Before anyone could try and take control of the conversation, Bianca squared her shoulders and addressed her parents. “It’s been a long day and I’m quite ready to be done with it, so let’s cut to the chase, shall we? I will not be mating with Pack Willoughby. And before you say anything, this is not a negotiation. I don’t care what the consequences are. Regardless of who else I do or don’t accept, I willnevermate with Pack Willoughby.”
Astrid’s face reddened. Arthur lifted a brow. Gregory laughed incredulously, shaking his head in disgusted disbelief. Winston sat dumbstruck.
Bianca took advantage of the silence, turning to Callum and Pack King. “I don’t know what my parents are going to say or do next. I don’t know if I’ll come to you penniless and disowned with no inheritance or family name. They offered you a lot of money to give me up. Are you certain I’m what you want?”
“Fuck your parents and their money,” Daniel replied immediately, ignoring affronted harumphs from Pack Bonnycastle. “We want you.”
“I’m not likable,” Bianca countered, suddenly needing everything out in the open. They’d seen and accepted the real her so far, but she’d still tried her best not to be too vulnerable. Now, she needed to be reassured that they really understood what they were getting themselves into. “I’m never going to be what others consider friendly or whatever.”
“Van is friendly enough for all of us,” Dante said, his black eyes shining with something like hope.
“I’m not sweet or romantic,” Bianca shot back.
Daniel shrugged, still looking completely unbothered. “Dante handles that, obviously.”
“I’m not hiding a heart of gold like Callum,” she argued, throwing up her hands in exasperation.
“Oh my god, yes you are!” Callum exclaimed, rolling his eyes. “You never give yourself enough credit. You’re a good person; you’re just a little prickly. We love your sharp edges as much as your curves.”
They were all looking at her with heart eyes and indulgent smiles and Bianca wanted to strangle them. This wasn’t a fairy tale, and she was no sweet-tempered princess. She was flawed and broken and finally embracing it. Rebuilding her heart and becoming the person she wanted to be would take time. It wouldn’t be all sunshine and rainbows.
“I’m really bad at feelings and I haven’t ever been in a healthy relationship in my life, and I am actually a fucking lot to be honest.” Bianca’s voice broke and she laughed, even as her eyes filled with tears.
King closed the space between them, crouching in front of her chair and forcing her to meet his gaze. “I don’t give a fuck, Bianca. You’re ours. You’re angry and smart mouthed and funny and intelligent and creative and snobby and mean and mine.Mine, do you hear me? You don’t have to be anything else but that.”
Bianca’s heart expanded in her chest. Her shoulders loosened and her body relaxed when he placed a big hand on her knee. Then he gave her his rare, beautiful, dimpled smile, his grillz on full display, and Bianca thought she would either melt or spontaneously combust.
“You can’t seriously be considering this, Bianca!” Astrid’s facial expression went from disgusted to horrified to furious in a flash, her voicecutting shrilly through the quiet moment. “Didn’t you learn anything the last time? We told you Ferris and Hill were beneath you, and they’ve literally just proven themselves to be criminals. How can you not see that we know what’s best for you? Just because Pack King didn’t accept our money, doesn’t mean they’re right for you. How can you throw away your life like this, after all the advantages we’ve given you?”
Bianca laughed humorlessly, looking away from her alpha to fix her mother with an icy glare. “What you’ve given me is low self-esteem, trust issues, and difficulty with intimacy, and I refuse to accept it anymore. I was a child when I met Robert and Frank and I made a childish mistake, but I’m not that kid anymore. I don’t give a damn what you think of my mates, Astrid. You and I don’t even like each other, so there’s no need to pretend you care about my happiness or have even the slightest conception of what’s best for me. You don’t have to understand; you just have to accept it. I’ve made my decision.”
Astrid’s face reddened further, her fair skin blotchy with anger. Bianca found it laughable. Her mother had no idea what anger truly was. She hadn’t lived with it every day of her life. It hadn’t been her shield against the world. Bianca was well acquainted with anger, and if Astrid didn’t watch out, she was going to meet that rage up close.
“Unbelievable! You know what you are, Bianca? You’re a spoiled brat who has always thought far too highly of herself,” Astrid hissed, shrugging off Winston’s restraining hand as she leapt to her feet. “You think you’ve got your fathers so wrapped around your little finger that you can get away with anything, but you’re wrong. They finally see you for what you are. This time, we won’t cover up your disgrace, and we definitely won’t be here to rescue you when your idiocy blows up in your face again. We will disown you and you will have nothing.”
Bianca exhaled, her anger draining away all at once, replaced by a strange sense of relief. Finally, Astrid was telling her the truth, showing her something real instead of the polished perfection she’d projected for Bianca’s entire life.
It wasn’t about Bianca. It never had been. There was nothing she could’ve done to gain her parents’ love. They were selfish, narcissistic assholes who saw their children as extensions of their property, just assets or liabilities.
Bianca smiled at her mother, pleased by how calm she sounded when she responded. “Well, perhaps you’ll finally be happy now instead of being the miserable cunt I’ve endured my whole life. I used to wonder why you loved my brothers so much more than me, but I finally understand. You’ve never liked competing with another omega for your alphas’ attention, even when that omega was your own daughter. How exhausting it must’ve been for you, competing with someone who wasn’t even trying. I haven’t sought their attention in years. I just wanted a modicum of respect and to be left the hell alone, but you people couldn’t even give me that. Thankfully, it’s no longer up to you. So, to recap, I don’t give a shit about your approval. I’m doing this.”
Astrid sputtered for a full thirty seconds before she managed to compose herself enough to speak. Bianca watched her indifferently. If her mother was dumbstruck now, she was going to be catatonic by the end of this conversation because Bianca was done fucking around. She was done letting them control her. She was done trying to meet their ridiculous expectations. She was done hiding who she was.
It was past time for Pack Bonnycastle to learn what their daughter was capable of.
Bianca smirked at King, then stood to face off against her mother. She could sense her pack gathering around her, moving into positionsat her back and sides. Her heart swelled again. She could do this alone, probably, but it was nice that she didn’t have to.
Astrid finally managed to find her voice, and it was laced with venom. “You won’t survive a month! You have no idea how to be poor. You’ve never done a day’s work in your life.”
Bianca sighed dismissively. “You’ve always underestimated me, Astrid. Maybe that’s why I’ve underestimated myself for so long. But not anymore. I am unstoppable and I’m going to be just fine without all this bullshit.”
She gestured around at the opulent penthouse that was no longer her cage. It was freeing to realize she didn’t need any of it. She was perfectly capable of surviving without the obscene luxuries she was used to. Well, mostly. She certainly wasn’t going to give up everything, as her mother was about to learn.
“You th–,” Astrid began.
Bianca cut her off. “Besides, I’m not going to be poor. My pack’s business is thriving and, under my tutelage, it’s going to absolutely soar. Especially given the glowing recommendation King’s Guard will get from Pack Bonnycastle, which will be even more powerful when people hear about the generous bonus they received. A hundred and fifty thousand dollars is pocket change for you, of course, but I’ll turn it into millions.”
Astrid’s mouth dropped, but she recovered quickly, glancing back at the stunned faces of her mates before turning furiously back to Bianca. “You won’t see one red cent! That money was contingent upon you having sense and rejecting this ridiculous proposal. You are disowned, BiancaKing. You will get nothing. We will not so much as acknowledge your existence after today.”
