Chapter 4 The Alpha's Condition

Anne's POV:

Everything that happened next was a blur. When I came to my senses, I found myself sitting in my room. I turned my head to the side and saw my mother looking at me with a worried expression. I burst into tears. "I'm sorry, Mom. I let you down." My throat was sore, so my voice came out a little hoarse.

With her misty eyes, my mother shook her head gently and said, "Don't cry, Annie. Although I'm not happy with the news, I know you have your reasons. Let's talk about it when everything else is settled, okay?"

Those kind words were supposed to soothe me. However, I felt even worse. I brought shame not only to myself, but also to my parents. They were going to be made a laughingstock in the pack.

Just as I was about to break down, the door was pushed open. I looked up and saw Gould. My father was behind him.

Gould became the Alpha of the pack two years ago. He was about the same age as me, and we always played together when we were still kids. The previous Alpha often joked with my father that he hoped I would become Gould's Luna in the future.

Everyone close to us expected us to get married when we came of age. However, I didn't have any romantic feelings for Gould. I intended to tell him that after I morphed into an adult she-wolf, but we all knew how that ended...

Gould's face was many shades redder at this moment. The veins on his forehead were throbbing and his eyes were flaring. I had never seen him like this before.

I clasped my belly and sprang to my feet as Gould stormed towards me. Before I could react, he slapped me in the face.

I staggered back and held my burning cheek. For a few seconds, my vision was blurry and I saw stars. I wanted to confront him for slapping me. However, when I remembered that I was at fault and I had to respect him as the Alpha, I bit my tongue, suffering the pain in silence.

My eyes fell on my mother, whose mouth was wide open now. I knew she must be hurting more than I was. Even my father didn't dare to stand up to Gould, so she could only look on helplessly.

"Whore, you betrayed me! How could you?" Gould roared and slapped me again.

My father held me up just as I was about to fall. He then shielded me. "Alpha, no offense, but Anne was never betrothed to you. Your engagement was just a joke."

"Shut the hell up! And stay out of this!" Gould shouted.

His voice thundered in the room. Even the birds on the tree by the window fled in fear. I didn't want my father to get into trouble because of me, so I summoned the courage to look up at Gould. "I'm sorry for hurting you. I shouldn't have hidden my pregnancy from everyone."

"Aargh!" Gould paced about in the room before he stopped to stare at me again. He then said in a much calmer tone, "You know what? If you abort that thing you are carrying, I'll consider giving you another chance. You must never betray me again. If you do, I will-"

"I'm sorry, I can't do that," I interrupted him without thinking twice.

Gould bared his teeth at me when he heard this. His eyes turned red again. Clenching his fists, he turned to my father and said, "You should be ashamed of yourself. This is the daughter you were always so proud of. She's a whore!"

My father remained quiet.

In a fit of pique, Gould kicked the stool by the dresser and ran his fingers through his hair. He then pointed at my father and ordered, "I command you to make her get rid of that baby. Otherwise, you will be stripped of your title!"

A spasm of fear and panic surged inside me when I heard this. I clutch my belly, stepped back, and looked at my father warily.

My father was the third strongest werewolf in the pack, and I knew that he was loyal to Gould. Since I was just a young girl, I didn't stand a chance against my father if he decided to carry out the Alpha's order.

As I inched backward, my father stepped closer without uttering a word. My heart was in my mouth now. I sobbed uncontrollably.

Words bubbled to my sore throat. I wanted to say, "No, Dad. Don't do this. I'm carrying your grandchild. I want to keep the child."

However, my vocal cords failed me. I could only shake my head and pray that he didn't hurt me.

Regret filled my heart at this time. I wished I hadn't thought about only myself when I made the decision to keep the baby. My father had overcome many obstacles before he was made the Beta. It was sad that he was put in this position because of my foolishness.

Oh, my goodness! I was such a terrible daughter.

Suddenly, my back hit the wall. I didn't have anywhere to turn to. I stood on the spot, watching my father as he walked to me slowly.

When he raised his hand, I shut my eyes and screamed in my heart, "I'm sorry, baby. I failed to protect you. Forgive me."

Seconds passed and I didn't feel any pain. I was just about to panic when I was pulled into a warm embrace. I burst into tears the next second.

My eyes peeled open slowly. I found myself in my father's arms. He was hugging me like he did when I was still a child.

After kissing me on the forehead, my father said firmly, "I won't do such a dastardly thing to my daughter. You are free to strip me of that title. I'll willingly suffer punishment with Anne."

Gould's face fell. His eyebrows then crinkled in confusion. He probably found it hard to believe that someone would give up the noble status of Beta.

He didn't utter a word for a long time. When he realized that my father was dead serious, he cursed angrily, "Damn it!"

Gould wagged his finger and looked at the three of us.

"In that case, as the Alpha, I banish you all from this pack! Go and never come back!"