Chapter 198

LUCAS POV

My father's eyes bore into mine, unwavering. "Lucas, I know you're dating the White Wolf. I know it's Shana."

As he repeated himself, I remained froze, unable to comprehend what he was telling me.

The words hit me like a punch to the gut, stealing my breath.

How did he find out? Shana and I had been so careful, not even James knew the truth, our closest friend.

The only other person who knew was Professor Black, and I wondered if he had somehow let it slip. Did my father bribe him with money? Did he go to my father willingly?

But I shook that thought away as soon as it entered my head. Professor Black would never do such a thing.

He seemed so shaken up about the wolfless boy he had tried to help in the past. He would never want to jeopardize Shana's safety by revealing her secret.

Especially not a secret as big as this.

I racked my brain for any other signs I might have missed, any slip-up that could have betrayed Shana's secret.

Denial was the first instinct that surged within me.

"What? No, you've got it all wrong," I stammered, my voice betraying my unease.

My father's stern expression only intensified. "Don't play games, Lucas. Are you stupid? Do you really think you can lie to me?"

I swallowed hard, the reality of the situation sinking in.

It made absolutely no sense to me. How had my father discovered Shana's true identity? It felt like a betrayal, not just to Shana, but to me as well.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I finally managed to utter, my words hesitant.

I would deny, deny, deny. There was no way my father could prove it if someone had to told him, and definitely wasn't about to out Shana.

We weren't ready for anyone to find out, let alone my father. He was probably the last person I ever wanted to know about Shana's White Wolf.

What he would do with that information... I didn't even want to know.

Maybe, I could convince him that it isn't true.

"I can't believe you're trying to lie to me. Although, I guess I shouldn't be surprised since you're always lying to me." My father's gaze held an intensity that offered no argument. "By now, you should know I can tell when you're lying."

I held my tongue, choosing to stay silent rather than saying something that could incriminate me.

My father noticed my sudden reluctant to speak and continued, "I felt it, Lucas. I felt the force that night."

I frowned, confusion knotting my brow. "Felt the force? What are you talking about?"

Anxiety spiked in my chest. Was it possible that he felt the same thing I did? The strange magnetic pull that Shana omitted once she had shifted?

That wasn't possible...

Professor Black had told us that Shana's force could only be felt from Alphas nearby, and my father lived very far from Grandma Jo's house. There was no way he could have felt it unless he was physically close by.

"You heard me perfectly clear, Lucas. The force." My father's lips curled into a knowing smirk. "I've had men watching you since you left my house. I knew there was something off about you and I decided to pay you a visit the night Shana shifted to knock some sense back into you."

My mind raced, trying to piece together the puzzle. My father watching me? That wasn't unusual. He had always been overbearing.

"You went to Grandma Jo's?" I questioned.

My father nodded. "Yes, I was just about to knock on the door when I felt a strange sensation, like a force pulling me."

"Force?" I questioned, still grappling with the revelation.

"Exactly. I felt a pull, like a magnet, drawing me to the woods." he explained. I was stunned. That was exactly what I described the feeling as.

Maybe, my father had actually found out all on his own. I couldn't believe it. What were the odds of this happening?

"I followed the force, not by choice. It was as if my wolf was being hypnotized. It was urging me to discover where it was coming from," he continued. "I have never felt that way before. I have had full control of myself as an alpha since I was a young adult... this was... different."

"You felt like you lost control?" I asked.

He didn't give me a yes or a no. "It felt like I was being forced to do something that I didn't want to do, but at the same time, it was all I wanted. It felt like my body was split on two decisions, and the force outweighed my sense of self."

We both stared at each other silently, trying to decipher what this could possibly mean.

When I felt the magnetic force that Shana had subconsciously let out during her shift, I wasn't focusing on it too much. I just wanted to get Shana to safety, back into her human body.

Whatever possessive need the force gave, I pushed it down. My need to care for her and protect her overweighed that.

"I followed the force into the woods, where I happened to witness you in your wolf form," my father said.

It made the hair stand up on the back of my neck. I was surprised that I hadn't felt his presence there that night.

I needed to be more careful from here on out. How could I fully protect Shana if I was unaware of my father being there?

That put us in an even more dangerous situation.

Now that my father knew... I wasn't sure what he would do.

"I wondered if the force was coming from you. I thought my wolf was just drawn to you since you are my blood... but what I witnessed was nothing short of astonishing." My father grew silent.

I watched as his mind seemed to go blank for a brief period of time.

He leaned back, his eyes narrowing at my confusion. "I saw you chasing after the White Wolf, Lucas. And I felt joy. I was proud of you, thinking you had finally found something that alphas had been searching for... for centuries."

My father licked his lips. "And when I saw the White Wolf run into a tree and shift back into a human... I was beyond surprised. Immediately, I knew it was her. I knew that it was Shana."

The weight of his words sank in, and a chilling realization unfolded before me. My father had witnessed Shana's transformation, her vulnerability laid bare in the woods.

"I was amazed. I mean, how could I not be," my father continued, his voice resonating with a mix of satisfaction and authority. "Everyone thought she was just some wolfless freak... and this whole time, she has been harboring this secret."

"She's not a wolfless freak," I defended, feeling my anger return.

"Well, clearly not anymore," my father replied smarty, only making me more annoyed. "Your girlfriend is in fact, the opposite of that. She's possibly the greatest wolf to have ever roamed this earth..."

I swallowed, nervous by how intrigued he sounded.

"Now, stop playing dumb," My father said sternly. "I need to know everything about her, and you're going to tell me."