Chapter 65

I received my father in Silver Lake's formal receiving room, seated in a high-backed chair that resembled a throne. The positioning was deliberate—making it clear I was holding court as Luna rather than meeting him as a daughter.

Kane stood silently at my shoulder, his presence clearly irritating my father. His eyes narrowed the moment he saw us together, suspicion etched into the lines of his face.

"What is he doing here?" my father demanded immediately, not bothering with greetings. "This is pack business."

I kept my expression carefully neutral, channeling years of Luna training into a composed mask. "Kane saved my life when Raymond chose to save Giana instead."

My father waved this away as if it were inconsequential. "A momentary lapse in judgment during a crisis. The mate bond influenced him. You of all people should understand the power it holds over us."

The casual dismissal of Raymond leaving me to die made something cold and hard settle in my chest. I refused to be sidetracked by his excuses.

"Why are you here, Father?"

"Your mother is distraught," he claimed, though his expression showed no genuine concern. "You must return immediately. The pack has been in turmoil since your... departure." He emphasized the last word as if I'd abandoned my duties rather than nearly died in a sabotaged vehicle.

"How did you know I was at Silver Lake?" I asked instead of addressing his demand.

His eyes shifted away briefly. "Pack resources. Nothing more."

The obvious lie confirmed my suspicions that something larger was happening—something that involved tracking my movements with concerning precision.

"I won't be returning with you," I stated firmly, hands resting calmly in my lap though my heart pounded beneath my ribs.

His expression hardened, the familiar look that had intimidated me since childhood. But this time, I didn't flinch.

"Your mother's treatment schedule has been disrupted by your absence," he said, letting the familiar threat hang in the air between us.

Before I could respond, Kane stepped forward, his presence suddenly more intimidating than my father's.

"Are you threatening to withhold medical care from your own mate to manipulate your daughter?" His voice was dangerously soft, a predator's warning growl disguised as a question.

My father's eyes narrowed. "This doesn't concern you, outsider."

"Everything concerning Aurora concerns me," Kane replied with deadly calm, his stance subtly shifting to one of protection.

Something shifted in my father's attention then, his gaze focusing suddenly on my neck. I deliberately turned my head, giving him a clear view of Raymond's now-faded mark.

The shock that flashed across his face before he could mask it was all the confirmation I needed. He knew more about mate bonds than he should.

"Looking for something, Father?"

"What have you done?" he demanded, actual fear flickering in his eyes for the first time I could remember.

"I've done nothing," I responded calmly. "The mate bond is fading naturally after Raymond's betrayal."

"Impossible," he muttered, clearly disturbed. "The bond cannot break unless..." He stopped abruptly, catching himself before revealing too much.

Kane pressed the advantage. "Unless what? Unless it wasn't a true mate bond to begin with?"

My father's eyes darted between us, calculation replacing his momentary lapse. Reaching into his jacket, he produced a set of legal documents, his composure regained as he switched tactics.

"Raymond has filed for your removal as Luna based on abandonment of duties," he said, placing the papers on the small table between us. "I've come to offer you terms before this becomes public."

I accepted the papers, noting immediately that they required the Beta's signature—my father's signature—which was already there in bold black ink.

"You've already signed," I observed quietly. "You support removing me from my position."

His silence was damning.

"How long have you been working against me?" I asked, my voice steady despite the pain tearing through my heart.

My father's expression hardened, abandoning all pretense of familial concern. "Since you failed to secure Raymond's devotion and produce an heir."

The brutal honesty was almost refreshing after years of manipulative half-truths. I stood, my injured leg protesting but my resolve firm.

"And my mother's treatments? Were those ever actually in danger?"

His continued silence told me everything I needed to know. The threat he'd held over me for years—the leverage that had kept me compliant through Raymond's increasing cruelty—had been merely another manipulation.

"You sold me into a loveless marriage with false promises of protection for mother," I said, the truth finally spoken aloud between us. "All for what? Power? Position?"

My father's jaw tightened. "Everything I've done was for our family's advancement. The Beta position was just the beginning. With Giana's support—"

"Giana," I interrupted, pieces falling into place. "You've been working with her all along."

Kane stepped forward, physically placing himself between us. "I think this meeting is concluded."

"This isn't over," my father warned as Silver Lake guards appeared at Kane's subtle signal. "Giana has offered terms. Consider them carefully," he added as they escorted him out. "Your mother's well-being still hangs in the balance."

After he left, I collapsed into the chair, emotionally drained by the final confirmation of my father's betrayal. The pain was sharp and deep, the severance of a bond I'd desperately tried to preserve despite years of evidence that it was already broken.

"He's been working with Giana for months," Elena said, joining us once the guards reported my father had departed Silver Lake grounds. "We suspected but couldn't confirm until now."

"Why?" The simple question contained all my confusion and pain. "Why would he betray me like this?"

Kane's expression was grim. "Power. Giana has promised him elevation in the new hierarchy she's creating." He knelt before me, unusual tenderness in his posture. "Some people can never have enough control."

I nodded, struggling against tears I refused to shed. "I've spent my entire life trying to earn his approval. Everything I did—the perfect Luna training, accepting the arrangement with Raymond, enduring the humiliation of his affair with Giana—all to protect mother and please him."

"The truth often hurts more than the lies we tell ourselves," Elena said gently. "But it also sets us free."

---

Later that evening, driven by restless energy and a need to confirm what I already knew in my heart, I visited my father's guest quarters. The room had been hastily cleared, but he had departed so quickly that traces remained.

In the back of a drawer, I discovered a small glass vial identical to those used in Marcus's poisoning. I held it carefully, the final piece of evidence confirming my father's direct involvement in the plot against our Alpha.

Kane found me sitting motionless, the vial in my hand. "Your father?" he asked softly.

"I always thought he was just controlling, just ambitious for our family," I whispered, staring at the evidence of his treachery. "Not this. Not a conspirator in attempted murder."

Kane knelt before me, gently taking the vial from my trembling fingers. "Some wolves are corrupted by proximity to power. They forget what truly matters."

A sudden thought sent a chill through me. "My mother... if he knows I've discovered the truth..."

"She could be in danger," Kane finished my thought.

I squared my shoulders, making a painful but necessary decision. "I need to contact her. Warn her to trust no one—not even her mate."

As I composed the urgent message, I felt something fundamental shift within me. The girl who had desperately sought her father's approval, who had endured Raymond's betrayal to secure her mother's treatment, was gone completely.

In her place stood someone new—someone who saw clearly the web of manipulation and betrayal that had surrounded her for years. Someone who would no longer be controlled by fear or obligation.

Someone who would fight back.