“So, you’re really going?”
I glanced up to find my father lingering in the doorway, arms folded across his chest. Not from arrogance, but from unease. His forehead wrinkled as he struggled to find words.
I kept stuffing my few possessions into my bag, pretending he didn’t exist. Everything I owned could squeeze into a single backpack.
“You need to reject him,” Cameron declared, his tone rigid like he was barely containing something explosive.
I continued ignoring him, acting like the room was empty. But I knew this tactic had limits – my father’s patience had always been paper-thin when it came to being dismissed.
Sure enough, I was right.
Within moments, Cameron stormed across the space and seized my arm, yanking me around to force eye contact. The lines on his face deepened.
“Reject him. You can’t seriously want to leave with him.” His voice stretched tight. He ground his teeth together, his fingers digging into my skin.
I didn’t even flinch. This wasn’t my first rodeo with pain. I’d grown accustomed to being hurt.
I remained silent, letting my father grip my arm, letting him cause me pain. Nothing unusual here.
When Cameron realized how stubborn I was being, his anger erupted. He lifted his hand, preparing to strike me across the face.
But I met his gaze directly, seeing what was coming, and I didn’t even blink. I was ready to take it, which made Cameron freeze mid-swing as something cold settled in his bones.
“What the hell is wrong with you?!” Cameron exploded. “You think your life gets better with that Mad King?” He practically whispered the title “Mad King,” still paranoid that someone might overhear and report him.
“Anywhere beats here,” I replied icily.
This marked our first real conversation in months. Cameron had never bothered checking on me, though I hadn’t expected him to either.
We only crossed paths in common areas since, as the former alpha’s beta, he frequented the pack house. But that never meant he’d pause to see how his daughter was doing.
“Don’t be stupid! You have no clue what you’re getting into!”
I went quiet again, simply staring at my father while ignoring the throbbing in my arm where his grip was cutting off circulation.
When I didn’t respond, Cameron launched into his speech.
“That man embodies pure insanity. He slaughtered the entire royal family out of greed for power. You think he’ll treasure you and let you live long?”
I was aware of that. The thought of the Mad King killing me for any mistake terrified me, but staying here meant Kevin would destroy me slowly.
I couldn’t stomach the idea of his hands on me anymore. That would finish me off before they ever buried my body.
“He’s going to murder you.” Cameron grew more frustrated when I didn’t react the way he wanted.
“Death doesn’t scare me. I’d embrace it gladly.” I lifted my chin. “Don’t you get it? I’m already dead. All of you killed me. I’ve died over and over.”
“What garbage are you spouting?” It occurred to Cameron that maybe his daughter had lost her mind too. Could madness be contagious from the alpha?
“I died inside every time Kevin put his hands on me. I died inside every time they treated me worse than a slave. I died inside when you stopped being my father, ignoring me, doing nothing when you knew he was raping me!”
Cameron’s eyes went wide, his jaw locking tight. “You wanted it.”
“I wanted it?” I narrowed my eyes. “I wanted him to rape me?”
“Don’t use such crude language. You desired Kevin, didn’t you? You even tried to seduce your stepbrother,” Cameron said with revulsion.
“And you buy that story. You still believe it even after I told you he came after me and tried to force himself on me.”
“He’s my son, naturally I believe him.” His voice hardened until it sounded strained.
Cameron always stressed that Reginald was his son, despite no blood connection, and I figured it was because he desperately wanted an heir.
Someone to carry on his legacy.
The realization made my resentment burn hotter, knowing I’d failed him by being born female.
“What about me? I’m your daughter. Don’t I count as your child?” I wrenched my hand free from his loosened grip, then added, “I forgot. You don’t consider me your child anymore.”
After saying that, I didn’t linger. I bolted from the bedroom straight to the main garden, where the royal beta had instructed me to wait.
I gripped my backpack tightly while my father watched from a distance. I had no idea what expression he wore right now, and I didn’t want to find out.
“Get in,” one of the warriors commanded, pulling open the car door for me.
Phoebe’s POV
Terror clawed at my chest, a familiar companion that had haunted me through every nightmare I’d lived. No matter how many times fear wrapped its icy fingers around my throat, I never grew numb to its bite.
When the king strode toward the car, dread twisted in my gut like a living thing. But beneath the terror, something else stirred – anticipation that made my skin burn with shame.
My fingers found the mark on my neck before I could stop myself. I jerked my hand away, lacing my fingers together and fixing my stare on the seat ahead. Stay quiet. Don’t breathe wrong. Don’t give him a reason to end you.
This could be my escape from the Obsidian Claw pack’s hell. Or it could drag me somewhere infinitely worse.
The moment Perry slid into the car, the air turned electric. His presence hit me like a physical force, drowning my senses until I couldn’t think straight.
My hands felt clumsy and wrong. I clutched my backpack like a shield, pressing myself into the seat as if I could disappear into the leather. The space between us – less than a meter – might as well have been nothing. His scent invaded my lungs, rich and dangerous, making my wolf whimper with need.
I wanted to press my face against his chest and breathe him in until I forgot my own name.
The thought terrified me more than anything.
The car pulled away from the driveway, and suddenly he was there, looming over me, stealing every inch of space until I could barely breathe. His presence crushed down on me like a storm.
Up front, his royal beta Flynn watched us through the rearview mirror, curiosity sharp in his eyes.
“What is it? You’re not happy?” Perry’s voice was silk over steel. He leaned closer until his face hovered inches from mine, his breath warm against my skin. I kept my eyes down, knowing the rules that kept me breathing.
Eye contact meant challenge. Challenge meant death.
“Look at me when I’m talking to you.” His tone dropped, annoyance threading through the command like a blade.
When his hand moved toward my cheek, I flinched hard. Still, I couldn’t make myself meet his gaze.
“Look at me.” The demand came sharper this time. I could feel his rage building, could smell it in his scent.
“Yes, my king. I… I am happy.” The lie tasted bitter on my tongue.
His scoff cut through me. Then his palm pressed against my chest, right over my hammering heart. “I don’t think so.”
My heart betrayed me, pounding so hard I was sure he could feel it through my ribs. Sweat beaded on my forehead despite the car’s AC blasting cold air.
I wanted to shrink into nothing. His presence overwhelmed every sense until I couldn’t catch my breath, couldn’t think beyond the panic clawing up my throat.
“Fuck you.” The words hit like a slap. His eyes burned with disgust as he stared down at me. “Wait until I get you for myself, and we’re alone.”
Alone.
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