“I’ll happily admit if there’s any truth to what you say. ‘The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree’ wasn’t it? You’re absolutely right.” She smirked and threw her head back arrogantly, glaring down her nose haughtily.
Ann steeled herself for the words that Ada was about to throw at her. If she agreed with anything, it was only because it served her purpose.
“You were right with that statement, do you want to know why?”
“Not really, Ada. Your little theatrics bore me quite honestly. I have better things to do with my time” Ann answered casually as she turned to leave.
Ada’s arm shot out and she gripped Ann’s arm painfully, digging her fingernails into the soft flesh with a smile.
“Oh, you’ll stay and listen you weak little bitch.” Ada hissed quietly so no one could hear but the two of them.
“You and your mother are the same. Weak-willed, insipid wretches that can’t hold onto their men. When they’ve stolen away, they blame everyone but themselves. Look at you, you’re as pathetic as she was.” She snorted.
Before Ann could stop herself, she had reacted on impulse and brought her hand around in a swift arc, the sound of the slap she landed on Ada’s face echoed sharply.
It seemed to happen in slow motion as her hand connected and Ada’s head snapped round, the force of the impact knocking her off balance as she staggered to the side slightly and let go of Ann’s arm.
Ann was breathing heavily as she tried to reign in her own anger. She had never wanted to pummel someone as badly as she did Ada right now.
Ada turned her head slightly to grin at her from the floor, and the madness on her face startled Ann momentarily as she stared back with wide eyes of disbelief.
“Do you know why Brad chose me over you?” Ada laughed, the sound a little unhinged as she drew in a long breath slowly.
She stood unsteadily, and faced Ann again, staying a little out of arms reach this time as her eyes danced with a hostile fire as she smoothed her clothes down.
“It’s because I’m carrying his child.” She giggled coyly.
Ann froze as a chill swept over her. It couldn’t be. Then, that would mean this had happened more than once.
As she wrestled with her conflicting emotions and stared blankly ahead of her in shock, Ada smirked as she began to slowly circle her.
“Such a pity that of all the years you spent with him, he simply couldn’t get me out of his mind. You weren’t enough Ann, you’ll never be enough. When he left you in the evenings he came to warm my bed. All you ever were was a title to him, a means to inherit a kingdom.” Ada intoned quietly, her poisonous words etching their mark painfully into Ann’s heart.
Then, all of the times he left hurriedly were because of Ada. There were never any assignments, family meetings, or pack business… it was all hastily concocted excuses so that he could lay with her step-sister… and she had been ignorant to it the whole time.
She felt like such a fool.
As much as she wanted to scream and cry and rage, Ann managed to retain her composure and tried her best to close her heart off from the pain. She dug her fingernails into her palm to distract herself as Ada continued her rambling.
“Such a pitiful little wretch.” Ada tutted with a sneer. “Don’t worry though, I’ll talk with my father soon enough, and then it will be Brad and me that are married.” She smirked happily as she ceased her predatory circling and stood in front of Ann again.
She swept her gaze over Ann once more, the disdain and contempt oozing out of her very being, and leaned in close in an effort to intimidate her.
“I told you, Ann, I will take everything from you and there is nothing that you can do to take it back.”
Ann stared at her and felt all of the fights leave her. Why should she care now? She had a new plan and that didn’t include ever seeing Brad or Ada ever again.
As a strange sense of calmness settled over her, numbing the aching pain in her heart, she smiled serenely at Ada and almost laughed at the look of confusion on her face.
“You can have him, Ada. He’s not worth my time or my energy. I have bigger and better things to do right now than play your little games. Good luck with your new child and your impending marriage. I hope you don’t regret your actions.”
With that, Ann gathered her skirts in her arms once again and turned to begin the climb up the staircase.
The sooner she was out of this stupid dress, the better.
Ann woke with a start to the incessant vibrating of her phone on the bedside table.?
With her heart beating wildly at being forcibly woken unexpectedly, she fumbled around trying to find the damn thing with her bleary vision.
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When her fingers finally closed around the familiar surface of her phone, she hurriedly checked the caller display and saw the name of her cheating ex flash up on the screen.
She narrowed her eyes and pressed the reject b*tton before throwing herself back on the bed. 32 missed calls and a stream of messages across SMS and social media flashed up on her notifications from him. Ann snorted derisively.
Her head turned to the side on her pillow and she scanned her room. A wry smile formed on her face as her eyes landed on the discarded wedding dress crumpled in the corner of her room.
She was supposed to be getting married today… the day she had dreamed of and planned for all these years destroyed in merely a few moments.
The phone vibrated noisily in her hand and a quick look revealed yet another call from Brad. She sighed internally and answered. “What?” She sneered into the phone. “Ann, please, you have to believe me, it’s not what it looked like…” Brad began hastily before Ann cut him off with an incredulous laugh.
“Oh, f*uc*k off, Brad. It was exactly what it looked like and you know it. Don’t take me for a fool any more than you already have done. We’re done.”
“Wait! Ann! You can’t be serious? One mistake after all these years…”
“Only one? Funny that… Ada was quite eager to fill me in on all of the glorious details of your sordid relationship over the years that you conducted behind my back.”
“What? She’s lying! I swear Ann. It was only once and I was blind drunk…”
“She’s pregnant with your child, Brad.” Ann spat icily.
