C14 Chapter 13. To be sold:

13. To be sold:

This Chapter is dedicated to HOTDOGFIRST 1. Thank you for your support and i like your username ;)

Days passed, and I became acquainted with living with two additional members of the family, one because Lance had relocated to his house near the borders, and the other because Sky was remaining here.

The idea of informing Skylar or Lance everything about my second mate fell through.

They were preoccupied with their separate mates and would quickly become upset if I tried to strike up a discussion with them.

The strength of my brothers was also taken advantage of; they both act as if I was never their little sister whom they had saved the majority of the time.

I won't claim they were always supportive, but they were the only ones who would stand up for me.

I work as a robot all day, without knowing what I'm doing or why I'm here, simply working to eliminate all my problems.

My parents' torture has been worse by the day, to the point that I want to lead them to just murder me so that all of us may be happy, but it came out of mom's mouth that she had a reason for keeping me here. I'm always wondering what it is, and even if I ask her, she won't tell me anything, so I figured why to waste my luck when I could simply concentrate on the better stuff.

Every day, I wish I was the one who should have died that day because whenever I try to sleep, his face and how he was slain keep flashing in front of my eyes.

I'm not sure who he was, whether he was a human, a vampire, or something else, but he took a piece of me with him when he died, even though I never met him.

After what happened, I'll never be able to be normal again; his and Edward's memories will haunt me for the rest of my life.

Charlotte is pregnant, which is terrific news for both of us. I had stopped being affected and instead kept myself busy so that my attention was not drawn to them. Still, sometimes I can't stop myself from wondering what I would do if I were in her shoes, but I'm not focusing on that, and I'm not allowing my mind to run those thoughts.

I know my worth, and all of this love is a desecration; it wasn't meant for me, and if I play this game, I'll lose myself. Therefore, it's best if I don't set any expectations at all.

Everything inside of me is a mess right now, and if I have to discover someone, it has to be me since I've lost myself amid everything else.

This day looked strange, as did the dream I experienced in the morning, in which I emerged from the muck and was purified. I'm not sure what that means; I'd like to think it's some sort of signal, but that doesn't make sense; why would I, of all people, get out of this dirt?

I know what will happen to me sooner or later. Still, I want to deny it for as long as I can live my life because if this pack's custom is followed, my life will come to an end, and expecting my parents or brothers to aid me is a total waste of time.

It's difficult to bear the shitload of pain and despair every day while masking it with a lovely grin.

I'm sick of convincing myself that I'm strong every day.

There are times when I feel that terminating my life would help me escape everything, but I don't have the guts to do it. I'm curious to see what else life has in store for me.

One day, I was even standing on the edge of a cliff, waiting for someone to scare me from behind and cause me to fall into them.

I don't like to admit it, but my own mother is pulling me into the darkness that I've always feared; she's forcing me to become someone I'm not.

Some years ago, I would look at other girls who were given the freedom to do whatever they wanted regardless of whether it was right or wrong. Still, here I am being punished even if I maintain the best version of myself, and it's not just my mom; everyone around me despises me, which may irritate and shame her when everyone compares me to their children.

Yes, they are all perfect, and their parents standing up for them is everything that makes them shine, whereas when I was degraded, no one could stand up for me.

Except for the earlier stages when I was joyful, my childhood has been filled with a battle to exist on my own, and all of this is exhausting, and I just want to rest. I want to sink into a deep slumber and never wake up again.

I stood up, sighed, and walked away.

'Let's see what this day has in store for me,' I mumbled as I began to walk away from the tree I was leaning against.

I was back in the forest, as I often do, to find peace of mind, but I didn't want to leave this time.

It's a peculiar feeling I can't define. It's not the first time it's occurred to me that sometimes when I'm alone, I feel like someone is about to appear, but nothing happens, and I end up disappointed.

This day could be similar, so I didn't consider it and headed home.

"What if she doesn't agree, Mom?" Skylar yelled at her mother.

