Chapter 112
The kitchen went cold for a few minutes. My father? My father?
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“Are you– are you serious?” I asked, my voice barely a whisper. My mind reeled. It couldn’t be. she wouldn’t even consider doing something like that.
But she wasn’t done. Her eyes were wide, wet with unshed tears, and her next breath felt like a physical punch to my gut. “If I hadn’t found out about Isabella, if I didn’t know. I would have
done it.”
My jaw dropped. I stared at her, utterly speechless for a long moment. My heart was pounding so hard I thought it might burst through my ribs. “Done… done what?” I finally managed to stammer, even though I knew, I knew what she meant. “Are you joking, Faith? You wouldn’t try and kill my father, right?”
She shook her head, a single tear finally escaping and tracking a path down her cheek. “I wish I could stand here and lie to you and say that I didn’t even consider doing it but I did. As a mother. I genuinely considered doing it.”
A knot tightened in my stomach. As disappointed and horrified as I was by the thought.
I looked at Faith, really looked at her desperate face, and a cold shiver ran down my spine. The image flashed in my mind I swallowed hard. I probably would have thought about it too. Yes, I wouldn’t have killed my father. I could never go that far. But for your child? For their safety, for their happiness? There are no lengths you can’t possibly, wouldn’t possibly, go to. The thought was terrifying, but it was real.
Faith’s voice pulled me back. “What are we going to do, Astor?”
I took a deep breath. “Kyle is a long story,” I said, pinching the bridge of my nose. “A very long, twisted story. For now, we’re going to have to concentrate on Isabella. Protecting her, making sure she’s safe.” I looked at Faith, trying to calm down even though I felt anything but. “I’ll take care of that tonight. But for now, I need you to calm down. Just relax, okay?” I reached for her hand, squeezing it gently. “We’re probably going to go through worse things than this. And we’re going to have to be there for Isabella after tonight. She’s going to need us, both of us.”
Faith nodded, her grip on my hand tightening. “Okay,” she whispered.
“Good,” I said, giving her hand another squeeze. “Now, I need to have a conversation with my father. Which means that my mother might come and bother
you.”
Faith let out a harsh sigh and I frowned. “Listen to me,” I said, looking her directly in the eye.
”
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If she becomes a problem, just one word, one disrespectful look, and you are very much allowed to kick her out. This is your house, Faith. And I really do respect and care for my mother, but I will not tolerate her constantly disrespecting you. That is probably one of the biggest mistakes I made before you ran away.” My voice was low, filled with regret. “I let people talk to you and disrespect you as much as they wanted. But none of that will happen again. Ever.”
A soft smile touched Faith’s lips, and then she was in my arms, hugging me tightly. It was a silent thank you, a moment of comfort in the storm. I wrapped my arms around her, breathing in the scent of her hair, and kissed her forehead then pulled away, leaving her in the quiet of the kitchen.
When I got to the living room, Marco was there, trying to entertain Isabella, who looked a little restless. My heart ached for her, for the innocence she was about to lose, for the danger she was unknowingly in.
“Isabella,” I said, my voice firm but gentle. “Don’t go home without me. I need you to wait for me, after I have a conversation with your grandfather, okay?”
She looked up at me, her big eyes curious, but nodded. “Okay, daddy.”
I gave her a reassuring smile and then turned to face my father. He sat in the armchair, looking calm, oblivious. My blood boiled.
“Father,” I said, my voice colder than I intended. “I need to speak with you. Alone. Now.”
He raised an eyebrow, sensing the shift in my tone, but he agreed.
I didn’t waste any time when we got there. I looked him straight in the eye, my gaze unwavering. “In all these years, Father,” I began, my voice steady despite the anger churning inside me, “I have questioned your abilities as a father. Many times even. But one thing I have never questioned is how good of an Alpha you were. How strong, how wise, how protective of our pack.” I paused, letting my words hang in the air. “And now– now I am very much sure that you are one of the best Alphas to ever live. Because you don’t even care about another person. Or have little bit of a conscience when it comes to protecting your reign.”
My father’s brow furrowed. He looked genuinely confused. “Astor, what in the world are you talking about?”
“I’m talking about you, Father,” I said, my voice rising slightly, the anger finally breaking through. “I am ashamed to have you as my father. Because you cannot claim to be a good Alpha and m******e a whole pack with innocent children and women inside. Only because you did not agree with the Alpha of that pack and his actions.”
My father’s face, usually so composed, went pale. His eyes widened in shock, but he quickly
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recovered, a mask of coldness replacing the surprise. “Who told you that?” he demanded, his
voice low and dangerous.
“Who told me?” I scoffed, a bitter laugh escaping my lips. “It doesn’t matter who told me! Everything that is happening to my family, to my pack, it’s all your fault, Father!”
“I… I don’t understand,” he said again, shaking his head.
I don’t know what’s hard to understand because I haven’t been able to sleep at night ever since I found out that my father killed thousands and thousands of Innocent children and women and also men who didn’t have to be convicted for what their alpha didm
“No, you don’t want to understand!” I shot back, slamming my hand on the desk. The papers scattered. “Because the people that you thought you destroyed are alive. They want revenge. And the person they’re going after is me. And my children.”
He finally reacted, anger flashing in his eyes. “Perhaps, Astor, you should stand in my shoes. Perhaps then you would understand why we had to make the decision that we made.”
“Oh, I understand your decisions, Father,” I said, my voice dropping to a dangerous whisper, because what I was about to say would shake his world as much as it had shaken mine. “I understand clearly. I understand that Kyle, is none other than the heir of the Fallen Pack. The pack you massacred. And he is back for revenge. He is willing to do anything to get it.” I watched his eyes narrow, watched the pieces click together in his mind, the horror dawning. ” And most importantly,” I added, my voice tight with a new kind of dread, “he is very much obsessed with my mate and my family.”
The words hung in the air, heavy and dark. My father’s recovery from shock was usually so quick, so practiced. But this time, this time, he froze. His eyes, usually so sharp and commanding, went wide with shock.
“He can’t be obsessed with Faith,” he said, his voice strangely calm, almost vacant, but his chest heaved. He stared at me, his gaze fixed somewhere far away. “Because Faith… Faith is
his sister.”