A cold silence extended between the two of them for a few minutes. Anne wrapped her arms around herself, suddenly cold. She wished Maeve would speak up with some c”oc”ky, inappropriate comment but since they had returned last night, there had been nothing but silence. “Impossible. It’s not my child. There’s no way…” Brad answered finally, a panicked edge to his voice.
“I don’t care, Brad, this isn’t my business. Find a way to sort it yourself.” Ann answered flippantly, already slamming the walls around her heart so that he could never hurt her this way again.
“What? Of course, it’s your business! You’ll be my wife in a matter of hours! We can face this together, Ann, we’ll work through
Ann snorted loudly and laughed hard. It was a sound devoid of any happiness and filled with mockery.
“You can’t seriously expect me to still go through with the wedding after this, Brad. Get over yourself. I refuse to play stepmother to the brat of my step-sister… that’s beyond all kinds of f”uc”ked up.” Ann sneered derisively. “You can’t just cancel the wedding! This has taken months to organize! People have traveled from different counties just to be here! What am I supposed to tell everyone?”
“That you stuck your dic”k in my sister, but then, honesty isn’t really your strong point is it?” “Ann… please…”
“fuc”k you, Brad. I hope your wolf deserts you. Ann… don’t…”
“I Ann Veritas reject you…” The sound of the line going dead and the resulting tone of a disconnected call bleeped loudly in Ann’s ear.
She stared incredulously at the phone in her hand. “Did he just… MOTHERf*uc*kER!” Ann screamed as she launched her phone across the room angrily and watched it bounce off the wall and onto the floor.
If Brad thought that would save him from Ann’s rejection he had another thing coming. Ann slid off the bed angrily and after a quick shower and washing her hair, she began to get ready.
“Self-obsessed, arrogant little prick. How dare he refuse to listen to my rejection. Just wait until I get my hands on the little twerp.” Ann muttered furiously as she rapidly pulled her clothes on and grabbed her phone from the position where it had landed.
She stormed out of the bedroom and barely dodged the housekeepers in her fury as she entered the kitchen area looking to grab a quick breakfast to take with her.
The Kitchen staff hurriedly passed her a bag with a hastily prepared bacon and egg panini and she thanked them hastily as she turned and walked straight into Ada. Ada shrieked as the coffee she had been carrying tipped down her front and glowered at Ann furiously.
“Watch where you’re going, freak! f*uc*k! This was new, it’s completely ruined!” Ada wailed.
“New? Thought sloppy seconds were more your style.” Ann snapped as she pushed past her.
“Awww, is the little princess still sore that I’ll be marrying her man because I’m a better choice? Really, Ann, you’re ugly enough already, if you let jealousy twist you more no one will want you.”
Ada’s shrill laugh tore through her and Ann whirled around snarling furiously and rushed towards her.
Ada yelped, her eyes wide with fear as she tried to get away from her but she was too slow.
She was slammed into the wall with such f0rce that all the air from her lungs left her. Ann’s forearm pressed dangerously against her neck and she gasped for breath as he stared panic-stricken into Ann’s eyes.
Ann’s eyes were ablaze with a fury that she hadn’t known she was capable of and she snarled menacingly, her tone conveying her deadly intent clearly.
“You’ve pushed me too far this time, Ada. You’re welcome to the bastard. Keep him, ride him to your heart’s desire, pop out as many pups as you can for him, and live happily. While you do so… NEVER darken my door or speak to me again, do you understand me?”
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Ada nodded furiously, rapidly turning a frightening shade of purple as she clawed desperately at Ann’s arm. “If I EVER hear of my father being mistreated or he meets an untimely demise, know that I will return here with a fury that you have never seen before and I will annihilate both you and your mother. Do I make myself clear?” Ann roared.
Ada nodded furiously again her eyes beginning to roll up into her skull and her attempts to wrestle Ann’s arm from its position on her neck became weaker.
With a snort, Ann released Ada roughly and with a final look of contempt over her shoulder made her way to the front door.
“What is the meaning of this?!” Her father’s voice shouted angrily from behind her and Narcissa’s terrified shrieks sounded as she fussed over Ada from the position she had slumped in.
Ann paused and turned slowly to face her father.
“I’m stepping aside. I won’t be marrying Brad today, or ever in fact” Ann answered calmly. “You can’t just call off…” “Ada is pregnant with Brad’s child.” Ann retorted coolly, cutting her father off.
Her father blanched as Narcissa’s genuine shocked gasp fOrced an ironic smile to play at the edges of Ann’s lips. That was probably the first time that she had ever heard anything genuine come out of Narcissa’s lips.
“So, you see, father, I’m stepping aside and allowing Ann to take my place in this marriage.”
“But… but, the alliance…” Her father stammered worriedly.
“There’s no reason it cannot be enforced with Ada taking my place. Brad won’t be king, but, considering both his and Ada’s dishonest nature evidenced by their actions, and his treatment of his fated mate… I doubt the council of Elders would approve of his ascension to the throne anyway.” Ann smirked as she turned to leave. “Wait! Ann… where are you going?” Her father called, with genuine concern in his voice.
Ann smiled bitterly as she turned to face him.
“I’ve made other arrangements. They shouldn’t impact you too much, but I’ll be gone for a few years. I may be back to collect my things, or I may send someone in my place. Either way, take care of yourself, father. I’ll see you when I return… If I return…”
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