"Hmm, well, she can make her own decisions," Mr. Holt responded nonchalantly, dismissing the topic as he headed to the couch to retrieve his jacket. My father's disappointment was palpable now that his scheme hadn't yielded the desired results. But what exactly was he trying to achieve? "Have a good night," Mr. Holt bid farewell, draping his jacket over his arm and nodding to my father. Just before he walked past us, his gaze briefly met mine, causing a shiver to run down my spine. "Visit again," my father called out, leaving the house to accompany him to his car, leaving me bewildered. I had no intention of retiring for the night until I got an explanation from my father about his intentions. So, the moment he returned indoors, I confronted him directly. "Why did you lie to him?" I demanded, watching as he waved his hand dismissively at me. "No, I'm not leaving until you tell me why you would fabricate such nonsense," I persisted, even as he reached for the leftover bottle of wine to take a swig. "Why are you getting emotional? It's not like I said something sinister. Don't you know mates can be terrible creatures? People may start out kind and loving, but as soon as they find a mate, they can transform into evil, demonic beings," he grumbled, gulping down wine and collapsing onto the couch. "Huh! You've never experienced it, have you? Mother was a wonderful woman. You have no right to insinuate that she broke your heart," my voice grew rough and loud as I spoke to him. The tears in my eyes were a result of years of him belittling us, and now it seemed he was indirectly disparaging our mother whenever he spoke ill of mates. "Let me ask you something," he disregarded everything else, raising his head to lock his gaze on me. "Why don't you wear deep cleavage dresses? Those dresses that expose more skin?" He scrutinized my expression with disgust, apparently displeased with my choice of clothing. "I am your daughter." I thought maybe reminding him would help him back off. "But not his daughter. Did you not see how he ignored you when he could have been interested after hearing you are into older guys?" The look of disappointment on my father’s face made me realize why he said those things to Mr. Holt. "I hope you are not suggesti---- that’s never happening," I stomped my foot and left for my room after it seemed like I had wasted my time talking to him. I was lucky enough to not get beat up tonight. But that was always the case. I would argue and argue, and he would not hit me, but some days, I would only breathe loudly, and he would beat the crap out of me. After walking into my room and cuddling on the mattress, I felt this urge to recall the kiss I shared with Atticus. My heart would miss a beat every time I felt like his lips were still pressed against mine, his tongue waiting for permission, and his hand in my underwear. The urge took over my body, and before I could jolt myself out of the dream world, I was already rubbing the small pillow between my legs and imagining Atticus. Not having any control over my urges, I began to rub my hands all over my pussy from over my underwear.It was just that my mind started playing tricks on me. The door to my room opened, and I watched Atticus stroll inside. My eyes widened as he got on the mattress and stopped me from making a noise. I don’t know how it was possible, but he was here, right in front of me. "Bu---," I tried speaking, but he placed his finger against my lips and silenced me. "No talking tonight," he said quietly into my ear. He had no clue how badly I have wanted to share a moment with him all these years. He crawled on top of me and slid his hand inside my underwear without a warning. As he pushed his fingers into my pussy, I squirmed and closed my eyes to moan loudly, "Ahhhhhh!" I had my eyes closed when I heard a voice calling for me, "Cynthia! Are you okay?" I shot my eyes open and noticed my sister getting out of bed to reach for the light switch. I quickly mended my dress and sat up on the mattress. I was embarrassed to imagine Atticus, and thankfully my sister didn't catch me pleasing myself. "What happened?" she asked me after she had turned on the light. "Nothing, it's just a headache," I smiled weakly. "Oh! Is it because...," she looked so sad while trying to talk about something, "the rejection? I heard Alpha Atticus rejected you," she whispered. "Hey! It's okay. I don't care about him either," I tried to reassure her that I would be fine, but she looked even sadder. "Isn't it weird that the Moon Goddess gave you an alpha for a mate? Dad always told me that we omega rogues can never find mates, but look at you!" She smiled, but then her expression dimmed as she realized there was nothing to be happy about. Atticus had already left me, so there was no point in celebrating my mate bond with him. "Flora, there's no such thing as Omegas not finding mates. They always find mates. It's just that their mates don't want to acknowledge them." I forced a smile onto my lips to convey that I was fine with the rejection, even though deep down, I wasn't. "Have you accepted his rejection?" she questioned. "Not yet," I replied. "Are you ever going to try to convince Alpha Atticus to accept you?" I understood why she was asking me all these questions. She was probably hopeful that a powerful man like him could save us from everyone around. "No! I will not chase him or anyone," I replied, expressing my desire for independence and confidence in my stance."Now go to bed; we have school to attend in the morning," I told her, gesturing for her to turn off the lights. I didn't want to dwell on Atticus after recalling the rejection.