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Matthyw bristled at the mention of his wife. “Not by choice,” he said.
“It matters not,” my father said, opening the tin ice holder and grabbing blocks of ice with a pair of tongs, dropping them in his glass. “You did your duty. You married the Stone pack’s second daughter in order to orchestrate a much-needed alliance.” He glanced over at me. “Perhaps you should tell your sister the importance of doing one’s duty, hmm?”
“And what is that supposed to mean?” I asked before I could stop myself. Though it was still hard for me to believe that I was capable of speaking to my father in this way, the fact that I continued to do so when we had an audience – especially Matthyw – was more than a little shocking.
What was going on with me? Was I really this unhinged and I just didn’t know until something caused me to snap?
“You speak to me thusly?” my father warned, arching a brow.
“We’re here to discuss you, not me,” I said, trying to control the attitude in my tone. I didn’t want to disrespect him. It wasn’t in my nature to do so, especially when it had been the two of us for so long. But it was difficult to control myself. I was unraveling and I couldn’t stitch myself up fast enough to salvage the girl I once was, the girl I thought I was. “You’re marrying Chamberly. You claim you’re doing your duty, but I don’t see how —“
“The Marriage Law!” My father’s voice boomed through the room, and I jerked back. Matthyw took a step forward, positioning himself in front of me, hand at his waist. “Don’t you see, or are you too ignorantly naive to believe this has nothing to do with us? That blasted law will impact us in the worst way by diluting our pack with human blood and keeping it from remaining pure.”
“Father, there are a handful of humans mated to our pack —“
“Because that was their destiny,” my father said. “Because that was what the Fates chose for them. In that way, the humans were chosen, making it impossible for their blood to be impure. Arranging a marriage, forcing someone to take part in that marriage, is different.”
“Isn’t that what you did to me?” Matthyw drawled, slowly allowing his hand to fall back to his side.
“Excuse me?” my father asked.
“You said it yourself – I did my duty,” he said. “I married that good for nothing ginger cunt because you insisted, because you held my inheritance hostage –”
“Your inheritance?” my father asked with a snarl. “You think you have any claim to our pack? My daughter will inherit it. I’ve already made this decision; you know it –”
“Not at the time,” Matthyw said. “As far as I knew, I was your heir until you decided to give it to Adrya. Once that was clear, you married me off to a minor pack who has nothing going for them, save for the fact that they have expansive land.”
I blinked, trying to keep my features from giving anything away. I didn’t realize my father naming me heir took anything away from Matthyw. But it had. It was the catalyst to sending him away. I didn’t even realize that he had been heir at all, though, now that I thought of it, it made sense. There had been no female Alpha in our pack’s history, even though other packs had no qualms about naming a female heir.
How could Matthyw not hate me when he saw me?
Or maybe he did.
“And yet, rumors swirl that your marriage hasn’t even been consummated,” my father stated.
I rubbed my lips together. I shouldn’t be here. I shouldn’t be hearing this. It wasn’t any of my business.
“Would you like me to fuck her in front of you?” Matthyw asked, cocking his head to the side. “That is, if I could even get my cock up right at the thought of entering her dry, withered cunt.”
My father’s lip curled up in disgust. “You would speak in front of my daughter in such a vile manner?” he asked.
“No more vile than the prospect of you wedding and bedding that cunt professor,” Matthyw countered. Though I couldn’t see him, I could already picture him arching a challenging brow, reeking of arrogance.
My father tightened his grip on his glass tumbler. “Why are you here?” he demanded to know.
“I must speak with you,” Matthyw said. “It’s urgent. And private.” He tilted his head so I discerned his profile, but his eyes weren’t on me at all.
My father looked like he was ready to send both of us out. Instead, he brought the glass to his mouth and took a sharp sip. After swallowing the liquid, he rubbed his lips together.
“Adrya, go,” he said, jutting his chin in the direction of the door. “You’d do well to consider my words about duty. I’m doing mine, whether you agree with it or not. And it won’t be long before you’re asked to do the same.”
Freya
Iwas the last person on the field. My thighs burned, but I kept running. I wouldn’t let him see that I was rattled, that I wasn’t terribly fond of running. In all the training sessions my mother made me partake in, cardio was the last thing on her mind. She figured there was no real reason in running from a threat because there was a good chance they would catch up. It was defense she instilled in me, attack and defense.
Running…
I wasterribleat running.
