Chapter 4 A Father's Betrayal

Camille

Alpha Sigewuf laughed dryly, ran a hand through his thick, unruly black hair, the strands slipping between his fingers.

"What the hell is this?" He sneered, "how could the gods even consider a joke like this? I, Alpha Sigewuf of the Darkstar pack, with a wolfless mate?" bitter edge sharpening his voice.

The venom in his words were meant to sting, his fingers stabbing outward in angry accusation.

And they did.

"You!" His anger flashed, "Why are you still standing here?"

Camille opened her eyes, feeling the rush of emotions surge within her chest. But, as she'd learned long ago, she wasn't going to succumb, not even to him.

"Where else would you have me stand?" She asked, defying the unspoken rules between lycans and wolves-the rule to submit. She wasn't going to cower in fear or bow in submission.

Alpha Sigewuf scoffed aloud, taking a step back to look from alpha Loeka to Camille.

How bold of her. He thought.

He had never met a proud, audacious woman before, more less, a wolfless one.

Camille met his gaze squarely. She was tired of the endless repeat about her wolflessness.

"You know what? I've had enough of this unending loop about me being wolfless, and since everyone suddenly wants to blow their trumpets, I might as well take my leave, " she said, her voice steady and fierce.

She squared her shoulders, shoulders that refused to tremble, turned sharply and stormed out, slamming the door shut behind her.

Alpha Loeka and Sigewuf both recoiled, startled, caught off guard by her audacity, her defiance.

Alpha Sigewuf's fist curled, his voice thick with menace. "What just happened?"

Alpha Loeka said nothing-paralyzed momentarily by Camille's reaction. He had never seen her that way.

"Is this what you raised? A brash wolfless woman?"

Alpha Loeka bowed apologetically, his expression strained with regret. "Not so, Alpha Sigewuf. In fact, she has never behaved like this before. I believe the news of the marriage has caused her a panic reaction."

Sigewuf couldn't believe that wolfless thing had actually walked out on him. A Lycan alpha.

"I apologize for her actions," Alpha Loeka added quietly.

"If the goddess doesn't consider your daughter worthy of a wolf, then how did you expect her to produce a worthy heir for mr? Planning to trick me, perhaps?" His voice sharpened with suspicion as he turned on Alpha Loeka.

The accusation made Alpha Loeka's face blanch with shock. He tilted his head upward, voice strained with disbelief. "I would never do such a thing!"

"She... she can give you a worthy heir. I'm sure she can," he stammered, desperation creeping into his tone, Rosalind had insisted he made sure the marriage contract went well.

He needed this alliance. He needed royal power and Darkstar had it.

"How do I believe that?" Sigewuf demanded, stepping closer.

"The healer confirmed it. Plus, she's untouched," Alpha Loeka lowered his voice, the words almost a whisper. "She's a virgin."

A tense silence stretched between them.

"Then fix this!" Sigewuf barked. "The contract has already been signed, there will be penalties if the contract is broken. It's explicitly stated in the final part of the agreement."

"I am well aware of that," Alpha Loeka replied, his face an unreadable mask of composure.

"I'll be in the grand hall waiting," Sigewuf hissed, shutting the door with a finality that echoed through the study.

Alpha Loeka's expression was a storm brewing. Dark, intense, furious.

Camille had managed to dent his ego, and that was a victory she would savor, even if only for a moment.

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Camille releasef another punch at the punching bag in the training area, the only outward sign of the fury boiling inside her.

She heard the door open as Alpha Loeka stormed in, Rosalind behind him.

A reprimand or rebuke was probably on the way, about her unruly behavior.

From the rigid set of Loeka's jaw, she knew it would be in her best interest to cease the boxing, kneel, plead, or beg for mercy. To do otherwise would only invite his wrath.

But rebellion burned fiercely within her. She wore the family title of black sheep like a badge of honor; a rebel. With marriage looming as a bleak fate, she refused to submit quietly.

Camille squared her shoulders, kepping her gaze firm, and braced herself for the worst.

"Let's talk, now!" he sneered, standing a few feet from where she was

His eyes red with fury, Rosalind placed an arm on his shoulder. The perfect supportive wife.

"You disrespect me in front of a guest! How dare you defy my orders!" his words were out before my feet could steady itself in a standing position.

His grip on her neck was swift, brutal, lifting me effortlessly off the ground as if she were weightless, pressing her hard against the wall.

Talk about alpha strength

"How dare you?" Alpha Loeka growled, shoving her against the wall, the impact rattling her bones.

Camille groaned inwardly, pushing herself to my feet, a flicker of defiance flaring. Part of her wanted to fight back, but another recognized him as both her alpha and her father. My anger boiled, but she kept my stance.

The next strike sent her staggering into a corner of the training area.

Loeka advanced toward her, towering like a hawk as he struck again. His dark eyes shifted into a piercing red; his wolf was taking control.

"I have my own plans, father!" Camille yelled her voice hoarse as she spat out blood,

"Your life, your existence, everything begins and ends with my decision," he snarled, pressing his foot down on her head, drawing a line between who called the shots and who followed.

Warm, thick blood trickled down her cheek, the area around her forehead feeling fractured, as if her sanity itself was cracking.

She would never beg for his mercy.

"Don't let your foolish pride make you suffer! Just obey!" Rosalind's voice pleaded, filled with desperation.

Camille ignored the woman.

What mother stood by and watched as her only daughter was treated this way?

Alpha Loeka's nostrils flared, and he unleashed a guttural growl that shook through the training area.

"You will obey my commands!" he said using his alpha's tone

Camille held back the sobs threatening to crack through her facàde.

"The academy starts in the fall," She said, voice trembling but defiant,

"I will inform the council that you no longer have an interest in the admission," Father shot back, disdain dripping from his words as he finally moved his foot off my head.

My brow rose in disbelief. "Father...!" Camille protested, her heart shattering into countless pieces.

This was nothing short of betrayal.

"You can't do that!"

What did they say about betrayal? It always came from the people you loved the most.

Her entry into the academy had been the only hope for a different life.

Camille wiped away a tear that had slipped over her composure. I stayed silent

There was no use crying-Loeka had made his decision. One that didn't care about her feelings.

"You've always wanted to do something great for the pack, right?" he grinned slyly, his expression a concoction of cruelty and mockery.

He was wielding her own words against her. What kind of parents did she even have? Camille wondered.

If cruelty were a person, it would take the form of her parents.

"Cover that cut with something girly. You wouldn't want anyone thinking poorly of our pack now, would you, darling?"

Her emotions roiled beneath the surface, ready to erupt at any moment.

Loeka walked past her, Rosalind tailing behind, as they exited the training room.

For the second time in her life, she felt that striking emptiness, and this time it felt worse.

Alone, hot tears streamed down her cheeks, defying her attempts to hold them back. She wanted to stop, but she couldn't.

Her heart felt seared, and whatever trust she had left had just shattered into oblivion.