After Becoming An Alpha, My Family Wants Me To Die

The room felt cold, and not just from the lack of warmth. It was the kind of cold that seeps into your bones, the kind that no amount of clothing or blankets could chase away. I had just returned home after two years in prison—a prison I entered to protect the people now standing before me. Yet, the welcome I received was anything but warm.

"Where am I supposed to stay?" I asked, my voice barely masking the hurt.

My mother, Luciana, didn’t even look me in the eye. She reached into her purse and pulled out a couple of crumpled bills. Two hundred dollars. She tossed it onto the table between us like it was a chore she had to complete. "Here, take this. If you can't face our Alpha and ask for a place to stay, then go out of the pack and find a motel or rent a place. It’s up to you."

The weight of her words crushed the last bit of hope I had clung to.

"The nerve of this family! Just wait and we will show them who they are shunning!" Andromeda, my wolf, could not help but sound offended. I could feel that she didn't like any of this at all.

I forced a bitter smile, a shield against the despair that threatened to overwhelm me. "What about Thyrone? Does he feel the same way?"

At that moment, Thyrone stepped out of the bathroom, the sound of running water still echoing faintly in the background. His eyes met mine, and for a brief second, I saw a flicker of the brother I once knew. He spoke, but his words felt empty. "Amaris, you're my sister. Of course, I'm on your side. If you want to stay here, I'll clear the room for you."

There it was—a glimmer of hope, so faint it was almost imperceptible. I nodded, trying to latch onto it. "Alright, I'll stay for a while."

But as soon as those words left my lips, the atmosphere shifted. Thyrone's expression froze, and the room was suddenly suffocating. He stood there, unmoving, staring at me as if he didn’t quite know what to do with the promise he just made.

Before I could ask what was wrong, Lavender stormed over. "Amaris, have you lost your mind in prison? How can you be so inconsiderate? Can't you see how cramped the house is? Even if we clear out the room, it should be for the baby. You're an adult now. How can you shamelessly insist on staying here? Have some sense!"

Her words hit me like a slap to the face, and for a moment, I couldn’t breathe. The house, which had once been my home, now felt like a prison of its own—a place where I was no longer welcome.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and said quietly, "Lavender, this is my home. Isn’t it normal for me to stay for a few days?"

"Your home? This house is under Thyrone’s name now. He’s married and mated, and you’re old enough to live on your own. How can you still want to live with your brother?" Lavender’s voice dripped with contempt, her disdain no longer hidden.

I looked at Thyrone, hoping he would say something—anything—to defend me. But he pressed his lips together and avoided my gaze, the silence between us deafening.

Turning to my mother, I searched for some sign of the woman who once called me her little sweetheart. But Luciana’s face was unreadable, her eyes dark and distant, offering no comfort.

My father, Herbert, sat on the sofa, a cigarette hanging loosely from his lips. He puffed away, his gaze focused on some distant point, acting as if this entire situation was none of his concern.

The realization hit me with the force of a thousand daggers—this wasn’t just about the cramped space or the baby. They were using these excuses to push me out, to rid themselves of the burden I had apparently become.

I couldn’t believe it. I had sacrificed so much for them. Two years of my life spent behind bars, taking the fall for a crime I didn’t commit—because Thyrone and Lavender needed me to. And now, they were throwing me out like yesterday’s trash.

My voice trembled as I asked, "Did I do something wrong? Why have you all changed so suddenly?"

For the first time, I felt like an outsider in my own home, in the pack I once believed was my family. Before I went to prison in the central city led by the royals, everyone treated me with love and respect. Now, that affection had turned to scorn.

Lavender’s response was swift and brutal. "Amaris, before, you could make money and support the family, so we all got along. But now, you're just an ex-con. Finding a decent job or mate will be nearly impossible. In your situation, what can you do but leech off us? Why should we still treat you well?"

Her words stabbed at my heart. "So, because I'm no longer useful and might be a burden, you don't care about me anymore?"

My mother finally looked at me, but there was no warmth in her eyes. "Look, it's not our fault. Another mouth to feed isn't something we can afford. Your father may be one of the strongest wolf generals in the pack, but his money is already enough for us alone. You're better off asking the Alpha for a place to stay or finding somewhere to rent. It’s time you took care of yourself instead of being a burden to us."

I stared at her in disbelief, my voice barely above a whisper. "I'm a burden?"