Xander â| heard you were here,â Orion said to Mason. âI figured it was better to face the situation head-on.â
âSince when?â Mason and | both asked at the same time.
We looked at each other, our eyes widening, then narrowing, still sizing each other up even though it was clear we were on the exact same page.
Zane shot me a sh it-eating smirk, âYou guys really are alike,â he said.
âDon't f ucking start,â | bit back at him.
âOkay, sure...â my father said, throwing up his hands, âLet me have it, then.â
âReally?â | asked, my anger surging already. âFine. You-â
âNo.â Masonâs voice rang out through the library.
Heâd said it like a command, but that as shole had no power over me.
I called the shots here.
âYou donât deserve to even know what we're thinking or how we feel,â Mason continued. âAnd we donât give a f u ck what youâre thinking or feeling.â
We? Now he was speaking for me?
| flexed my fists and turned my furious gaze on Mason, prepared to jump in and speak for myself like I'd been doing before he so rudely interrupted.
But then | felt Zaneâs hand on my shoulder and his voice in my head.
âDon't,â he said. âThis isnât the time to flex your Alpha status.â
âHeâs trying to f ucking speak for me,â | spat. âHe canât just come in and do that.â
âHeâs never had the chance to challenge Orion before, Xander, and you know heâs right. This isnât about who's the bigger Alpha, it's about your father answering for what heâs done to you.â
| shook Xander off, but of course, everything he said made sense.
My father tried to speak, but Masonâs voice rose, drowning him out.
âYou never thought twice about any of us,â Mason said. âNot even your own f ucking mate. You just did whatever the hell you wanted, and you only thought about yourself.â
My father spun around to look at me, his jaw clenched so tight | thought it might shatter.
âAnd you agree with this?â
| sighed deeply. Even though this whole confrontation thing was my idea, | hated siding with Mason.
Especially since | was imagining I'd be the one leading the charge.
â| do,â | admitted.
My father really was a selfish p rick.
Now that we had the twins, | couldnât imagine throwing them or our mate under the bus to protect my own power, and | knew Zane would never do that, either.
All| cared about was protecting them and preserving the packâs peace, so that when it came time for one of them to lead, they could do so without conflict like this.
These two pups were our legacy pow, and all we wanted was to create the best life for them.
| glanced at Mason, chest heaving, wearing an angry expression that probably looked identical to mine.
He was surely thinking about the same thing with Stella, How he didnât want to repeat the same mistakes as our father had.
For the first time, when | looked at him, | actually felt respect.
âIf you donât want to hear how | feel, then | donât know what the f uck Iâm supposed to say,â my father argued bitterly. âI donât know what you want from me.â
âAn apology would be nice,â | said icily. âYou owe us that at the very least.â
â| donât owe you anything,â he sneered.
âOh yes, you do.â My motherâs voice cut through our argument as she swept into the library. âBecause we haven't even scratched the surface of your lies, Orion.â