Chapter 2

Liam scrambled back to Stella who groggily opened her eyes and he helped her sit. Tears welled up in his eyes. It’s a sight I’ve never seen before. He hugged Stella who hugged him back as tears fell out of her eyes as well.

I felt happy for them from the bottom of my heart. But as I watched them hug and talk about how much they cared for each other, somehow, I felt like a third wheel at the moment so I walked out leaving them alone.

Getting a glass of water from the kitchen I headed back to Stella's room. I softly offered the glass but she only frowned at me. "Liam, what is she doing here? Did you marry her as dad asked?" Stella asked, panicking.

I recalled how Alpha Jack once told Liam that he wanted him to marry me and this had upset Stella a lot whereas Liam didn't take it seriously. At that time I didn't know that I would be Liam's mate.

"Of course not. We are not married. She saved you. We’re…we’re good friends now." He said to Stella.

I watched him stunned. Friends? Everyone knows I'm his mate. Just an hour ago he was talking about having kids in the car and now when his step-sister woke up, I became his friend. Frea grunted in my mind.

I looked at Liam because this wasn't acceptable. I needed an explanation. 'Please April, calm down. Stella is too weak to accept our relationship for now. I will explain to her later,' Liam mind-linked me. I breathed in deeply and stayed quiet.

"Thank you, little orphan, you’ve finally done something worthwhile," Stella said in a condescending tone and I flinched at that nickname. 

Stella always called me that after I  was adopted by her stepfather Alpha Jack who treated me like his own daughter. After I was found to be Liam's mate, we got closer and everyone in the pack treated me like Luna. I thought I was family now but this 'little orphan' title reminded me of those days.

I tried to ignore her words because her mental age was still 15 after the accident because of a coma even though Stella was 20 years old now.

But how could Liam call me a friend? It hurts. Having a family is so important to me after my past and he disregarded my feelings just like that. It seemed like everything was going back to the beginning when I was new here and everyone disliked me. 

Stella used to be the only princess of the family then. She couldn't accept me because she thinks I was taking the attention of the members of her family. Stella started to bully me every day. Alpha Jack stopped Stella when he discovered it. My life got a little better for a while. 

But after that he said he wanted me to marry Liam, Stella went crazy. She started bullying me at school. Though she was my junior yet she bullied me with her friends.

Once I was having lunch in the cafeteria when all of a sudden food was thrown at my head. I found Stella laughing at me and within minutes everyone started laughing. "You want to steal  Liam and dad away from me, huh? I will never let that happen, the little orphan." Stella said coldly. 

I stood to leave with tears streaming down my eyes but her friends blocked my way. They were boys from the senior class. They pushed me to the floor and then they all dumped their food on me before leaving.

That was one of the most horrific incidents of my life. I kept crying the whole night and my eyes burned because of the spicy sauce that she splashed on my face. I was taken to the primary care clinic. When teachers asked me who did it, I was tempted to give them names but I knew they would make my life hell so I kept mum. 

What hurt the most was Liam. He was always there when I got bullied but he never helped me, nor did he ever ask Stella to stop. He used to ignore all my sufferings as he did just now when Stella woke up. I almost forgot how cold he was at those times but I'm not a little helpless girl anymore.

"Apologies to April," Liam told Stella when he noticed that I wanted to say something. "Don't call her little orphan again," Liam scolded Stella. She looked unwilling and astonished when she heard that, she wanted to argue, but looking at the serious look of Liam, she apologized impatiently.

"Sorry," Stella said sharply. It was evident she wasn't sorry. 

"April, please, leave us alone, I will come to you later tonight," Liam said through the mind-link as if he was in pain. I sighed, then I turned to leave,.Frea angrily questioned me, "We are his mate, why do we have to leave?" 

“It's been five years since Stella fell into the coma, and they must have had a lot to say. Furthermore, Stella hasn't shifted because of the coma, they can't mind-link, so they need some space.” I calmed Frea down.

I heard Stella before I stepped out the door. "Liam, promise me, only I will be the most important person in your life," Stella said to him in a luring voice.

I frowned, Stella used such a sickeningly sweet voice with Liam whereas she was so cold to me.Can't Liam hear the difference? 

Frea sneered, “No, he probably just doesn't care. Men always say they can't tell who's a bitch, but maybe it's just because they enjoy being pleased by bitches.” Even though Liam was our mate, Frea always seemed dissatisfied with him.

I controlled my anger and left the room. I didn't want to argue with a child.

The whole night passed with open eyes as I waited patiently but Liam never returned to the room. 

The next morning everyone waited for the step-siblings to arrive at the breakfast table. The pack members told me that Alpha Liam last night mind-linked them and told them not to call me Luna in front of Stella. They looked at me with sympathy and were complaining that Liam always spoils Stella. It was indeed a good thing that Stella is awake, but Liam's behaviour was so unfair to me.

I knew they felt aggrieved for me.I have built my place in everyone's heart in the pack. They respect me and treat me like their Luna. But.. "It's not like that. Liam cares for his step-sister, that's all." I had to defend him in front of his members.

After a long time, the step-siblings graced us with their presence. Stella had a sweet smile on her face as Liam's arm was wrapped around her inappropriately. I frowned, I thought it was too intimate, he rarely even held me like that in public.

Stella seemed unhappy as soon as she saw me. I knew the reason. She had never allowed me to eat at the same table as hers. I had no choice when I was young but to eat my breakfast in my room. But now I just sat down to have breakfast ignoring her angry face. 

After a few minutes, Stella asked me to get her medicines from her room. I told her she could ask the staff but she insisted on me.I didn't want to pay attention to her words and just ate my breakfast, Liam called a slave to get her medication, then whispered something to her and she finally smiled. 

Watching them whispering to each other, I lost all my appetite. When I was about to find an excuse to leave the table,  Stella said that today’s breakfast was not to her taste, she asked me to prepare some meals for her. I refused. I'm not her servant and I know she was doing it deliberately. The maids said they can cook it but Stella insisted on me to cook.

Stella was hostile toward me and Liam taking her side and ignoring everything was more painful to me.

'Please, April. She just woke up from a coma. Don't be so heartless. Please. Just do it for me,' He said in the mind-link and I sighed, closing my eyes for a brief second to compose myself.

I was in the kitchen cooking when I felt dizzy. I grabbed the counter and steadied myself. I felt so worn out from the last few days and every little smell gets to me badly making me feel like puking. 

I drank some water to relax as I still cooked the meal for everyone. 

Everyone liked the food and they complimented me on how delicious it was.

I smiled when Liam complimented my food and the very next second Stella clutched her stomach as she groaned loudly.

She was about to fall from the chair but Liam steadied her. "M..my stomach. It hurts." Stella cried out in pain as she pushed the plate of food away.