Kale arrived at the Alpha's estate, pulling to a stop only to find Beta Boris already standing before the grand front doors. Boris's expression was grim, a stone mask that chilled the air. Kale realized then that he hadn't sent a mental message to the Beta before arriving—he hadn't alerted him to the catastrophic circumstances they now found themselves in.
Boris stepped forward, giving Missy a soft, pitying smile. With a firm but gentle motion, he waved Kale's hand away from her, taking over. He looked down at her, his eyes clouded with empathy. He knew the hell she was walking into, and for a fleeting moment, he wished she could have navigated her turmoil in relative peace.
Missy felt her guard falter. In the gentle, steady presence of the Beta, she found herself wishing—more often than not—that she had been born to him instead.
Boris knew she was seconds away from a savage scolding from her father. She didn't need one more person saying the wrong thing. He reached out, patting the top of her head in a rare gesture of affection, only to stiffen as the heavy atmosphere of the house pressed against them.
"Let's go, sweetheart," Boris murmured, guiding her through the doors.
He knew Alpha Adrian would already be aware of the shift in his daughter's status. When one bond strengthens, another must weaken. The familiar bond between Missy and her parents would be feeling far duller than it once was, a biological signal that she was branching off to start her own family. It was the undeniable proof that his daughter had begun the mating process.
The second they stepped into the foyer, a roar ripped through the house, followed by the sickening sound of furniture splintering. Then came the heavy, rhythmic thud of boots. Adrian descended the staircase, his eyes wild and bloodshot as they locked onto Missy.
Missy actually smiled at the sight of him. Her father, usually the picture of calculated elegance, was disheveled. His blonde hair was out of place, and his tailored suit was wrinkled with his rage. She swallowed the chuckle rising in her throat, but her mirth remained plain. For the first time in her life, she had bested her father. The victory was every bit as sweet as she had imagined.
"What have you done?!" Alpha Adrian roared, storming down the grand staircase toward his daughter.
Harlow followed a few paces behind, wincing as she massaged her temples in frustration. She had barely believed it when the familiar bond between herself and her daughter began to fray. She had initially feared Missy was in danger—that she was close to death—but this was truly unexpected. To find that Missy had betrayed everything they worked for to go behind their backs was a bitter pill. Harlow knew her daughter; she knew this wasn't a choice made of love. This was a strike. They had all been tiptoeing around the obvious—that Missy's mate had rejected her—and while they expected instability, this was simply too far.
"How dare you! You do not get to choose who you form a bond with. Not without my permission!" Adrian's temper flared. All his careful planning was withering before his eyes. Hatred flared within him as he lunged forward, gripping Missy's arm and pulling her forward roughly.
Missy just smiled up at him, her arms flailing loosely at her sides. She knew she was right to do it. Seeing him so flustered was even better than she expected. It made her wonder: what promise could he no longer keep?
"Who was it?" Alpha Adrian demanded to know. He would kill the filthy wolf who thought they could touch his family. To him, daughters were a precious commodity—a way to add a layer of stability to the pack. No daughter of his had the right to take that away.
Boris stepped forward, pushing Aram into the light. The blood on the man's clothing had begun to dry, but the mate mark on his shoulder still pulsed. It was healing at an exceptionally slow rate, ensuring it would leave permanent proof of their growing bond.
The room went still as Alpha Adrian stared at the slowly healing bite mark. He couldn't believe it. His daughter, an Alpha's child, had dared to mate with trash. She had dishonored their entire bloodline, throwing away centuries of supremacy.
"Why are you so upset? He was good enough for a Beta's daughter," Missy said, her voice pulling Adrian back to the present. "That's why I chose him. I knew you would approve."
Boris wanted to remain completely removed from the family's toxicity, but he hadn't known that Aram was one of the wolves Adrian had been pushing toward his daughter. Biting down his offense, the Beta remained silent against the wall with the other warriors and bystanders, wishing to remain anonymous as the tension peaked.
