Chapter 4 Father's Betrayal

Camille's POV

He laughed dryly, running a hand through his thick, unruly black hair, the strands slipping between his fingers.

"What the hell is this? How could the gods even consider a joke like this?" he grimaced, a bitter edge sharpening his voice. "I, Alpha Sigewuf of the Darkstar pack, with a wolfless mate?"

The venom in his words was meant to sting, his fingers stabbing outward in angry accusation.

And they did.

"Why are you still standing here?" his anger flashed,

I opened my eyes, feeling the rush of emotions surge within my chest. But, as I had learned long ago, I refused to succumb, defying the unwritten rules between lycans and wolves. The rule to submit. I wasn't going to cower in fear or bow in submission.

I met his gaze squarely. I was tired of the endless repeat about my wolflessness.

"You know what? I've had enough of this unending loop about me being wolfless, and since eeryone suddenly wants to blow their trumpets," I said, my voice steady but fierce.

I squared my shoulders, shoulders that refused to tremble.

"I'd very much like to take my leave now." I turned sharply, my footsteps deliberate as I stalked toward the door, slamming it shut behind me with a hard bang.

They both recoiled, startled, caught off guard by my defiance.

Alpha Sigewuf hissed hoarsely, his voice thick with menace. "You brought a brash woman for me as a wife?"

Alpha Loeka bowed apologetically, his expression strained with regret. "Not so, Alpha Sigewuf. She has never behaved like this before. I believe the news of the marriage has caused her a panic reaction."

"I apologize for her actions," he added quietly.

"If the goddess doesn't consider her worthy of a wolf, then how did you expect her to produce a worthy heir? Planning to trick me, perhaps?" His voice sharpened with suspicion as he turned on Alpha Loeka.

The accusation made Alpha Loeka's face blanch with shock. He tilted his head upward, voice strained with disbelief. "I would never do such a thing!"

"She... she can give you a worthy heir. I'm sure she can," he stammered, desperation creeping into his tone.

"How do I believe that?" Sigewuf demanded, stepping closer.

"The healer confirmed it. Plus, she's untouched," Alpha Loeka lowered his voice, the words almost a whisper. "She's a virgin."

A tense silence stretched between us.

"Then fix this!" Sigewuf barked. "There are consequences if the contract is broken. It's explicitly stated in the final part of the agreement."

"I am well aware of that," Father replied, his face an unreadable mask of composure.

"I'll be in the grand hall waiting," Sigewuf hissed, shutting the door with a finality that echoed through the room.

My father's expression was a storm brewing. Dark, intense, furious. I had managed to dent his ego, and that was a victory I would savor, even if only for a moment.

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The ragged breath escaping my lips as my fists pounded the punching bag in the west wing training area was the only outward sign of the fury boiling inside me.

The door swung open as Alpha Loeka entered, Rosalind trailing closely behind.

Another reprimand or rebuke was probably on the way, about my lack of ladylike comportment, about my unruly behavior.

From the rigid set of my father's jaw, I knew it would be in my best interest to cease the boxing, kneel, plead, or beg for mercy. To do otherwise would only invite his wrath.

But rebellion burned fiercely within me. I wore the title of black sheep like a badge of honor; a rebel. Especially now, with marriage looming as a bleak fate, I refused to submit quietly.

Squaring my shoulders, I kept my gaze firm, and braced myself for the worst.

He stood few feets away from where I was.

His eyes saw red as he waited.

I stifled a bow,

"Let's talk, now!" he sneered

"You disrespect me in front of a guest! How dare you defy my orders!" his words were out before my fat ass met the chair

His grip on my neck was swift, brutal, lifting me effortlessly off the ground as if I were weightless, pressing me hard against the wall.

Talk about alpha strength

"How dare you?" he growled, shoving me so hard I crashed against the wall, the impact rattling my bones.

I scrambled to my feet, a flicker of defiance flaring. Part of me wanted to fight back, but another recognized him as both my alpha and my father. My anger boiled, but I kept my stance.

The next strike sent me staggering into a corner of the room.

Alpha Loeka advanced toward me, towering like a hawk poised to strike. His dark eyes shifted into a piercing red; his wolf was taking control.

"I have my own plans, father!"

"Your life, your existence, everything begins and ends with my decision," he snarled, pressing his foot down on my head, drawing a line between who called the shots and who followed.

Warm, thick blood trickled down my cheek, the area around my forehead feeling fractured, as if my sanity itself was cracking.

I remained silent, my defiance cloaked around me like armor.

I would never beg for his mercy.

"Don't let your foolish pride make you suffer! Just obey!" Rosalind's voice pleaded, filled with desperation.

His nostrils flared, and he unleashed a guttural growl that shook through the room.

"You will obey my commands!" he said using his alpha's tone

He drew a clear line: he was the one who gave the order and I was the one who obeyed.

"The academy starts in the fall," I said, voice trembling but defiant, feeling as fragile as glass teetering on the edge of a precipice beneath his weight.

"I will inform the council that you're no wish to attend or have any interest in the admission," Father shot back, disdain dripping from his words as he finally moved his foot off my head.

My brow rose in disbelief. "Father...!" I protested, my heart shattering into countless pieces. This was nothing short of betrayal.

"You can't do that!"

What did they say about betrayal? It always came from the people you loved the most.

My entry into the academy had been my hope for a different life.

Wiping away a tear threatening to spill over the edge of my composure. I stayed silent

There was no use crying; Father didn't deserve my tears. But the hurt I felt was an unbearable weight, numbing me from within. It was suffocating me slowly.

"You've always wanted to do something great for the pack, right?" he grinned slyly, his expression a concoction of cruelty and mockery.

He was wielding my own words against me like a weapon.

If cruelty were a person, it would take the form of my father.

"Don't forget to cover that cut with something girly. You wouldn't want anyone thinking poorly of our pack now, would you, darling?"

My emotions roiling beneath the surface, ready to erupt at any moment.

He walked past me, exiting the training room. For the second time, I felt that striking emptiness, and this time it felt worse.

Hot tears screaming down my cheeks, defying my attempts to hold them back. I wanted to stop, but I couldn't. My heart felt seared, and whatever trust I had left had just shattered into oblivion.