Truth That Hurt

[~CORAL~]

My father’s words has me halting in an instant. The heaviness in his words melded with the rage that kept wafting off him and I felt, deep within me that something wasn’t right.

The panicked expression that now splashed across the faces of my brothers didn’t do anything to soothe my racing, worried heart. As a matter of fact, it only made my curious yet worry filled heart plummet in my chest.

My breathing is ragged and I wait for my father to respond to me. When he finally turns to look at me, his rage seem to taper down a bit because the fierce silver glow in his eyes reverts back to its ice-blue colour.

“Pearl…” He breathes and starts towards me. He catches my face in his hands when he reach me and drawing our foreheads together, he takes in another breathe. “Are you alright? How are you feeling? You’ve been locked up in your room for so long… I was worried.”

I smile at my father’s soft gesture, I guess I really did make him worry. Catching his hands with mine, I pull apart from him. “I’m fine, father but…” I say, glancing over at my brothers lying in battered mess across the room then back at father. “What’s happened, father?”

He holds my gaze for a while then sighs, “Your brothers… no, I mean, your mates,” he start to explain, turning to them with a scowl on his face, “they’d been harboring a rather unpleasant secret from us.” He states with a bitter tone.

I still couldn’t shake of the feeling of having my brothers as my mates. The word always cause a shiver to run down my being. It always feels like a hot and cold chill passes through my bloodstream whenever I thought about it and I was still having a hard time accepting it.

And although Mother and father bore a worried expression on their faces, I couldn’t help but feel there was something more to their worried gazes and I felt it more especially from mother. She bore it too when she sat by my bedside this morning, in her attempt to console me.

It was a raw, obscure feeling that I couldn’t point my fingers at. Even though I couldn’t completely push it out of my mind, I decided to discard it for the moment and focused on the situation on ground instead.

I look over at my brothers again, this time, carefully taking in the extent of the damage father had inflicted on them. It was still hard to imagine how powerless they were against father’s strength, most especially, Raegan, since he was the Alpha King of the pack.

Raegan’s slouched against one knee with one of his hands clutch around his stomach area while the other supports his body on the floor.

Damian had his face bruised with blood trail on his temple. His left arm seem to be bruised or broken because he’s holding onto it and trying his best to conceal how much pain he’s in. The wall behind him is bashed in as well.

Rune is mostly surrounded by fallen book by the shelf and covered in specks of dust but he doesn’t seem to be in any serious pain nor with any serious injury or at least none that I can see. He looks more in piece than Raegan and Damian.

My curiosity rose up the spike, “What do you mean? What secret?” I ask, my question directed to my father but my gaze was locked on Raegan’s.

A sudden silence filled the air. Slowly, I turned to face my father and from his expression, I knew he was hesitant to state what this secret was. I don’t know why but I felt the odd wave sipping off him and I couldn’t help but think that this was going to be something unpleasant. But now I really wanted to know.

“What is it?” I probe gently but my curiosity was already eating at me. “Father, tell me.”

Father seem to struggle with the words but he finally spoke, “It’s... that they’ve known… about you being their mate and for a very long time.”

My father’s words forcefully knocks the air off my lungs. But despite the calmness in his tone, there was a lingering anger clouded within. He was trying to stay calm for my sake again.

“Is— Is it true? Have you always known?” I turn to face Raegan, wide eyed, my body starts to shake from the emotions that threatens to overwhelm me and knock me off my feet. My fist clench at my side as I hold my brother’s gaze.

“Yes,” Raegan’s responds is almost swift but he throws his head away to avoid my pinning gaze. “I—” He nibs his bottom lip, it looks almost painful, as though he’d draw blood if he bit any harder, but I wait for him to finish, surprisingly calm at my resolve to hear him out. “We’ve always known.”

My feet carries me closer and I glance over at the other two at the corner of the room, they didn’t meet my gaze either. The truth of Raegan’s words evident with their act.

It was true then... I felt my heart break again.