Adrian's blue eyes turned black, anger boiling in his blood. Before the thought had fully taken hold, his hand had already raised, falling across his daughter's face with brutal force.
The impact threw her to the floor. Her blonde hair fell over her face as her body hit the ground in a heap. A soft cough left her lips as she rolled onto her side. The scent of her blood perfumed the air—her lip was split open, and the entire left side of her face was battered. Her eye was already swelling shut. As she opened her mouth to speak, blood coated her teeth, but she smiled just as wide.
Missy's head felt fuzzy after the slap, but she didn't care. She sat on the floor and stared up at her father. "Which pack was it? Who did you think you could force me to mate?" Her words were slow and deliberate, unyielding even in the face of his maltreatment.
Adrian's jaw tightened. He didn't know who had let it slip that he had been in conversations with other Alphas. Now that Missy was mateless, she was supposed to be his primary piece on the chessboard. But now, she was less than useless. She had degraded their entire bloodline.
"Nothing to say now?" she laughed, her eyes sliding closed as her head throbbed.
"You should have spoken to me! You are too naive and immature. Aram will not make a good match for you," Harlow said, stepping beside her mate and resting a palm on his arm to cool his raging emotions. She was disappointed and angry, but she didn't want to see Missy hurt any more than she already was.
"Maybe he'll be just as kind to me as my father is," Missy countered. Her words cut deep. Her father was cruel and violent; he may have never raised a hand to her before today, but he wasn't opposed to battering his children if it served his plans. Who was her mother to say Aram was a bad choice? He definitely wouldn't hit as hard as her father, and he was too stupid for the kind of mental manipulation she had grown accustomed to.
"Lock him up," Alpha Adrian said to his Beta, staring at Aram.
If they were lucky, the mate mark would fade. Until Aram marked her back, there was still a chance the bond wouldn't set. He would need to speak to Boris, but from what he could see, they had not completed the mating ritual. There was a chance the mark would fade.
Two warriors easily gripped Aram's arms, forcing him away. "Hey! Hey, get off me!" Aram's eyes landed on Missy's body on the plush carpet. In that moment, he realized—far too slowly—that he had been played. "This is Trinity's fault! She asked me to meet her there!" Aram screamed as he was dragged away. "At the watering hole! That fucking bitch did this! Please, listen to me!"
Alpha Adrian looked at Boris, his eyebrows raised in question. Had that devious girl really convinced his daughter to do something this stupid?
"It won't help," Missy said, looking directly at her father.
He had drilled the knowledge of pack law into her mind so deeply she could recite every law, she thought to herself. I have the rights of any mate. While Aram is locked up, I get to see him every day for an hour. More than enough time to keep the mate bond alive. Missy knew she was provoking more of her father's wrath, but she didn't care. She would do whatever she pleased.
"Get her out of my sight," Alpha Adrian barked.
Harlow quickly made her way over to Missy. Lifting her to her feet, she realized how light the girl had become—she had lost so much weight that her cheeks looked hollowed. Harlow had to blink away treacherous tears. It was not the right time; in moments like these, softness had no place.
"You've strayed too far, my daughter," Harlow whispered.
"Just because you were sold like cattle doesn't mean I want to be," Missy told her. It was no secret that even though her parents were mates, her parents were looking to sell her off to the nearest Alpha with influence. She was one of the Alpha daughters that knew power rarely came without strings, and most Alphas wanted power in abundance.
Alpha Adrian's cold eyes zeroed in on Boris once more. Trinity. That girl's name coming up again couldn't be a coincidence.
"I will look into this, Alpha," Beta Boris said without needing to be told. He already knew that Trinity had nothing to do with any of this. He had her watched 24/7; everywhere she went, she had a shadow with her. She wouldn't have had any time to set up this elaborate scheme.
Author's note:
I'm going to try to get back on schedule. But while I was sick I hadn't been writing. I might do some double chapter drops this week.