Warned

Drake

I stride toward the man who dares to belittle his own daughter. His eyes widen in surprise as he takes in the sight of the Alpha’s son, glaring at him in response to his words.

“You have no right!” I bellow at him. “She’s a person, not some object to be discarded. She’s your daughter, deserving of love, not to be treated like trash.

Moreover, I won’t tolerate anyone treating a future member of my pack this way. My father will soon hear of this mistreatment, and you may lose your Beta position.”

His gaze drops to the ground before meeting mine again. “She’s my child, and you have no say in how we raise her.”

His words only fuel my anger, my body trembling with rage. Diego steps forward, locking eyes with him as I struggle to keep my wolf form at bay, to keep from tearing him apart. He growls, “Mind your tone. I don’t care if you’re the current Beta. My father will support my reasons for killing you where you stand.”

His head jerks back at the primal tone in my voice. A smirk spreads across my face as he realizes my wolf is in control, ready to shift.

“I apologize, Drake. I shouldn’t have spoken to the future Alpha of our pack that way. What brings you to my home today?” His demeanor has changed.

My gaze remains locked on his as I respond, “Addy is here to collect her belongings. She’s moving into the packhouse.”

His lips curl into a wide grin, confirming what my sister had told me earlier. “Really? She found her mate?”

I nod. “Yes, she has. He wants her to move in with him at the packhouse. Myra is taking her shopping for a dress for her birthday party tomorrow.”

His eyes flicker to the door my sister exited from before settling on his daughter. “Why isn’t her mate doing that? Isn’t it his responsibility to provide for her?”

I had hoped he would put two and two together without me having to spell it out. He clearly doesn’t understand the answer to his question. “He’s accompanying them to ensure she gets everything she wants. She doesn’t have much here, according to what she’s told him. You wanted her out of the house today, didn’t you? Regardless of who her mate is?”

He steps back, his gaze meeting mine again. His smile fades into a frown, his brows furrowing. “I was hoping she would find her mate today. I don’t understand why you’re here instead of her mate.”

I can see the gears turning in his head before his eyes widen in realization. I turn to Addy and Myra. “Myra, help her gather what she wants to take back to the packhouse. Addy, only take what you want. We’ll take care of the rest after our shopping trip.”

Myra takes Addy’s hand. I notice a slight tremor in it before I take it in mine. She sighs. “It won’t take long. There’s not much I want from here.”

I nod, releasing her hand so they can ascend the steps and enter the house. My attention returns to her father, who has approached the porch once they’re out of earshot. He looks nervously at the door. “She’s your mate? How is that possible?”

I approach him on the porch. “She is. Do you have a problem with that?”

I stand a good four inches taller than him, forcing him to look up at me. “I never imagined she would be your mate. I thought maybe a Beta or Gamma, but never an Alpha.”

A low growl rumbles in my chest, causing him to step back. “Why does it matter who she’s paired with? You should know that with her bloodline, she was likely to be mated with a high-ranking pack member. Most Alpha or Beta-born females are paired with top-ranking members because they have the power to guide and protect a pack. Wasn’t your wife a Beta’s daughter in her old pack?”

He nods, his gaze returning to the door as he lowers his voice. “Please, show us mercy. Don’t tell your father about how we treated her. I know we didn’t treat her right, but my wife was cursed after her birth. We couldn’t have the son we wanted to be your Beta.”

I laugh harshly. “What makes you think I would have chosen your son as my Beta? My father left that decision to me. If he was as cruel as you, there’s no way in hell I would have chosen him.”

His head snaps back to me. “It’s tradition for the current Beta’s son to become the next Beta. You would have broken tradition?”

I shrug. “I don’t know, it never happened. The moon goddess gave you a remarkable daughter, and you abused her, showed her no love. She can’t mind link the pack as she should. My father is currently reviewing the records, trying to uncover the truth about your defiance. You know the consequences of falsifying records, right?”

He swallows hard. “Yes. Please, ask your father not to banish us. Her father’s pack won’t take us back now that it’s under a new Alpha who wants nothing to do with any family members from his bloodline. They couldn’t have their own son, so the Beta’s son became the next Alpha when he came of age. We have nowhere to go.”

I pinch the bridge of my nose. “I don’t know what my father will decide. I believe you should no longer be a member of this pack, but that’s not my decision to make. I can recommend it as the future Alpha, but the final decision is his.”

He looks down at the wooden porch we’re standing on. “My family has been in this pack for generations. Everyone has died on this land, buried in the family graveyard. I will plead with your father and you if I have to. If I lose my position, it will also end my family line. All males in our line have been Beta for over five hundred years in this pack. I knew when she was born a female, it was over. You would have to choose another family’s son to take over that role. Our family’s tradition died when my wife couldn’t have more children.”

