Seething
Larissa’s POV
The world was giving way beneath my feet. I could sense the commotion in the hall, but all I could hear was the beating of my heart. It felt like I was in a trance as I watched the woman from Kaden’s past walk through the doors and barge in on our wedding
My wedding.
“Kaden..” I was trembling. He did not respond, his gaze trained on the woman in disbelief.
“This wedding cannot happen!” I heard her yell, storming forward purposefully. Before she could get any closer, Kaden’s Beta and some other pack members rushed forward to shield us from her. The hall was becoming rowdy as whispers began to ring all over.
Immediately, Gwen was by my side. She clutched my hand and pulled closer to me. “Are you okay? What on earth is going on?”
I was too stunned to respond. I was trembling, my eyes not leaving the woman once. I did not understand what was happening. Why was she here? Why now? Was she deliberately trying to ruin our wedding? Again, tears formed in my eyes. She began to scream at the men who were blocking her way, but her words seemed to be floating all over. The ringing in my head had intensified.
Almost as if a switch had flipped, Kaden whipped around, shoving his way through his men until he was face-to-face with her. “What the fuck are you doing here?! The nerve of you to show up now, and at my wedding?! Get the fuck out before I do something we’ll both regret.” He was bristling. Rage like I had never seen before clouded his eyes, and I knew he was only seconds away from doing something rash.
To my shock, Amaya did not flinch. She took slow steps towards him. “I didn’t come here to be yelled at by you, Kaden, so I suggest you hold your peace. Don’t even think of trying to intimidate me, because it won’t work.”
Kaden was trembling so much his face reddened. “You’ve come here to ruin things like the little snake you are, but I will not let you. Not this time. If you don’t leave on your own, my men will do it for you.”
The men surrounded her on cue.
Amaya gave a tinkling laugh that sent chills down my spine. I wanted to yell. I wanted to lunge at her and tear at her hair. I wanted to reverse time and erase the last five minutes. But I had no power, and it hurt more than I can explain to just stand in the corner as my wedding was ruined. Uncontrollable tears slid down my cheeks.
“I said, leave!” Kaden thundered, grabbing onto her arm and bundling her out like she was nothing but a ragdoll.
“Let me go!” She screamed, fighting him off until she managed to escape his hold. She eyed him in disgust and rubbed her arm. “As your wife, I have every right to be here,” she countered. “And I have the legal backing as well.”
Kaden let out a growl so menacing it scared me. “Don’t ever refer to yourself as my wife ever again. You lost that title three years ago when you eloped with a lover and abandoned your four month old son.”
For a moment Amaya stared at Kaden wordlessly, but I saw no flash of remorse in her eyes. She really was a heartless woman, even more than I’d thought. Seeing it play out in front of me sent shivers down my spine. A mother abandoning her baby to elope with a lover. It wasn’t logical, and it said a lot about the kind of person she was. As I stared at her in the tight red dress she was wearing and the caked makeup on her face, I felt nothing but disgust for her. But I still did not understand what she was doing here.
“Get out, Amaya. I won’t say it again.” Kaden motioned to his men.
Suddenly, she smiled. It was a cold, empty smile. The kind that made you realize there was something up her sleeves. She hadn’t come here just to cause a scene and disrupt the wedding. She was here with a plan. My heart sank once more and I felt goosebumps spread over my skin.
My heart raged in my chest as I watched her dip a hand into her purse and take out a folded white paper. She spread it open and handed it to Kaden. “Well, honey,” she spat. “It doesn’t matter how you feel about it. As far as the law is concerned, we are still legally married. We never got a divorce, and therefore we are still a couple. Mrs Amaya Griffin. That’s who I am. And just in case you need a reminder, you cannot get married to–” she glared in my direction. “.. to whoever this tramp is without divorcing me first.”
It felt like I had just been kicked in the chest. I doubled over in shock, and without thinking I rushed forward. “Kaden, what the hell is going on?!” My eyes filled with tears.
This can’t be. It couldn’t be right. There was no way.
I lunged at Kaden and snatched the document from him. A skim of the document confirmed everything Amaya was saying. A sharp pain tore through my heart and I clutched my chest.
Kaden held my hand steady and pulled me behind him as if to protect me. And then he turned back to Amaya. “So is that why you’re here? For a divorce? Hand me divorce papers so I can sign and you can be on your way.”
She laughed. “No.”
My confusion was building. What was she playing at?
“What do you mean by that?” Kaden asked, his hands clenching into fists.
“It means I do not, and will not grant you a divorce. You’re free to sign them, but I won’t. Not without a price.”
It began to sink in. She was here for blackmail. She didn’t want to see Kaden happy. She didn’t even know me and she already had it out for me. My legs were beginning to weaken, and I did not understand why the worst things kept happening to me.
