Failure!

I had failed.

I had failed as a father.

If I had done my duties disciplining Camille as I should have, none of this would have happened.

I had sensed it that night. The unwillingness of the goddess to give her a wolf and her list of options to attend Aston-lakernhearth Academy to begin her hunting career.

I had felt something was wrong, the same way I had felt when she had challenged my authority in front of Sigewuf.

Conrad was right. I had given her the authority, a right to decide for herself, to make her own choices and now she had become the thorn in my flesh.

Maybe I should have been more cruel, like most alphas, subjecting her to work like the omegas and keeping her away from the boys.

Starving her of my love and attention had not been able to quell the wildfire in her eyes.

I stood outside the pack, Sigewuf's letter in one hand, as Devon and Conrad arrived. The red sports car swiveled its way onto the grass, sending particles into the air.

Conrad was the first to take the note. A father's son, he truly was. Devon was an extension of his mother. What fierceness he lacked as the future alpha of the pack, Conrad had in wit and style.

“What's this I hear, father?” Conrad asked, the skin of his brow folding into two parallel lines beneath the fringe of his hair.

I nodded, taking in Sigewuf’s words a moment longer than I would before exhaling. “It's true. He found her hidden in a pack in the North.”

A whistle escaped Conrad's lips. “I suppose Camille isn't as innocent or as little as we thought.”

“North? Father, you can't believe that. She doesn't even know most of the people at Aston-lakernhearth,” a crease appeared on Devon's forehead as he frowned.

“Please, Devon,” Conrad scoffed.

“Did you really think you knew Camille?” Conrad asked, cocking his head to the side. “Look around you. Look at the mess she brought everyone into—the pack, mother, and even father. Have you thought of the shame hanging on our heads?”

His eyes were glistening, seemingly lit up by a fire behind them, his upper lip curling in a sneer. I knew that look well. He was gearing up for a confrontation.

“Enough! You will not disrespect your brother by speaking that way. As the future alpha, he deserves that respect—even from you, Conrad,” I commanded, my voice echoing through the morning fog.

“We leave at exactly 7:30. Get some rest and prepare. We need to fix this mess,” I said, pulling the letter from Conrad's grip as I walked ahead toward the field. I needed some time away from the mansion to reflect.

It was 7:24 when I stepped outside, feeling refreshed and ready to head out. Everyone was already seated in the car, waiting for me.

The drive to the North was deafeningly silent. It was 8:43 when Conrad pulled up in front of the guards at the gate.

“We're here for someone. Camille Loeka,” Conrad announced, her name like a pin in his mouth.

The guard stepped into a small office, then came back out. “That way, straight,” he said, pointing at a massive building. “Alpha Vikron will be waiting for you there.”

The man standing in front of the mansion did not look like someone who could hold Camille hostage; his angular-shaped face made him appear young and calm.

“Good morning,” he spoke first, his deep voice resonating with authority, his hands clasped behind his back.

“Good morning.”

“I believe you know why we're here and who we came for,” I asked.

“Yes, I do.”

“We'll need her down here so we can take our leave.”

“So soon?” His voice was cheeky.

“Well, I'm afraid it's not going to be that simple,” he said, his expression deadpan.

“Who the mountain-raving fvck do you think you are to say that, huh?” Conrad's foul temper had the worst of him.

“I think it's too early for that. Some members of the pack are getting ready for the day. Don't you think it's wise not to provoke trouble?”

“Alpha…”

“Vikron,” he completed it for me.

“We do not want any trouble. As Camille's father, I have the right to demand she come back home with us.”

The door to the mansion swung open. If I didn't know better, I would have thought it was someone else. She looked different but still possessed the fierce presence of a wildcat.

Camille walked over and stood beside the stranger whose relationship to her was unknown, completely ignoring her family.

It stung.

The sound of a heavy fist pounding on Conrad's face snapped me back to the present.

“No one dares touch my mate,” he spat, pulling Conrad up by his sleeve.

Vikron was speaking, but my mind was floating, like I was having an out-of-body experience, as if I were untethered from the earth.

“Mate?” I mumbled the word.

“You may take your leave now,” he ordered, pulling Camille with him as he walked away.

I stood, stunned. There was something about Alpha Vikron that felt familiar. I couldn't quite place it now, but I had a strong sense of déjà vu the moment he spoke. His voice sounded like Ultima Rhaul Rawson's.

He was from the North, too.

Something did not add up.