I grab him by the throat. “That’s not her fault, but you took out all your frustration on her. Did it ever occur to you that the moon goddess might not have given you a son for a reason? She knew how you would treat your only child and didn’t want him to be the golden boy while she was left in the shadows.”

I can feel him swallow. “I never thought of it that way. If we had a son, she would have been in the background because he would have been raised as I was, to be a powerful figure to support the future Alpha of the pack. Would we have treated her as we have? That’s a question that will never be answered.”

I release him. “I’ll let my father arrange a meeting with you about this. If you tell anyone about Addy and me before my announcement at Myra’s party tomorrow, you’ll pay the price, and so will your wife. Do I make myself clear? I need to ensure that everyone in this pack knows who she is and what she will become. This is no longer your concern and won’t be discussed until the time is right.”

Addy emerges from the house with a small bag in her hand, looking at me with a shocked expression. “I understand, Alpha. You have my word; I won’t say a word.”

I extend my hand for her to take. “You’d better keep your word. You’ll regret it if I hear even a whisper about this.”

She takes my hand and we turn to walk down the steps toward the car. I open the door and take the bag from her, helping her into the seat. As I close the door, her mother comes out of the house, glaring at us.

“Where the hell is she going?” she spits out.

He places a hand on her wrist as she tries to approach the car. “Honey, don’t. She’s found her mate and is moving into the packhouse. They came to collect her things.”

She grins. “Who’s she paired with? A Gamma or Omega? There’s no way anyone higher than that would want her as a mate.”

His smile is small. “I’m not sure yet. Myra brought her to get her things, and her brother came along. She didn’t bring her mate.”

That doesn’t seem to satisfy her because she scowls at him. “That’s bullshit. He wouldn’t let her go anywhere without him.”

He looks at her. “He had duties to attend to, so he couldn’t.”

Her icy gaze locks onto mine. “You’re aware of who she was matched with, aren’t you? Who’s the low-ranking boy that’s now our ‘reject’s’ provider?”

I can’t hold Diego back any longer. The woman’s disrespect towards my mate is too much. He surges forward so quickly I can’t stop him. My eyes darken to a deep black and my bones start to shift, tearing my clothes. Her father steps in. “No, Drake. Please, don’t!”

Diego lunges at her and she screams, “Oh my god. What’s wrong with him?”

Suddenly, a body slams into Diego, knocking him away from her. My eyes dart to see my mate in her wolf form, growling at me.

‘Diego, that’s enough. Let’s go. They’re not worth it. You were about to kill her, but she’ll learn not to mess with Addy,’ Mystic’s eyes meet mine.

She shakes her head at Diego, then walks around the car. She shifts back into her human form and pulls on my oversized t-shirt that Myra shields her with until she’s decent.

As we head back to the car, I’m allowed to shift back. I’m angry about a few things. Her mother was talking about her like she was garbage, unworthy of someone like me. And Mystic stopped me from tearing her apart. After I pull on a fresh set of clothes, I grab her wrist.

“Don’t ever interfere like that again. She was belittling you; he could have hurt you,” I say, my nostrils flaring.

She laughs. “Not when you’re caught off guard like that. You should learn to watch your back. Diego wouldn’t attack me; he knows better.”

I blink at her a few times, then see Mystic smirking at me, not my baby. I nod slowly, taking a few deep breaths. “You did have the upper hand for a moment, but I would have pinned you down in the end.” I turn to her parents, who are staring at us. Her mother raises a trembling finger.

“Why did you defend her like that? What kind of wolf is she? A freak?” Her eyes are wide.

This woman just can’t keep her mouth shut. I feel a soft touch on my arm as my body starts to shake again. “Drake.” Her small voice cuts through the fog clouding my mind. “Please, can we leave? There’s nothing here I need anymore.”

Taking a deep breath to calm myself, I look at both of them. “I’ll let your husband explain. But remember my warning. She’s no longer your problem.”

I place my hand on the small of her back, helping her into the car. I get in and we drive off towards the mall.

“Do you think we’ll find what we’re looking for?” she asks, glancing over at me.

“I hope so,” I reply, keeping my eyes on the road. “We’ve been searching for weeks now.”

She sighs. “I know. It’s just so frustrating.”

I reach over and squeeze her hand. “We’ll find it. I promise.”

She smiles weakly. “Thanks. I needed that.”

We continue driving in silence, both lost in our thoughts.