What this meant was that we did all of this for nothing. The planning, the wedding…it was for nothing. We’d just been fooling ourselves the entire time. I couldn’t get married to someone who was still bound to his ex in marriage.
It was in this moment of realization, that something shattered inside of me. Unable to hold the tears back anymore, I slipped to the floor. Why was this happening to me? I had done everything right, why couldn’t I just have my happy ending?
I didn’t have the strength in me to get off the floor. I was so tired. So broken. My only wish at that moment was to disappear and stop living. What was the point when all I ever experienced was pain?
I sobbed into my dress, curling myself into a ball and shutting my eyes tightly to block everything out. Moments later, I felt hands lift me off the floor and carry me out of the hall. And I lay, unmoving, empty and numb.
Kaden’s POV
Rage was bubbling through my insides as I glared at Amaya. Seeing her still felt like a dream. I could not believe that she was standing right in front of me. It all felt like a joke, like a stupid prank. But it wasn’t. Amaya had walked back into my life. She had walked into my wedding and created a commotion. A commotion that had everyone shocked and confused. Because of her I had watched the woman I loved have a meltdown in front of the entire pack. My heart ached for Larissa. Seeing her in pain put me in pain as well.
I whipped around to face Amaya, anger making me want to punch her in the face until she lost consciousness, but I had never hit a woman in my life, and I would not start with her.
“Clear the hall!” I roared. “Now!”
I was still shaking as I watched everyone clear out of the hall, leaving Amaya and I standing. I advanced towards her, subduing my wolf to keep from reaching out and strangling her to death. “How dare you walk in here and do this to me?” My voice shook. “How dare you?!”
Being in the same proximity as her brought me to the highest point of disgust. It brought back memories that had taken me years to get rid of. Seeing her now reminded me of everything. The betrayal of my beta. The abandonment of her son. I despised her.
She rolled her eyes. “I’m not making anything up and you know it. We are not divorced. If you want it that bad then you just have to fulfill my conditions.”
I knew Amaya well enough to know that there was no point dissuading her. She was a vengeful bitch. The only way to get all this over with and get back to Larissa was to play her stupid game. I would rather have bit my tongue off than reply, but my family was more important than anything, and I didn’t want to cause them any more pain.
I took a deep breath, trying to swallow my anger. “What do you want?”
Amaya smiled. “Good. That’s the Kaden I know. You always knew how to get down to action,” she laughed suggestively. “I miss that about you.”
I clenched my fists. The goddess help me, if this continued, I would not be held responsible for what I do to her. I was trying my best to control myself but I didn’t know how much more I could take. “What do you want?” I repeated.
Instead of replying, she began to walk in circles around me. I knew what she was doing, stalling for time so she could piss me off. I kept steady, waiting for her to finish up with her drama. Finally, she faced me and folded her arms across her chest. “If you want me to sign this divorce papers, it will cost you.”
So it was about money. I couldn’t say I was surprised. She had always been a selfish bitch, driven only by greed and power.
“How much?” I wanted this over with as soon as possible.
Amaya did not bat an eyelid. “Ten million.”
I glared at her, hatred pulsing through my veins. I turned around and picked up the documents she’d handed to me earlier. And then I tossed them at her. “Sign them. The money will be transferred to you in an hour.”
I saw surprise flash in her eyes, but she tried to cover it up.
“Now…get out.”This text is © NôvelDrama/.Org.
She hesitated. “That’s not all I came here for.”
I frowned. I was already losing my patience with her. “What the fuck are you talking about?”
Again, she hesitated. What the fuck was she on about? I had the feeling she was contemplating on asking for more money. It was possible that she changed her mind about the amount she wanted when she saw how easily I gave in.
“I want my son. I want Declan–”
The words were barely out of her mouth when I lunged forward and grabbed her by the neck. “Don’t you ever call him that again. As far as you’re concerned, you do not have a son. So don’t you dare think for one second that you can just barge in and pick up from where you left off.”
“Let go of me!” She shoved me backwards, breathing heavily. “He is my son. Whether you like it or not, I am his mother, and I have every right to him. I want him back, Kaden.”
“You will not lay one finger on Declan.”
I was seething. How dare she demand him like he was a mere object?
“He’s my son!” She countered. “I’ve been away from him for so long–”
“Because you willingly left him. Are you dumb? Do you even remember what he looks like? It’s been three years. Not once did you care to return for him. So don’t you dare act like you have ever cared about him.
She backed away from me with an angry expression. “I don’t care for your opinion, Kaden. Those are my requirements. And if you don’t grant them, then I guess you’re not ready to get married to that whore.”
My jaw clenched. My wolf raged at the insult to Larissa. “Get the fuck out.”
Amaya stumbled out of the room. “I’ll leave now. But this is far from over, so get ready. I will not stop till I get what I want. And not even you can stop me.”
And with that, she was gone.