“How long?” I croak, my lungs aching for breath.

“Since you were a year old.”

I hear my father’s deep sigh and my mother’s gasp behind me but I pay her no mind. They weren’t the source of my anger right now, all my brewed emotions were simply directed to Raegan and it gets the better of me. Stepping into his space, I breathe my next words slowly.

“Look at me.”

Instantly his head comes up with a surprised beam in his gaze but the moment it does, my palm connects to his face, hard. The sound slice through the room like a sharp blade ripping through a sheer material.

Blood.

The sharp, metallic smell hits my nose as it slowly cascades down the cut on his cheek. I realized, I’d slightly shifted and my claw had cut the skin on his face when I slapped him. If I wasn’t sizzling with anger in this moment I probably would have been fawning over the fact that I’d unintentionally hurt him.

“Why?” My voice, a whisper as it flows out. His head still hung lowly, unresponsive to my question and my rage took over. “How could you be so selfish?!”

My rage made me tremble. I didn’t know how to deal with all the emotions rising within me. “How could you be alright with it? I’m your sister!”

“You’re not my sister!” Raegan retorts harshly and I felt my skin claw, my heart shatters into a million pieces. The force of his voice pushes me backwards and I almost stumble on my feet.

I clutch my chest with both of my hands, the air suddenly felt like it’d been enveloped by poison and it got harder to breathe properly.

“Wha-What did you just… say?”

“You absolute moron.” I hear father’s disappointed mutter behind me.

Raegan flinches, holding his abdomen and groaning. His head comes up and he pins me with an incomprehensible look.

“You’re not my sister,” He repeats those dreadful words but there’s an unsettling note in his tone.

“What do you mean by that?” I question, feeling dizzy from the shock of his blunt declaration but a million other question raged rampant in my head.

“We’re not blood related.”

I laugh, but it was stiff and bitter. “This is a joke right? You can't possibly be telling the truth, right? This is some cruel mirage, right?”

“Our bond is not a mirage nor a lie.” Raegan’s voice is a painful echo in my head and I feel the shattered pieces of my heart sweep away by the storm in my soul.

I shake my head, refusing to accept the words because he had to be joking right now, just as how the goddess was playing this cruel joke on me.

“No.” I shiver. “Take that back… You’re lying—”

“It’s the truth Coral. You’re my mate. Our mate. And it isn’t a cruel joke from the goddess either.”

“No, it’s not true! It can’t be true! I am your sister and all this is madness!” I yell, brewing with hot anger and frustration as tears cascade my face.

My chest wounds up like it's about to implode any moment and I tremble at my core. It felt like I was dying on the inside, like my world was continuously colliding with each other and imploding rapidly.

And the chaos with which it created was deafening.

But I refuse this. I refuse this nightmare. I didn’t want any of this… I didn’t want to be mates with my own brothers. It was repulsive and I didn’t want to be a part of this sick game. I reject it!

This wasn't what I wanted for goddess sake!

This wasn't how I'd envisioned my life to be. Why would this fate be placed on me?!

But I’d had enough of it. There was only one thing left to do.

“I, Coral Hendrik,” I start to declare and Raegan’s eyes grows wide with horror when he realizes the words I’m about to speak.

They all did. I feel their panic and dread and their wide gazes on me.

“Moonbeam, no— Don’t!”

“reje—”

“Flower, please, calm down.” I hear mother’s soft voice behind me. Her hands wraps over my mouth and seals my words.

And I yell frustrated, muffled words through my mother’s palm, trying to pry her hands away but she didn’t budge.

Why would she do that? Couldn’t she see just how insane this was? I couldn’t possibly live like this.

This wasn’t what I wanted. So why?

What had I done to ever deserve this fate?

“I know you're hurt and angry and frustrated but please, don't do it. Don't say those words, honey.”

My muffled screams turns into muffled tears and I wailed into my mother’s palm. Mother holds me in her embrace as I cry out bitter, angry tears.

My body slowly crashes to the floor against my mother’s bosom.