Page 53

“I didn’t either,” she snapped.

“Yeah, you’ve made that abundantly clear,” I drawled, trying not to be offended. Fine, it was a bit petty, but no one liked disgust being the emotion someone felt when a match between them was suggested.

“It’s not about you,” she sighed, understanding where my head was. She nodded while rubbing her shoulder. “I would feel this way if my perfect Prince Charming fucking showed up. It’s—my father took a scary,gleefulturn with whatever was said and just announced it to everyone. My mother is also furious. He announced it before talking to her—either of us.”

I snorted. “Because he thought it was a done deal then and he didn’t think you or your mother would ‘embarrass’ him by telling the truth.”

She sighed, so I knew I hit the nail on the head. “He makes Mom feel bad that she didn’t give him any sons to take over.”

“Glad he’s stupid and doesn’t know how basic biology works,” I drawled.

“Something I’ve brought up repeatedlyandthat I’m stronger than him and will take over as the eldest,” she said with just as much disdain.

“Well, good luck with that. I wish you the best. I’ll help if I can as aguestof the pack and only that. I will always be loyal to my family and—”

“You might want to rethink that because I’m pretty sure this was done with their blessing.”

I wanted to tell her she was mistaken and there was no way… But I was pretty sure there was. Somehow.

I let my wolf run so he wasn’t too keyed up, but honestly he was too keyed up to focus. I shifted back and went for the Alpha, glad he wasn’t running yet. He was frowning when he didn’t see his daughter with me.

“Let’s chat and with less ears because you’re not going to like what I say,” I told him bluntly.

“I’m not sure why when—”

“I’m not a fucking pup and stronger than you,” I snapped. “So fuck whatever someone said for me. The fact you didn’t talk to me first before announcing whatever bullshit you did to your pack—fuck, I want to tear off your head for announcing it before you talked to your own fucking daughter. And if Ihadwanted her and you’d done that, I would have ended you.”

I was glad when he was smart enough to go pale. That meant he was close enough with his wolf to sense that I was telling the truth.

Yeah, I was, so good thing he was listening.

I didn’t wait until people couldn’t overhear because he was being childish and dragging his heels. “I should end you for trying to commit me to something you didn’t hear from my own fucking lips. Something completely bullshit and—”

He grabbed my arm and tried to drag me off now that he realized that I wasn’t going to play his games. He couldn’t remotely move me and I gave him a look that he was just compounding his mistakes. He let me go with a huff and jogged off towards where he’d been heading, knowing where I’d followed.

I rolled my eyes and sprinted in the direction. “Get your ass back here because I can fucking yell so everyone can hear me, fucker.”

Yeah, I could be just as petty.

“Shut up,” I said firmly when he arrived, putting all my power into the words and even on display. He was trembling when he felt it and showed me his throat. “You haveno excuse. Your daughter was too upset to have put the pieces together—maybe she has now. She thought it all came from me, but we both know it didn’t.

“When she realized I was confused and ambushed by this—you should be in the ground for springing this on another Alpha wolf—anyfucking wolf.My wolfwants you dead for trying to force your daughter who you are supposed to protect. You don’t know me. You were greedy and used her like a pawn because you’re jealous a mere woman is more powerful than you.”

And there it was. What this was really about. It wasn’t my last name or that he was truly worried about me taking over.

No, the petty,pettyman was embarrassed that hisdaughter, who wasn’t even forty, was a stronger and better wolf than him.

I got the details from him and then I had only one thing to say. “I will give youone chanceto fix this elegantly and withoutshitting on my family. You are a duffer to have believed one of mysiblingswhen everyone who knows anything knows we have issues. You have no honor and jumped at the chance to lock me in.”

He tried to argue, but I blasted him with what I sensed from his wolf.

“You knew I didn’t know!” I nodded with a smirk when he froze. “I’m a wolf and Alpha like you’ve never seen. My wolf knows lots. So shut the fuck up with the half-truths and bullshit. You will gracefully fix this. You got overexcited that my sister thought apossiblematch. I’m involved with someone I already introduced to my parents and theyadoreher.”

He went pale.

“Yeah, do you want them to show up here and handle this bullshit?”

“No, no, I don’t,” he whispered, swallowing loudly.