Page 8 of Silence Falls a New Alpha
Tears fill my eyes. I can't believe this. I'm not some bargaining chip to be used like a pawn. He had to care about me enough to see that.
"Father, no!" I scream at him. Anything but this, I beg. "Please don't do this. Mother-"
He pushes me into the wall before I can finish my sentence. The breath knocked out of me completely. The pain was all my back felt as my father pressed me harder against the wall.
"Don't bring your mother into this!" He screams at me, his hand striking me across the face.
The sting of his slap shattered my breaking heart into nothingness. His titanium wedding ring that he never took off left an impression on my face. I cry looking at him, my father has never hit me a day in my life. He has always been indifferent yet slightly kind to me. I thought as his only child I meant something to him, I guess I was mistaken. He doesn’t care about me like he used to, a fact I struggled to accept until today. The caring charade he showed mere minutes earlier was fake. My father was the same monster he turned into thirteen years ago.
"I'm doing this for your mother. The rogue from thirteen years ago was spotted on their territory!" He screamed. "The rogue who took not only the love of my life but our unborn son."
I stood there shocked. I was so little I didn't remember my mother being pregnant. Let alone that she was having a son who would replace me as the heir. I may have been older, but my brother would have been automatically made the heir due to being male. It all made sense. Not only did he resent me for my resemblance to my mother, but because it cost him his true heir, a son.
I backed away from my father and looked at Alexander crying, he watched as my father slapped me as if I was trash. What did he think of me? Was I mere trash to Alexander as well? No, if I was, he wouldn’t be upset. What had happened to my father I cried as I ran out of the office and to my room. The long halls felt even longer on this miserable retreat to the comfort of my room. Maybe if I locked myself away for the rest of my life I wouldn’t have to get married. No, they would break down the door. I collapsed onto my bed finally making it into my room. What if I ran away? No, that would be a death sentence. If anyone found out who I was they would kill me and give me back to be on my father’s good side.
Alexander's POV
I feel my heartbreaking. Katie doesn't deserve this, nor does she need to be married off to some random person for the sake of a pack merger. There are other ways to merge packs without the promise of marriage and Damian knew this. Honestly, any pack would be ecstatic to merge with us while asking nothing in return. So, what’s really going on here, was this what he felt was the only way, or is this out of spite for my love for Katie? I was about to speak when suddenly the alpha puts his daughter into a wall and hits her. I'm frozen, the anger is building. He released her, allowing her to run out crying, and a handprint across her face. What in the ever-living fuck did I watch my best friend do?
"Damian!" I yelled at him as a growl escaped while Katie ran further down the hall as she cried. He turns to me with a frown on his face.
"What's becoming of me Alexander?" He looked taken back by what he had done. As if something possessed him into hitting her. I'm livid at my alpha, my best friend. I must fight back the urge to do the same to him but worse.
"Please reconsider this. Don't do this to your own daughter. You can promise them anyone else. God damnit, give them anyone else Damian, please." I try pleading with him but it's no use he ignores me as I beg.
He is taking the person I love and forcing her into the arms of another. I could never forgive him for this. I will never forgive him for this until the day I die.
"I'm doing what needs to be done. I've known Bradley Steele since I was young, and I won't let his pack be killed off." He tells me with pride in his voice due to saving a smaller pack.
What an asshole, we could have killed the rogues causing the problem by offering them help versus merging. It's disgusting that he is even considering this as Rose would have never allowed it. Rose would have put him in his place long ago, she may have even left him over something like this. How can he ignore the fact that he will lose his daughter if he does this? She will never want anything to do with him again. My chest grew so tight as my body froze in disbelief; my breathing slightly labored as the panic set in. The panic of losing the love of my life was before my eyes.
"This is going to cost you, Katie. Your own daughter!" I try again but it was no use and he glared at me with intent to kill in his eyes.
Does he think I'm challenging him? I've never challenged my alpha, nor would I now. If I was going to challenge anyone it will be the person she is promised to. Damnit I'd rather die for him and Katie he should know this.
"What if she loves someone?!" I know it’s extremely unlikely, but I know that I love her and maybe she feels the same. I could talk to her.
Damian looks at me, his eyes glowing with murderous intent. I knew he disagreed with my feelings because of my age, but I didn’t care. I love her, and I can keep her safe, I could give her the entire world I told myself. Yet, I just let her father slap her without moving so much as an inch to protect her. This will get me nowhere but to a grave, I sigh. Damian has already signed a contract, so it seems pointless to attempt to fight him on the matter.
"Then I ask you to bring the Black Bloods heir here, early tomorrow. Let them meet and start to know each other before marrying them together the day they meet. Katie hasn't even found her mate!" I love Katie, but she's a late bloomer of sorts and recently fully found her wolf.
She won't be able to find her mate until she is at least eighteen, maybe later. I don’t understand him rushing an arranged marriage unless it was that he was scared she may share the same feelings as me. Maybe if he gave them time before the wedding, I could court her and make her mine. Damian will have to follow the mate bond or kill the person she shares the bond within order to go through with the arranged marriage if that person isn’t her fated mate.
"I will contact Bradley and have them arrive tomorrow to speed the merger up, they are nearby anyways. Bradley is aware the marriage may not be fully set in stone." He explained to me, and I nod.
The words marriage may not be fully set in stone stuck in my head. Maybe I could stop this marriage while keeping the merger. I turn to the door to leave in hopes of telling Katie my feelings. Pausing I needed to remind him of who he is so he doesn’t lose himself to this darkness.
"Don't turn into some monster, Damian. Look at what you did to your own daughter. The spitting image of Rose and you hit her."
I walk out and head up the stairs to check on Katie. Her cries are filling the hallway and pack members have started gathering around her room. She doesn’t realize how loud she is being and that’s ok. I know she needs to get this out, but the noisy whispering pack members don’t need to be here. They will gossip like wildfire about this, and the thought of that enrages me. I know I have a temper, but anything negative with Katie makes my blood fucking boil.
"Get away!" I snapped at them all and growled before knocking on her door. She opens it a complete mess, her bloodshot eyes staring at me.
"Come in." She says through her tears. I walk in and she goes to her bed sitting down and crying. I let the door close behind me and watch her.
"Why is he doing this!" She yells at me. I want nothing more but to embrace her but I'm not sure if I should or what would happen if I did. Seeing tears fall down her beautiful face hurt more than any physical wound I’ve ever endured.
"Katie, your father regrets hurting you, but he is going through with the merger." I pause, shaking with anger "I convinced him to have the merger happen sooner, they arrive tomorrow. However, the wedding is being held off as your father agreed with letting you get to know the Black Bloods heir before the wedding."
I tell her trying to soften my voice, yet it fails. She looks up at me, her shining teal eyes piercing me as if to beg me to make this all go away. Her once happy gaze was now ice cold. Her heart had been broken by her own father and I'm not sure anything can heal the damage caused, not even me. I know it’s not the best and I’m sure she’s exhausted, but I can’t keep it from her anymore.
“Katie-” I start to tell her but realize she’s drifting to sleep. I stop and soak in the view of her falling asleep as I relax on the couch in her room. My eyes were so heavy, and I wasn’t sure how I hadn’t noticed it yet. I’m sure her bed would be nicer, but my body doesn’t move.
