Returning To Claim The Blind Alpha As My Fated Mate

Alessandra POV:

The mattress dipped as Karyn sat on the edge of my bed. She let out a soft, theatrical sigh.

"Ally, are you still upset about Britany?" Her voice was laced with that familiar, false concern.

I didn't move, a cold smile touching my lips in the darkness.

She reached out, her hand aiming for my hair. Just before her fingers could make contact, I "restlessly" turned over, facing away from her.

Her hand froze mid-air. I felt a flicker of her annoyance, but she quickly masked it.

"I know you're hurt," she continued, her voice a gentle murmur. "But Britany is young. She doesn't know any better. As her older sister, you should be more forgiving."

My eyes snapped open. I pushed myself up, sitting straight, and turned to face her.

Karyn flinched, startled by the cold fury in my gaze. For a second, she looked genuinely unnerved, but then she seemed to dismiss it as a trick of the dim light.

"I don't want to talk about her," I said, my voice raspy but clear. "Karyn, I want to talk to you about me."

It was the first time I hadn't called her 'Mom'.

Her expression tightened. "About you? What about you?"

"My mother, Ellery Melendez, left me an inheritance," I said, each word deliberate and sharp.

Karyn's pupils constricted. The practiced smile on her face froze solid.

"You've been 'managing' that money for me for ten years," I continued, standing up so I could look down on her. The shift in posture felt significant, powerful."Now, I need it back."

She recovered quickly, her face melting into a look of wounded disbelief. "Ally, how can you say that? I've been keeping it safe for you, for your wedding day..."

"I want it now," I cut her off. "I'm getting married. I need it for my dowry."

That stopped her cold. "Married? To whom? Julian? But he..." She caught herself, clamping her mouth shut before she said too much.

"That's none of your concern," I said, turning to my closet and pulling out one of the few nice dresses I owned.

The noise must have carried, because my father, Warren, appeared in the doorway. He frowned, seeing the tension between us. "What's all the shouting about?"

Karyn immediately seized the opportunity, turning to him with wide, tear-filled eyes. The perfect victim. "Warren, you have to hear what your daughter is saying! She's accusing me of stealing her mother's inheritance!"

My father's face darkened. He turned his anger on me. "Alessandra! Is that any way to speak to your mother? Apologize at once!"

I didn't even glance at him. My eyes were locked on Karyn. "Three days. You have three days to transfer the full amount to my account. If you don't, I'm filing a petition for property arbitration with the Elders' Council."

The mention of the Elders' Council made Warren's face pale. The public shame would be unbearable for him.

"You wouldn't dare!" he blustered.

"Watch me." I grabbed a small duffel bag from the back of my closet and started stuffing clothes into it.

"What are you doing?" Warren asked, his anger giving way to shock.

"I'm not staying here until I have my money," I said, my voice flat and devoid of emotion.

I walked straight towards the door, right between my stunned father and stepmother.

Karyn reached for my arm, but I stopped her with a single, icy glare. It wasn't the look of a twenty-one-year-old Omega. It was the look of someone who had seen death and come back. She recoiled as if burned.

"You'll regret this, Alessandra!" she shrieked at my back.

I didn't turn around. I pulled the door open, then slammed it shut behind me. The loud bang echoed through the house, a final, definitive end to the person I used to be.