Higher! Higher Uncle Russy!'
The part that wasn't tainted by his sin of fratricide.
I watch him shrug, his face contouring in fake pity and sympathy.
"I'm sorry, Juno. Alpha's word is final. My hands are tied" he answers, his cowardly gaze avoiding mine.
Final?
Alpha's word is final?
They would force me to live a life as a destitute in my own pack! My father's pack! because of something that was totally out of my control.
What happened yesterday to little Bryer Carsten was a shame…an accident.
No little boy deserves to be caught in a rival pack's land by an evil rival Alpha's heir and be tortured just for fun.
But why am I paying for it? Am I not the one that tried to save him after I stumbled on them?
Am I not the one who ran to get help but it was too late?
Why is my blood relative helping them destroy me?
"You could be a decent human being and not…do…this. Where am I supposed to go? Hellsgate is all I know" my voice quivered just a little.
He paused and scratched his eyebrows.
"I did everything I could, kid. I risked my neck to intercede on your behalf with the Alpha-" Russel starts to lie but I interrupt him.
"Bullshit!" I scream, my body coursing in bloody murderous rage.
I am not blind.
I see it in his eyes.
He enjoys watching me grovel. My pain is his pleasure.
Russell Rodriguez lives for this kind of shit!
He takes a step closer to me.
"Not bullshit, Juno. You did a bad thing" He yells at me, his spit spurting out and part of it falling on my face.
Disgust is too little for what I feel.
"Actions have consequences, Juno…I am sorry but they do. You could have saved the Alpha's son if you weren't too…"
"Too what?" I scream at him. "Too what, Russell!"
"Too prideful, Juno"
The voice came from behind us.
It was Arabella. Russel's daughter, my half sister or cousin depending on which family tree one's looking at.
Arabella may be two years younger than me but she takes after her father in more ways than I would like.
She's cruel and she's vindictive and she schemes…and she's good at it even Mama is blind to her flaws.
"You think that because you look like that and have a body like that, that you can get away with anything, Juno" Belly clapped her hands at me.
Today must be Christmas for her. She is certainly enjoying herself right now.
"Guess what?! Even your pretty face can't save you now. How does it feel to be the pack's reject, Juno?!" Her laughter echoed, it sounded like dropping pins to my ears.
"You should have dropped to your knees and begged for Bryer's return like they wanted you to..instead you choose to sit on your high horse! Now, they want to take everything from you. Good news is that Liam is finally rid of you! You don't deserve him anyway"
Russell clears his throat but he doesn't stop her.
I don't stop her either except to say "You are sixteen, Belly. You are a little girl. You wouldn't understand"
"I wouldn't understand what?" She asks, her little manicured fingernail gripping her short skirt.
I look at her.
Something must have gone wrong between us while I wasn't looking.
Sisters are supposed to be close and love each other to eternity, so why is mine so different from the status quo.
My sister is a bitch!
So I set out to educate poor little Belly.
"Isabelle Sometimes when a man tells you to get on your knees, it can mean a lot of things, Belly. It could mean allowing him to -"
"That's enough, Juno" Russel decided to intervene. It's his precious Belly after all, isn't it? And there are things we must not tell our pure innocent Belly.
"Go help your mother, sweetheart" Russell instructed firmly.
But it begs the question, where is dear old mother of mine right now?
"Mama!" I scream as loudly as I can. "Mom! Help me!"
Russell pushes Belly into the house and pulls the door shut.
"Don't waste your energy, dear. Your mother is hopped up on her anxiety meds, those make her droopy and drowsy, remember?"
Of course, I remember.
They make her blind to his and the rest of my family's cruelty too.
Arielle Rodriguez prefers the safe illusion of the beautiful family that she created in her head to the sick version we really are.
"I tried to help you, kiddo…at my expense but…"
Liar!
"The only person you are interested in helping is yourself, Uncle Russ. The only back you are looking out for is yours and yours alone. You are helping them crucify me"
My rage blinds me instantly and with it my sense of safety. "First, you murder my father and then you dare take what's mine…"
I hear the sound of his punch even before I feel the pain of his brutality.
It isn't the first time, dear uncle has melted his own form of justice but it's the first time he'd done it out without care that someone might see my bruises.
I guess blowing air up the Alpha's ass is paying off for the sinful beta.
"Don't you ever bring up my brother's name! He'd be ashamed of you Juno Rodriguez. He'd be ashamed"
I blink. Tears run down my cheek.
"No" I say. "I am screwed up but I'm not that screwed up. My Dad…"
I don't mean to, but a fresh batch of tears emerges, thinking of my dead father always comes with a sense of irrevocable sorrow and loss.
It's like losing a limb. It's more than losing a limb, it's a scar that never heals.
"My Dad…he would defend me. My father? He would fight to the death in defense of me, Russel. My Dad?! He is not like you…you scheming - brother killing - wife stealing - fucker!"
Another slap.
This one is harder than the last and I stagger just a little bit before finding my footing. Blood trickled down my nose and I wiped it off with my hand.
Russell had gone too far. He's never drawn blood before.
"Juno…" he tried to touch me, his eyes mellowing like it was suddenly human.
"No"
I take a step back and look away.
Russell turns around and walks inside. Snapping the locks shut.
"Russell! Russell!" I yelled and banged on the door. "Mom!" I screamed out loud several times but it was dead silent.
"Russell! Where am I supposed to go?!"