"But baby, it will be good for her, and I will do it with or without her agreement. Dare she challenge me," Mom screamed.

I had the impression that the internal conversation was about being or who else would be disrespected in this house to this point.

"All right, mum, I'll try chatting to Astrid first" till I hear his voice. I had no idea Lance was also in the house.

Now that my name has been mentioned, I'm just hoping it's not something related to what I'm guessing it is.

"Astrid, are you back?" Skylar inquired, his gaze fixed on me as I stood at the threshold.

"Yes, I am," I said, faking a smile.

"Come on, we have something to tell you," they hauled me inside.

"What?" I furrowed my brow.

"You will know, and before that, know that we are simply interested in your well-being in everything, and before you make a scene, hear us out," Lance said.

"You know our pack rules. When no one wants a mate or is repeatedly rejected, what happens to them?" he inquired.

I swallowed and nodded.

"So tomorrow some people are interested in buying you; they will come and finish the sale, and pack and we will earn a lot of money off of it," Mom spit at my voice.

I couldn't believe my own mother was talking about selling, and for what? Just some money they promised to give me?

There was nothing illegal about our pack, and all they said to justify themselves was that it was for our advantage. We could find someone to serve and take care of their physical needs in exchange for them serving as our partners and taking care of our worldly requirements.

That should be unlawful, in my opinion, but who cares about my idea here? At the very least, every girl/boy is asked for their agreement whether they want to be sold; they are enticed by disclosing the luxury they will receive, and only those who accept are sent with them. Most of them do fall into the hole, and I haven't seen them since/.

"How could you do that, Mom? You didn't even ask me and decided everything." Tears welled up in my eyes.

"Are we asking you right now?" Mom gave me a friendly grin.

"Mom, you're just forcing me into everything you do because you know you can't do anything without my permission?" I had warned her.

"You'll ultimately agree, and don't worry, nobody is sending you away without your permission," Mom remarked as if nothing was a huge deal.

"But I don't want to," I snarled.

"Astrid, keep your voice up; is that how you communicate with your mother?" When Sky intervened, I was taken aback because I expected him to side with me and put some thoughts in mom's brain, but instead, he was siding with mom, and this was the first time he had done so; he had always remained silent and didn't speak for anyone at all.

"Sky, why are you siding with her?" I wondered.

"Astrid, they gave us all we had as youngsters, and this is the least we could do to repay them," Sky reasoned.

'Not us, Sky, they gave you both everything, but I was always the unnoticed one in the family,' I added.

"But how can she sell me like that and make decisions for everything without even asking me?" I grumbled.

"Astrid, what else could we do? We can't keep you here forever, and we want to see you settled in your life before we die," Mom reasoned.

That's the customary statement our pack's parents end up throwing in the faces of someone going to be sold.

"If I'm such a burden, I'm going to leave this house and start living somewhere on my own, and I'm never going to see you, people, my face again," I screamed.

I wasn't going down without a fight, so they should come up with something else now.

"Astrid!!! Take note of your tone. "Sky was in danger.

"Or else, Sky, what did I do to you? Why did you turn your back on me when all I did was support you in everything?" I inquired about my brother.

"Astrid, you should know your bounds; we only want your good," Skylar said.

"Really, Sky, you're telling me all of this for my own good when I have no idea who I'll be spending my life with? I should be the ones to make the decisions and decide who I want to spend my life with, but you have even taken away my right to determine what is best for me, "I screamed.

"Edward is the only person who can help you. Wake up, Astrid. You can't have him realize your worth, and don't keep your hopes too high. He always deserved better, and it was a mistake that he was mated to you, and he got what he deserved, so forget him and move on, "Skylar growled between his tight teeth.

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Wow!! I didn't anticipate Sky to be such a jerk. As it turns out, everyone Astrid trusts ends up betraying her.

So, what should Astrid do next?

Let me know in the comments.

Stay tuned. I love you all.

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