My Fated Mate Can Have Her-Chapter 108: Heartbreak

Violet

I saw a pair of folded clothing on the edge of the bed. I moved closer and the girl stiffened, warily eyeing me from the corner of her eye as her wheezing intensified.

"I’m sorry," I whispered, standing back.

I reached out and used the syzygy to bring the clothes to me.

Her eyes widened and I turned around to enter the bathing room, hoping she wouldn’t panic.

The clothes were large. Even larger than my frame and the material seemed better than what Aster had on.

I was momentarily stunned before deciding to put them on. He likely took them from the main house. But I felt a bit guilty. They looked expensive and he might have either been planning to sell or wear them when he was older.

Likely to sell them.

The clothes hung loosely on my body, but thankfully not too bulky. Likely belonged to his father or brother. I sighed. Anyone looking would be able to tell just how much this didn’t fit me.

I bundled my clothes and walked out of the house. The sister stared at me as I left the room.

Aster was outside kicking at a loose stone on the ground. His posture was tense, his shoulders hunched in that familiar way.

He looked up when he heard me approach, surprise crossing his face before it shifted into a faint smile. He bowed again like I was someone important and thanked me.

It made me uncomfortable.

"I wish I could give you something," he said quietly, his eyes darting toward the main house. "But I can’t go in there. The last time I tried to get something..." He trailed off, his expression closing down. "I got punished."

The words hit me like a physical blow.

This little boy was punished for trying to enter his own family’s house?

I wanted to ask what they’d done to him, but I was also terrified of the answer.

"Can you tell me your address?" I asked instead, keeping my voice as steady as I could. "Or where this house is located? I want to be able to find you again."

I could try to memorize the route back. I would be able to probably find this place again through trial and error. But I wanted something definite. Something certain that I could use when I came back. Or something to direct Kael’s attention to them.

Or Ila...

I suddenly remembered the orphanage and immense regret flooded me. If I had known where it was or even the name, I could have directed these children there.

Aster gave me the address quickly, a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

"I hope I see you again," he said softly.

"I have been meaning to ask." I smiled faintly. "How old are you?"

"Fourteen!" he answered, standing a little straighter as if the question was a test of his maturity.

Fourteen.

He looked younger and he was still a little boy.

And that was how old I had been when my grandmother passed away.

When my small protection from my pack’s cruelty had disappeared, and I had truly understood what it meant to be an Omega.

My heart crumpled in my chest.

I wanted to give him something. Money, food, anything. But I had nothing with me except the card on my wrist. And it was useless to a boy who couldn’t even enter his own family’s house.

"I have to go," I said, my throat tightening. "I’m sorry I... I’ll see you again."

He nodded, still smiling that faint, hopeful smile that broke something inside me.

I turned and left before I did something stupid like start crying in front of him.

The walk back to the castle felt impossibly long.

I held my clump of tattered clothes to my side as I moved. It was night time and I navigated the streets by memory following the faint glow of lanterns placed at regular intervals along the main streets.

People still stared.

A woman in ill-fitted clothes, walking alone at night and holding a lump of smelly dirty clothes would of course draw attention.

By the time I reached the castle grounds, exhaustion was pulling at me, making each step feel heavier than the last.

The entry hall was a bit busier but still at the lowest I had ever seen. I tried to slip through unnoticed, but one of the wolves stepped forward, blocking my path.

He started, his tone dismissive, "Can I help you—"

I flashed the card at him without speaking, letting the silver wolf emblem catch the light of the entry hall.

His expression changed immediately and he grudgingly stepped aside, refusing to meet my eyes.

I walked past him without a word, too tired and too angry to even be bothered about it.

I finally got in, and the moment I made my way into my room, everything came crashing down.

I collapsed onto the edge of the bed and started crying.

I wasn’t quiet. Ugly, gasping sobs tore from my chest with a force that left me breathless.

This was horrible. Just horrible.

I understood bad things would always happen, but for it to be fabricated to this extent.

I cried for Aster and Ari, locked out of their own home, surviving on scraps of kindness from strangers. For every omega who had learned to make themselves small, who had to grow up believing that they were worth less than nothing.

I cried for my younger self, for the girl who had lived in that same fear, and had believed for so long that maybe she deserved what she got.

And I cried because I didn’t know what to do. I had no idea how to even fix this.

The tears came until I was empty, wrung out, and so tired I could barely keep my eyes open.

I fell back onto the bed, not bothering to remove the oversized clothing or climb under the covers.

The immense fatigue pulled me under and my last conscious thought was of Aster’s address, repeating it over and over in my mind like a prayer, making sure I wouldn’t forget it.