Dare Me!

"Come to my office now."

I was about heading out when I heard my father's voice behind me.

I stopped.

Even though it had been twelve years since I last stepped foot into his study, I could still feel the familiarity of the place.

My mother's favorite flower vase was still by the window. Flourishing.

For a second, I thought about the man who was once my father. Not this man who couldn't even uphold his own family.

"Sit down."

His voice rang in my head.

I snapped out of my thoughts. Just as my eyes drifted toward him, I noticed the brown file I had given him a few days ago.

The secret file containing everything I had gathered about Isolde's terrible reputation.

I thought he had discarded it, but it was sitting neatly on his table.

I took my seat without muttering a word.

"I heard you've been investigating your mother's illness." He paused as he stared at my face, maybe searching for an answer I wasn't willing to give. "Didn't I tell you it was a heart disease?"

I stared at him in disbelief.

"Do you think I'm still that twelve-year-old girl who cried for her father's lies and deceit?" I asked calmly. "That was twelve years ago, Alpha Silas. I know the difference between what is right and what is wrong."

I said it calmly, but inside, I was burning.

I was raised to hide my pain so well that people could mistake me for a paid actor.

I curled my hands into fists and squeezed hard until my knuckles turned white.

He looked at me for a moment before opening the file in front of him.

Ignoring everything I had just said. Like my words never mattered.

"I took a careful look at this file and investigated everything you sent me." His fingers rested on the pages as his eyes moved across them. "You were right about Isolde. She is actually from a rogue pack."

He was too calm.

Too calm for news like this.

His reaction should have been anger, Disbelief, Disgust.

Not this cold silence.

Not even his Alpha aura seemed affected by the revelation.

A strange thought crossed my mind.

Maybe he was bewitched.

Because this couldn't be my father.

The same Alpha Silas who was feared by everyone. The same man who never tolerated betrayal or dishonor.

Being from a rogue pack was an offense punishable under wolf law, yet he sat there as if I had only told him the weather.

Something was wrong.

Something was terribly wrong.

"Are you just going to overlook Isolde's crime?" I paused as I raised a brow. "Oh... probably. You might even be involved in it."

A disgusted smirk crossed my lips.

That caught his attention.

"Are you crazy, Aria? She's your mother too."

His emerald eyes stared into mine, but there was something in them I couldn't understand.

I chuckled bitterly.

"Do you want to drag this family name through the mud? She's a rogue, and so what? She's a good woman and a mother to you."

My anger exploded.

My pale emerald eyes burned with something even I couldn't control.

I was shaking violently. Tears spilled freely down my face.

"Shut your mouth! Silas Ashford... just shut it."

I paused, trying to steady myself, but it was useless.

"Isolde will never be my mother! My mother is lying in that cold corner of this house, barely hanging on to life. My mother's life matters more than your damn reputation. Stop!"

I screamed.

All the memories I tried to bury came rushing back.

The day Isolde flogged me with a hot metal rod because I asked for my dress back from Vale. The countless times she punished me for things Vale had done.

The marks were still there, carved into my skin like a cruel reminder of everything I endured.

And he never did anything.

Maybe he wasn't always informed. Maybe he didn't know every detail.

But even when I told him myself, he still did nothing.

And now he was standing there, calling that woman my mother.

"I will get to the root of this," I said, my voice trembling. "I will find the monster who destroyed my mother's life, and when I do, I will make sure they pay for what they have done."

I walked closer to him.

My face was covered in tears, but beneath them was a coldness I couldn't hide.

"And if you dare stop me, don't blame me for becoming ruthless."

I didn't bother looking at his ashen face as I dragged myself toward the door.

But before leaving, I looked back one last time.

"You don't need to keep that vase anymore."

My eyes rested on my mother's favorite flower vase.

"It deserves better."

I pushed the door open and stepped out.

The moment I got into my car, I bowed my head as I cried bitterly. I had been composed until now.

He just had to open my wound. He just had to drag me back into my past trauma.

My chest felt so tight I could barely breathe.

Suddenly, my phone rang.

It was Elena.

"My Lady. Howling Bookmart is here. You need to come to the office now."

I wiped away my tears with the back of my trembling hand.

I inhaled sharply.

Howling Bookmart.

That was the biggest publishing company in Silverpine and beyond.

I heard it had a secretive boss who was also a powerful CEO.

I forced a smile.

"I'll be there soon."

I hung up, pulled down the sun visor mirror, took a few tissues from the pile, and dried my face.

Soon, my car was coughing its way toward my office.

On getting to the office, it was busier than usual.

The moment I walked in, everyone stood up. I was caught off guard. I wasn't well known in the city of Silverpine, let alone anywhere else.

I stopped in my tracks as my eyes met Elena's. She wore the same confused expression.

"My lady, you're here."

She walked over to me.

Before I could find my voice, one of the men dressed in an all-black three-piece suit spoke up.

"You must be the famous Golden Pen writer. We've heard a lot about you, so our boss specifically asked us to invite you to collaborate with us."

He looked simple yet smart.

That aura reminded me of someone I knew before, but I couldn't figure out who.

The déjà vu was hitting the roof.

For the moment, I pushed aside the heavy thoughts I'd carried since leaving home and forced myself to focus on work.

I was surprised and excited at the same time.

Howling was a dream company for every writer in Silverpine, and it had chosen me.

I took my seat opposite them.

"Let's start from the beginning. My name is Aria Ashford, and my author name is Golden Pen. Nice to meet you."

The guy from before seemed to be the leader of the group.

"I am Ambrose Highmoor, the Lead Executive for Publications at Howling Bookmart. Nice to meet you too."

Ambrose Highmoor?

Alaric Duskmoor.

My thoughts shifted strangely. I didn't know why.

Was it because he carried himself with the same quiet confidence that was triggering these unnecessary thoughts?

"Lady Aria."

I jerked back to reality as he called out to me.

"I'm sorry. You were saying..."

"I was asking if you'd be willing to work with us at Howling."

I smiled.

Why was I thinking about Alaric now of all times?

I stretched out my hand toward him.

"Of course, yes, Mr. Ambrose Highmoor. I look forward to collaborating with you."

He recoiled immediately.

My arm hung awkwardly in midair.

"Are you okay, Mr. Ambrose?"

I asked, concerned, glancing toward Elena. She looked just as confused and simply shook her head.

"I'd rather not..."

he muttered, his voice trembling, before the other four men hurried out with him.

I stood there, perplexed, watching their backs as they scurried away in a hurry.

I sat down afterward.

"That was one hell of a show," I muttered.

"My lady, don't you think they were fishy? I can't put my finger on it. I ran a background check on them. They really are from Howling."

She rested her back against the edge of my desk.

I stayed oddly silent.

My brain was calculating.

Adding.

Subtracting.

Yet nothing was making sense.

They aren't related...

I assured myself, nodding like a tropical agama lizard.

Elena snapped her fingers in front of me, making me jerk violently.

I had completely zoned out.

"You look lost, my lady. I hope everything is fine."

She walked away and returned with an envelope.

"I'm fine," I lied.

She was already doing so much for me. I didn't want to burden her with my internal turmoil.

"You have a letter."

I took one glance at the envelope...

...and froze.

Cassius R. Voss.

My mother's powerful Eclipse Lord brother.

The man ordained by the Moon Goddess herself.

My eyes darted toward Elena in panic.

"We're in trouble."