Chapter five
Mauricio’s POV
I watched as her demeanor towards me change from rage, to a loving feeling and that only made me want her even more.
“Let’s skip the party and spend some time together before we leave, what do you say?”
She smiled then, but that smile soon faded when we both felt the presence of her father.
“I see you’ve brought her back and in a better mood.”
I wanted to growl, but I had to show respect especially if I wanted to make Emilia my wife.
“Yes Sir, we were just about to join the party.”
He looked down at Emilia then up at me with confusion then suddenly yanked Emilia away from me.
“How dare you mark my child without permission?!”
I saw the pain flash through Emilia’s eyes, but I had to stand my ground.
“She is my mate Sir.”
“MATE! She has no mate! She’s not even a Virgin!”
“I don’t care, I love her and I want to marry her.”
He then threw his head back and laughed as Emilia tried to loosen his hold on her, but he only grabbed on tighter.
“Sir, let her go, you’re hurting her.”
“Good!”
I growled then.
“Don’t you growl at me! She is no good! You deserve a pure girl to become your Luna, not this.”
He yanked her around as tears streamed down her face, but I couldn’t bring myself to telling him that I was the one who took her innocence away and that I was the father of her child.
“Daddy please!”
“Sir, please let her go. It wasn’t her fault what happened to her.”
“Of course it is! Now go to the party while I deal with her, go on.”
I looked at Emilia, but she wouldn’t look at me.
“Em…”
“Just go!”
“Go on she doesn’t deserve your sympathy let alone whatever you feel for her!”
I was about to open my mouth, but I knew I had no choice, he was Alpha.
I made my way back to the party feeling like my guts were going to spill out of me.
“What happened?”
As soon as my brother spotted me I was yanked to the side and given a drink which I swallowed in one gulp.
“Alpha took her.”
He knew then that there was nothing I could do.
“I’m sorry.”
I shook my head and grabbed another drink.
“I couldn’t even help her against him, I couldn’t do it four years ago when he took her and I couldn’t do it now.”
He patted my back and sighed.
“I think it would be best if you just forget about her.”
“I can’t! I marked her Antonio, I marked her as mine.”
“When?”
“When I found her, I was so mad and hurt that I just bit her.”
“I don’t think it’ll last long, he’ll set you and her free if that’s what he wants.”
Emilia’s POV
I tried to stay strong, but the pain of not being near Mauricio was more than painful.
“I can’t believe he wants you. He’s a good man, a business man with a good head on his shoulders and here he wants you and even marks you!”
I don’t say anything as I’m trying to keep myself from falling as he drags me to the basement. I already knew what he was doing and I wasn’t going to fight him on it. He was right, Mauricio deserved better. Who was I kidding? No one wanted me, except Christian, Christian was the only man who’s ever laid eyes on me and wanted me.
He sat me down on a chair and took off his jacket, pulling up his sleeves and grabbing the knife.
“After this I want you upstairs in a new dress and pretend like nothing happened. This is your sister’s week and after that I don’t give a rats ass what happens to you, do you understand me?”
“Yes.”
“If this doesn’t kill you of course.”
He came closer and without a warning sliced my skin. My mouth was covered before a scream came out and he continued until every trace of Mauricio’s mark was gone.
When it was all done, he left me to be tended to by the pack’s medicine woman.
“This is going to sting.”
She poured some awful smelling stuff on me, making me bite down on my tongue.
“I’m so sorry, but it’ll heal it faster without any damage.”
I nodded, but wouldn’t look at her.
“Thank you.”
I could already feel it working and slowly got up.
“I think it’s best if you stayed down here, you’ve lost a bit of blood.”
“I can’t, I have to.”
I stumbled a little from being light headed, but made my way up. I changed as fast as I could and took a couple deep breaths before pulling myself together then made my way to the party. I smiled to whoever recognized me and sat down. I could feel everyone’s gaze one me and whispers, but I just looked forward and took deep breaths.
I watched as Emily and Antonio spoke to several people and how my parents kept happy faces. Everyone seemed to be having a good time, like everything was right with the world and nothing was wrong.
No one dared to come talk to me or offer me anything, so I sat there torturing myself in seeing that my sister was getting what she always wanted while I suffered in silence.
Then there was the clink of the glasses and that’s when I spotted Mauricio slowly getting up and quickly taking a look at me.
“I just wanted to thank everyone on behalf of the happy couple and of course their proud parents for coming tonight and celebrating their last two days of being single.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat and took a deep breath telling myself to keep it together. I wanted to run, run as fast as I could, but I could see dad’s men surrounding me in particular and my dad eyeing me with clear hatred in them.
