Liberation: Oscar's Story

Chapter 31

"Oh shit," Cai muttered, covering his mouth with his hand.

"Mausi...um...how did you..." Ananya knew that she was able to speak before, but somehow her tongue was only able to form soundless syllables.

Rutuparna, her eyes blazing, marched toward Ananya. Her hand rose, and in a swift motion, her palm flew across Ananya's cheek, a resounding slap shooting up in the air.

"You insolent, disrespectful girl!" She slapped her again and grabbed her by the shirt. "What did I do in my previous life to deserve this, huh? What wrong did I do to deserve you?!" She shook Aanya by her collar and slammed her against the tree.

"Mausi..." Ananya groaned. Her cheek burned and a ripple shattered her spine.

"Hey!" Oscar ripped Rutuparna from Ananya, standing protectively in front of his mate. "What the fuck is wrong with you? Keep your hands off my mate!"

"Mate? Mate?" Rutuparna's voice rose an octave higher, and if it went any louder Ananya was sure that her eardrums would be ruptured. "I knew it! I knew you were lying to me, you brat! You're willing to risk my reputation for him?!" She pushed past Oscar, whose strength had begun to leave him from his confrontation with Egon, and grabbed Ananya again. "You weren't doing any work! You were just fooling around! You were...you let him defile you!" She narrowed her eyes, resting on the mark above Ananya's pulse. "What is this?"

"Um..." Ananya trembled nervously. "I...Mausi..."

"You're injured. You hurt yourself. You were careless because you didn't listen to me! And now look at what he's done! He's corrupted you!" Rutuparna pinched Ananya's cheek, shaking her head. "Why do you do this to yourself? Come back to Mausi. Come back home, where it's safe. Come back to where I can protect you."

"I don't..." Ananya began to say.

"You do. You need Mausi to protect you, Ananya," Rutuparna interrupted her, assessing Oscar coldly. "I don't want you staying with this murderer. You are going to be coming home immediately. It's clear that I've given you far too much freedom. Your life is going down the wrong path."

"Ananya is an adult," Oscar intervened with a growl. "She can make her own decisions."

Rutuparna glared at him. "You're not one to talk. She will be coming home with me. I own her. She's my niece."

"You can't own a person."

"And you can't challenge me. I am her aunt. I raised her. I clothed her. I fed her and took care of her education." Rutuparna's long nails dug into Ananya's hair, and the young girl resisted a whimper. "You don't know what she needs. You're not what she wants. You can't protect her, Alpha Yuen." She smiled scornfully. "I mean, look at that boy, the one you almost killed. Who's to say that one day, it won't be Ananya in that position?"

Oscar's gaze flared. "I would NEVER hurt Ananya."

"You couldn't protect her. You frightened her," Rutuparna retorted calmly. "What kind of Alpha are you, hm? Your pack fears you. Your mate fears you." She pulled Ananya close to her, and like a ragdoll the girl complied, her head bent submissively.

"It...I didn't mean to..." Oscar's chest rose laboriously.

"Of course, you didn't." Rutuparna nodded sagely. "But that doesn't change the fact that you did. You scared her. You hurt her. You're not worthy of being with my Ananya." She stroked her niece's hair. "My fragile, fragile girl. My poor girl. You must have been so scared without Mausi. So alone. Mausi is here now. Mausi will protect you."

"Mausi...I..." Ananya struggled to speak. Her cheeks stung and she couldn't look at Oscar, who was avoiding her searching gaze. "I...I can..."

"You can't do anything, Ananya, and the sooner you accept that the better," Rutuparna said coldly. "Look at these arms. Look at your legs. You're shaking. You're weak. You need my help." Her voice lowered. "You knew you could never be a detective, Ananya. I let you have your fun, but your place is at home, where Mausi can protect you and keep you safe. Look at what happened when you went on your own. You got hurt. You didn't succeed in anything. You became a failure, my fragile flower."