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“Bullshit,” Lucian growls, and I wish he would stay out of it. He’s done enough damage.
My father’s grip tightens on the jug of moonshine, his knuckles turning white. “You’ve mated with this vamp,” he says, more as a statement than a question.
“I have,” I admit, my voice steady despite the awkwardness of discussing my sex life with my dad. I resist the urge to look away, holding his gaze as I stand firm in my truth.
“Hot damn, screwing a bloodsucker? That’s downright disgusting and...”
My dad raises a hand, silencing Lucian’s outburst. He studies me intently, searching for any signs of deceit or hesitation. “You reckon he’s your mate, huh? Are you damn sure about that?”
“Yes, I’m sure. The signs were all there.” The memories of our first time together flood my mind, images and sensations intertwining, affirming the depth of our bond. It’s a truth I hold onto tightly, despite the challenges it presents.
My dad shakes his head, his beard swaying in sync with his disapproval. “Well, dang it all, this here puts me in a real tight spot.” A heavy sigh drops from his lips, loaded with a mixture of disappointment and resignation. “You reckon I can bend them rules, and you sure as shooting know the consequences for breaking them. Ain’t no other way around it. I gotta kick you to the curb.”
The pack members surrounding us shift as whispers and murmurs spread like wildfire, amplifying the charged atmosphere.
“I know, and I accept that.” It’s a bitter pill to swallow, the prospect of being severed from the pack that has always been my home. A lone wolf has no chance out there, but my feelings for Xavier outweigh the fear of being an outcast.
“Well, if you’re so predictable, then why did you even bother showing up tonight?”
“Lucian called Xavier out in a fight to the death.” I drop to my knees in front of my dad. I’m not above begging for Xavier’s life. I try to take his hand in mine, but he pulls away. I get that I’m no longer a part of the pack, but I’m still his daughter, so his rejection hurts. Does he hate vampires more than he loves me? I contemplate revealing the truth about my brothers’ involvement, about how they hired hunters to kill me, hoping that revelation might sway my dad’s decision. But deep down, I know that manipulation is not the path I want to take. I came here driven by a single purpose, a plea from the depths of my heart. “This is not a choice I made lightly. It’s not about defying you or betraying our pack. It’s about following my heart and embracing the love that fate has brought into my life. I can’t change how I feel about Xavier. I wish you could see past the differences and remember that I am still your daughter, no matter what,” I plead, my voice trembling with raw emotion. “I’m not asking as a member of the pack or as an exile. I’m asking as your daughter. Please call off this fight. I’ll go back to Xavier, and you won’t have to see me again. Just let us be.”
“I can’t just stick my nose in their brawl. It’s plain against our laws,” he says sternly. “You know, a real wolf doesn’t go sneaking away from a tussle. It doesn’t matter if it’s a he-wolf or a she-wolf, grown or a young’un, we gotta show some dang respect for the rules of our pack.”
The silence that follows is deafening, pregnant with the weight of his decision. My heart pounds in my chest, and my breaths are shallow because I know I’m not going to be able to change my dad’s mind.
“Then... at least move the location of the fight to a more neutral ground. Xavier has no chance if the fight takes place here, and you know it.”
“There ain’t no way in hell my old man’s gonna budge ’bout no damn vampire. The whole pack’s been buzzing ’bout this fight, and they’re all damn well showing up to watch. Terms were laid out plain and simple, and that bloodsucker of yours done agreed to them fair and square.”
No, the pack is coming to help Lucian cheat his way to victory. I push aside my brother’s comment, keeping my focus on my dad, my eyes locked with his. “Please, Dad.”
My dad’s final response shatters my hopes. “Sorry about that, but the fight’s gonna stay just the way it is.”
I don’t know what to do. My dad won’t intervene, and Xavier is so damn stubborn that he won’t back out. An idea strikes me: it’s suicide, and if I follow through with this plan, someone will die, but at least it won’t be Xavier. I push to my feet, straightening my spine and lifting my chin.
“Then you leave me no choice. I challenge Lucian for the right to stop tomorrow’s fight, right here, right now.” I will never win a fight against Lucian; that’s crazy, but since I’m issuing the challenge, I get to set the terms.
The tension intensifies, with an electric current surging through the trailer park. The pack members, who had been observing from a distance, now shift their attention to me. My brothers wear smug grins, relishing the prospect of witnessing my defeat at Lucian’s hands.
“You gotta be joking!” My dad rises from his camp chair, towering over me. “This here’s pure madness! You’re fixing to risk your life for a vampire, one of them critters we’ve sworn to protect our pack from.”
“I have issued the challenge, and by your words, your law, Lucian has no choice but to accept it on my terms.”
“You? Fight Lucian? Well, dang it, that’s the funniest thing I’ve heard all year,” Logan snorts, and the rest of the pack laughs.
“Look at her, the little traitor,” Declan adds. “Done gone all soft for a bloodsucker. She done lost her wolf spirit, I tell you.”
“She ain’t got no wolf spirit in her. She’s a goddamn half-breed,” Lucian sneers, rising from his chair, his voice filled with authority as if he’s the damn alpha of the pack. “You reckon them bloodsuckers got anything worth offering you? Shoot, they ain’t nothin’ but no-good parasites, feeding off our folk.”
I take a step closer, my voice low and fierce. “Xavier has shown me more kindness and loyalty than you ever have. You’re blinded by your own arrogance, Lucian.”
A wicked grin curls on his lips as he leans in, his breath hot against my face. “You ain’t got a clue ’bout what you’re stepping into, Lyra. When I’m done with you, you’ll be on your knees begging for mercy.”
“I won’t beg for anything, especially not from the likes of you.”
He laughs. “What are your terms, little sister?”
“Hold your horses right there!” My dad’s voice booms over the group. “Now, listen up, Lyra. I reckon I can’t let this here thing happen.”