I looked back down and closed my eyes. The pain in my shoulder was evidence of what I couldn’t have and never will and I had to accept that because of the mistake I made and kept.
“Now a word from the bride’s sister Emilia.”
My head snapped up and met his eyes, what the hell was he thinking?!
“Emilia why don’t you stand up and say a couple of words?”
I slowly got up and took the microphone. I watched as everyone waited, especially my father.
“Ummm… well what I can say, but that I’m thankful in being able to see that Emily has found her prince charming. It’s not every day that one can find their mate so close to home and have the opportunity to share it with everyone in such a way that even I had to fly down here and see it for myself.”
Everyone smiled and laughed which I was thankful for.
“I’m just thankful that I was able to see you get what you’ve always wanted and Antonio thank you for making her so happy, congratulations to the both of you.”
I sat down then and took a deep breath. I was suddenly not feeling so good and had to step away from everyone. I made it up to my room and lay down, letting sleep take over.
Mauricio’s POV
I felt the pain, the agony that she had gone through while her dad took my mark away. I clenched my heart as I breathed through my nose and my brother held my hand.
Then it was gone and I had to bite back tears just so no one would see what was going on. Her father walked back in looking at me with a smirk on his face.
BASTARD! If it wasn’t for my father’s loyalty to him, I would take him down myself.
“Come on, sit.”
I shook my head and walked away. I needed to be alone. It didn’t take long before I was at our spot. The spot I found my mate for the first time and made her mine.
“I’m sorry Emilia, I’m so sorry.”
I was a coward for not fighting for her, for not standing up to him like I should have, like a mate should have. Now I’ll never have her, I’ll never see my son and I’ll never have them by my side. Life was fucken unfair and it was all my fault.
“Son?”
I quickly wiped my tears and looked back to see mom.
“I’ll be right there.”
Mom knew me better than anyone and she knew when I was ready to talk I would. I walked her back to the party just as Emilia walked back. What the hell was she doing here, especially after what happened?
“She doesn’t look so good.”
“No, she doesn’t.”
“Wonder why.”
I looked down at mom and took her hand.
“Don’t worry, you should be enjoying yourself.”
“I feel bad for her. It’s clear she’s not wanted here.”
“I know, but there’s nothing we can do.”
“Maybe you could cheer her up?”
I sighed and guided her back to dad, giving her a kiss.
“Be good.”
I made my way over to the main table where she clearly wasn’t invited to be and watched her from the corner of my eye. When they wanted a speech I reluctantly got up and said a couple of words that really didn’t come from the heart. I really wanted to tell everyone to shove it, but I couldn’t so just I made sure Emilia was included somehow.
It hurt me to see that she was happy for her sister and that she didn’t resent anyone for anything. Her heart was bigger than mine could ever be and I loved her even more for it.
It was clear she was struggling to stay up and keep herself from tumbling over. Her pale skin was indication enough that she was in pain, but she pulled through and quickly ended her speech.
I heard a whimper and turned to see Emily crying and I should have felt compelled to tell her everything was okay, but I couldn’t.
“Congratulations you two.”
And with that I left the party. I couldn’t stay there any longer knowing Emilia was suffering and hurting because of me.
I made it back to my house, but couldn’t sleep so I snuck into her room and watched her as she slept.
I watched as she whimpered from the pain and after an hour I couldn’t take it. I slowly stripped her from her clothes and peeled back the bandage. I clenched my fist to my side and fought the urge to punch something.
He didn’t just remove it; he made sure she would never be able to be marked again.
I bent down and licked it clean, atleast this would help her heal a lot faster. She moaned when I got to a particular spot, making me smile.
“Emilia?”
She whimpered, but didn’t wake up.
“Emilia, I’m sorry, I love you.”
Her door then swung opened with Emily clearly coming to talk to her.
“Mauricio what are you doing?!”
“Healing her.”
“You can’t be here or daddy will kill you.”
“Then let him, but I’m not leaving here until she’s alright.”
“I’ll take care of her, I promise.”
“Yeah just like you’ve taken care of her so far? I don’t think so.”
“I didn’t know!”
“Of course you didn’t. You never think about anyone except yourself, I don’t know how my brother can love you if it wasn’t for the bond.”
She gasped, but I didn’t care that I was hurting her. Emilia deserved better than having the family she had.
“Emilia didn’t know who I was, I didn’t give her a chance before I took her.”
“What are you talking about?”
I sighed and looked up at her, taking her out of the room.
“I’m the guy she gave herself to. I’m her mate and I’m the father of her son.”
