Page 171 of Pretty When She Breaks

He bent down with a groan and poured himself a glass of whiskey. Then he sat on a leather chair, staring at the suite’s balcony.

I followed him, sinking down into the chair opposite him.

He looked up, startled for a second. “Laurel,” he said, and sighed.

We sat in silence for a minute.

“Laura used to dress like that,” he said, and I blinked at him in surprise. He never talked about my mother. “For a second, I thought… You look so much like her, you know,” he continued, bitterness lacing his tone. “You and…that boyboth.”

I remained silent, fingers gripping my pants. Was this why he’d always put me in dresses? So I didn’t remind him of my mother?

“The power you hold, Laurel. The power to ruin men. To make them fall inlove.” He sneered at the last word, and the statement caught me off guard.

I didn’t hold my tongue; I didn’t have a reason to anymore. “You loved our mother?”

“I shouldn’t have,” he said. “Where did it get me? A pack who betrayed me, a wife who despised me, andweaknessthat she passed to our children.”

He shook his head, taking a long sip of his whiskey, then leaned back, staring at the chandelier hanging above him. I was fine waiting; I could hear footsteps moving by the elevator, pick up the faint sound of a quiet struggle.

Father lowered his head to study me, a frown creasing his brow. “And you. What’s this I heard about you going behind your alphas’ backs? Undermining and humiliating them? I raised you to be better, Laurel.”

I watched him carefully, wondering if he would lose his temper, but he just looked resigned. He shook his head again.

“And this is the mark I leave on the world? My legacy marred and compromised. I was punished for my weakness with Julius. What a disappointment. There was too much of her in him. A lost cause.”

The sound of heels clacking against the marble sounded, and the curtain near us was swept aside.

“I think that’s my cue,” Jewel said, stepping smartly into the room. He’d taken off Jade’s wig but still wore the dress, his heels, and a face full of makeup.

I grinned at him, stifling my amusement; he must have taken off the heels to walk over here quietly, then put them back on for his dramatic entrance.

My father’s eyes nearly bugged out of his head, and his face turned a rather impressive shade of red. “You,”he hissed, jumping to his feet.

I stood with him, pulling my weapon from its holster.

“Ah ah! Wait,” Jewel said, pointing at me as I clicked off the safety.

My father whirled around and froze as he found himself staring down the barrel of my gun. “What is this?” he spat. He was shocked, and I snorted becauseof coursehe was. I doubted he could have even imagined me holding a gun, let alone using one.

“This is justice,” I told him. “For everything you’ve done to your so-called family.”

His face darkened, and I watched his throat bob as he swallowed. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said, his voice edged with annoyance. “I’ve given you everything?—”

“Youtookeverything!” I snarled, cutting him off. I’d wanted to keep calm and aloof for this part, but fuck that. I was sick of holding back my emotions in front of my father. I wanted him to see the truth of it, of what he’d done to me.

“You took my mother, my other fathers, my brother, and my scent matches. You took away every single choice that you could. You took everything that I am!” My face was blazing and my scent unfurled, bitter with misery. “So, don’t pretend you did it for me. Don’t pretend you ever cared about me or Jewel.”

“You littlebitch,” he spat.

Jewel gave an airy laugh. “Oh, I’d be very careful how I spoke to her if I were you.”

My father’s lips curled back in a snarl, but he didn’t speak again, his eyes darting to my finger on the trigger. Calculating.

“You’re wrong,” I said, standing tall before him in an oversized hoodie and pants, an outfit he abhorred.

“Mother wasn’t weak. I have never beenweak. Theonlyreason I stayed here as long as I did was because Iknewit wasn’t Jewel in that casket.”

“Let me guess,” Jewel said, rolling his eyes. “He called you crazy. Threatened to have you certified. It’s all rather contrived, don’t you think? You’re stuck in the last century.”