02 - The wolf who would do anything - Part II

"Please, Mr. Nygaard. I'll do anything," the beta pleaded, hoping his wife and daughter would never find out, or they would be disappointed. "I can't go to jail... In a month it's my daughter's birthday and I promised I'd take her to see Norway... And there's my wife, she has a high-risk pregnancy and can't handle strong emotions." He explained, wishing that would soften the stone-hearted man's heart.

"Does your daughter like Norway, Westberg?" Aric asked casually as he began to twist the rings on his fingers. The beta nodded in agreement.

"She's in love with that place. Since she was little, she's been fascinated with it, even started working early to save money to go there," Aarni spoke proudly of his daughter. The affection with which he spoke of the girl was evident, and the two men in the room could sense it.

"We've come to the point, Liv," Aric finally smiled, leaving the employee confused.

"H-How? What does my daughter have to do with all this?" He asked, and his heart tightened. It was like a kind of premonition, and then he remembered his daughter's smiling face when he dropped her off at college in the morning, excited about the news of the trip she would take with her father.

"Liv is a lovely girl, she doesn't resemble you at all," Aric made this observation as he analyzed his employee's face, finding no resemblance between him and the girl. "Are you sure she's your daughter?" He asked as he stood up. Aarni felt intimidated by the figure of the six-foot-five man with broad shoulders, he was strong and could knock anyone down with a single punch.

"She's not my biological daughter, but I'm her father. I'm the one who raised her," Aarni explains, watching the man nod before he starts pacing around the room. Kai still stares at the beta, making him feel intimidated. "Where do you know my daughter from?"

"That doesn't matter. What matters is that your fate is in the hands of little Liv," Aric whispers the last part with some emotion that goes unnoticed by the beta.

"I don't understand where you're going with this... Liv can't pay off my debt, she just started college for tourism... She can't afford to pay my debts," Aarni laughs nervously, feeling his hands grow cold and sweaty. Aric chuckles at the beta's naivety.

"You didn't understand what I meant. Your fate is in the hands of your daughter... Liv is the only way for you to avoid going to jail. I'll give you two options," Aric says, pausing and noticing the curious look from the beta. "You hand over little Liv to me or you rot in jail."

Aarni furrows his brow and his pupils dilate. The wolf grips the armrest of the chair so tightly that his fingertips turn white.

"This is absurd! You're suggesting I give up my daughter in exchange for my freedom?" Aarni raises his voice, a single vein bulging in his neck. "What kind of father would I be if I did that? It's inhumane. An outrageous proposal, Mr. Nygaard. I believe there must be another way for me to repay my debt." His tone remains defiant and outraged, clearly speaking in a way he would never dare to with that man under normal circumstances, but he was genuinely infuriated now.

"Lower your voice," Kai orders, using a tone that belongs only to true alphas, one that would make even a regular alpha cower. "You have no power here." He concludes, and then Nygaard turns his gaze back to Aarni.

"Inhumane? Are we really talking about right and wrong here? You steal from me and want to talk about ethics?" Aric, for the first time, has a dangerous tone in his voice during the conversation. "You should be grateful that I'm giving you this option. And I'm sure you'd be a smart man to hand over little Liv to me. I can give her a dignified life, a life fit for a queen, exactly what she deserves. But, it's not just about money... I have reasons for wanting her, and you have reasons for handing her over. Don't think of it as a business deal, I'm not thinking that way... Liv is invaluable to me."

"I can't just hand over my daughter to you like she's a bargaining chip. She may not have my blood running through her veins, but she's still the daughter I chose for myself," the beta says, desperate at the mere thought of the young, small and fragile girl in Aric Nygaard's hands.

"Liv is not a commodity to me," Aric says, accompanied by a growl, the idea that Aarni thought he just wanted to use the girl making him incredibly angry. Despite his dubious methods, he didn't see the girl as an object. "I'll give you one day to think about my proposal. Tomorrow morning, as soon as you arrive, come to my office. Depending on your decision, you may or may not leave here straight for prison. That's my proposal, you choose your fate. You're dismissed," he says, looking at the beta, who nods and then gets up to leave the room with his ‘tail’ between his legs.

Kai looks once again at the owner of the green eyes and sighs, he knew his friend too well to know that he was stubborn.

"I'll be in my office, if you need anything, just call me," Kai informs the green-eyed guy, who nods in agreement. Aland leaves the room, leaving his friend alone.

No matter what Aric had to do, he wouldn't stop until he could form his pack of true alphas, and Liv was the best candidate to conceive them.