“OH MY GOD!”
“Shhh!”
“Sorry.”
I leaned against the door and looked up, letting out a breath.
“So, what are you going to do now?”
“Nothing, I think she’s just better off.”
“You’re just going to let her go?”
I looked down at her and sighed.
“Do I have a choice? I didn’t fight for ‘her; I didn’t even stand up for her and tell him the truth about us! I couldn’t, I couldn’t tell him.”
She watched me as the pain of it all dragged me down.
“You should go and don’t worry I’ve got her.”
I didn’t have a choice but to let her do what sisters do. I just hope she wasn’t lying about it.
I took her phone out of my pocket and handed it to her.
“Give this to her please, she’s probably worried sick about Maison.”
She nodded and went inside.
Emilia’s POV
I woke up to a vibration and quickly got up seeing that my phone was in my hands. I smiled and answered.
“Hello?”
“Momma?”
“Oh hey baby.”
“Where are you?”
“Still here baby, something came up and I have to stay, but I’ll be there like we planned.”
“Awwww!”
“I know baby, I’m sorry.”
I rubbed my forhead like I always do to keep myself from crying. Thankfully Taylor took the phone before I started crying.
“So you’re not coming back?”
“I can’t.”
“Then I’m coming down there, I can’t stand hearing you like this.”
“You can’t.”
“The hell I can! For four years I’ve seen a happy and strong woman develop and I’m not about to let them bring you back down!”
“Please don’t.”
“You can’t stop me.”
The phone went dead and I knew that there was no stopping her now. My stomach growled at that moment, realizing that I hadn’t ate in two days since I came. I slowly got up and went into the bathroom and took a shower. My womb was now fully healed, but very much visible.
“Emilia, are you in there?”
I quickly wrapped myself in a towel and opened the door.
“I brought you breakfast.”
She was starring at my scare, but then looked at me.
“Just give me a minute.”
“Okay.”
I closed the door again and changed then went out to find her sitting on the bed with the remote.
“I thought we could watch movies and hang out.”
“Don’t you have wedding stuff to do?”
“Nah, mom has it handled and besides the boys went golfing so it’s just you and I. Come on, eat.”
I slowly crawled back onto the bed and took a donut. Taylor would kill me for this, but I needed comfort food.
So we watched movies and ate, but my mind kept going back to Mauricio and found myself touching my scar.
“So I asked Antonio if we could have our honeymoon in New York.”
I looked at her and frowned.
“Why?”
“I want to see where my sister lives.”
I looked down and then back at her.
“I don’t live the way you do.”
“I don’t care, I want to see. Maybe you can show us around and give us the inside on all the best places to eat.”
I felt the ping in my heart.
“I don’t know many places as I can’t afford it and with the money welfare give me I barely have enough for dollar cheese burgers at McDonalds.”
I didn’t dare look at her, but I knew my sister well enough to know what she was thinking.
“Do you go anywhere?”
“I know central park very well and all the little shops where you can find the cheapest clothes. I can tell you which train to get to where and how long it’ll take you and I knew the best hotdog stand. Maison loves hotdogs, but he doesn’t get them often.”
“Tell me about him.”
“Who?”
“My nephew, do you have pictures?”
I smiled and opened up my phone gallery, showing her and telling her stories about each picture.
“He’s beautiful.”
“He is, makes my day a lot better knowing I’ve got someone to come home too.”
“I’m sorry.”
I took my phone back and looked down at him.
“I should have told you.”
“I was told a different story.”
I nodded and looked up.
“It’s not your fault, I made a mistake and eventually that mistake was going to cost me something.”
“Did he rape you?”
“No! Oh god no, we just got into the heat of finding each other that everything else flew out the window.”
“Do you regret it?”
“Not all the time, but I do.”
“Do you now?”
I shook my head and looked up at her.
“No. I finally have something to tell Maison, who he is, what he looks like and what he’s like. It’s not just a memory or dream anymore. He could finally put a face to it and so can I.”
“You two would have been great together.”
I shrugged and laid down.
“He was never meant to be with me. In fact I never wanted this. I just came to see you get married and then leave. Everything else wasn’t important to me.”
“So you were never going to tell us or try to come back?”
“You saw dad, he hates me.”
“He’s hurt.”
I pulled my shirt down, showing her my scar.
“This hurts. He hates me. You should have seen his face when he took the knife in his hands…”
I saw the horror in her eyes, so I just stopped.
“Never mind, let’s go out and do something. This sitting here is making me sleepy.”
“Then let’s sleep!”
I laughed and we both took a nap together.