Chapter 4

Nadia's POV

Twenty Crimson Lake wolves wait at the border, their formation military-precise. At their center stands a man who can only be Vincent Blackstone – my biological father. He has my eyes, or rather, I have his. The resemblance is undeniable and unsettling.

I shift back to human form, Dylan's shirt materializing around me – a small perk of being the White Wolf, apparently. Vincent's eyes widen slightly at the sight of me.

"Nadia," he says, voice carrying across the space between us. "You look just like your mother."

"The mother you abandoned?"

His jaw tightens. "I didn't know about you until recently. Your mother never told me she was pregnant."

"Convenient excuse."

Dylan appears beside me, along with James and several warriors. The council elders watch from the pack house, letting me handle this.

"Alpha Winters," Vincent acknowledges coldly. "I heard you rejected my daughter. Yet here you stand beside her."

"Things change," Dylan says simply.

Vincent laughs bitterly. "Yes, especially when you discover she's the White Wolf. Suddenly the omega's daughter becomes worth keeping."

His words hit their mark. I see Dylan flinch.

"You don't know anything about us," I tell Vincent.

"I know enough." He steps forward. "I know I've spent years searching for my heir, only to discover she was hidden away. I know she was rejected by her mate for politics." His eyes bore into mine. "Come with me, Nadia. Claim your birthright. Be the Alpha you were born to be."

"What do you really want?" I ask bluntly.

He smiles, and it’s calculating. "Smart girl. I want what any Alpha wants – power, security for my pack. The White Wolf could provide both."

"So I'm just a tool to you."

"You're my daughter. My blood. That means everything to a wolf." He glances at Dylan, then back to me. "You have Alpha blood, Nadia. Stronger than his. Why settle for being someone's Luna when you could rule your own pack?"

"The White Wolf doesn't get that luxury," he continues, his expression softening slightly. "You're in danger, more than you know. The Void Walker was just the beginning. Ancient enemies are awakening, drawn by your power. You need training, protection."

"I have that here."

"Do you? A pack that treated you like dirt for eighteen years? A mate who threw you away when it was convenient?" Vincent shakes his head. "They'll betray you again when the stakes get high enough."

"You're wrong," Dylan says firmly.

Vincent ignores him, focusing on me. "Three days. Give me three days to show you what I can offer. After that, if you still choose them, I'll respect your decision."

"One day," I counter. "Tomorrow. I'll come to Crimson Lake for one day. But I bring Dylan and James with me."

Vincent's eye twitches. "The Beta can come. Not him." He glares at Dylan.

"Then deal's off."

Finally, Vincent sighs. "Fine. Bring your rejected mate. Maybe seeing what you could have will help you make the right choice."

"We'll be there at dawn," I say.

Vincent nods, then looks at Dylan one more time. "You should have protected her better, Winters. A real mate would have found another way."

He shifts and runs, his wolves following. Dylan stands rigid beside me, Vincent's words clearly cutting deep.

"He's just trying to get in your head," I tell him.

"He's right, though. I failed you."

"Dylan—"

"I need to check the borders." He walks away before I can respond.

James lingers, looking concerned. "He's been beating himself up for five years, Nadia. Vincent just poured salt in wounds that never healed."

"I know." I watch Dylan disappear into the forest. "James, tell me the truth. Why did he really reject me? My mom said it was to protect me, but..."

James sighs. "It's not my story to tell. But I will say this – I've never seen him look at Veronica the way he looks at you. Not once in their two years together."

"But he mated her. Had a ceremony, everything."

"He did what he thought would keep you safe. The former Alpha, Dylan's father, was... ruthless. When he discovered your parentage, he gave Dylan an ultimatum. Reject you publicly and mate Veronica, or watch you die."

A cold dread washes over me. "He could have told me the truth."

"And what would you have done? Stayed? Fought? You would have died, Nadia. We all knew it. You were eighteen, untrained, and the former Alpha had allies everywhere. Dylan made the only choice that guaranteed your survival."

"It still hurt."

"I know. And he knows. It's eaten him alive every single day."

I find Dylan at our old meeting spot – a clearing by the lake where we used to sneak away as teenagers. He's sitting on the same fallen log where we shared our first kiss.

"Mind if I join you?"

He shifts over silently. We sit there, not touching, watching the moon's reflection on the water.

"I dream about that night sometimes," he finally says. "The rejection. Your face when I said those words. It's my worst nightmare, and I relive it constantly."

"I hated you," I admit. "For so long, I hated you with everything I had."

"Good. Hate was safer than love. Hate kept you away."

He turns to me, eyes glistening in the moonlight. "I understand if you can't forgive me. I don't forgive myself. But I need you to know – every word I said that night was a lie. You were never weak, never pathetic, never not enough. You were everything. You still are."

"Dylan..."

"I'll earn you back," he says fiercely. "However long it takes. I'll prove that you can trust me again."

"What if I'm different now? What if five years changed me into someone you can't love?"

"Impossible." He reaches out, hesitating just before touching my face. "May I?"

I nod, and his hand cups my cheek gently.

"You're stronger now," he says. "More confident. More powerful. But you're still you. Still the girl who befriended the omega pups when no one else would. Still my Nadia."

"I'm not yours. Not anymore."

"No," he agrees, dropping his hand. "But maybe... maybe you could be again. Someday."

A howl interrupts us – the signal for midnight patrol change.

"We should head back," I say. "Big day tomorrow."

"You don't have to go to Crimson Lake. Vincent can't force you."

"I know. But I need answers. About my mother, my heritage, what it means to be the White Wolf."

"It's dangerous. Vincent wants to use you."

"Everyone wants to use me now." I stand, brushing off my pants. "At least he's honest about it."

Dylan stands too, towering over me. "I don't want to use you. I just want you safe. Happy."

"I know."

We walk back slowly, neither wanting the moment to end. At the pack house, we pause.

"Nadia?" Dylan calls as I turn to go inside.

"Yeah?"

"That prophecy the council mentioned. About the White Wolf uniting or destroying our kind. They're wrong about one thing."

"What's that?"

"You don't have to do it alone. Whatever comes, I'll be beside you. Not as your mate if you don't want that, but as your ally. Your friend. Whatever you need."

"Thank you," I whisper.

Inside, I find my mother awake, the real her this time. She's weak but lucid.

"My brave girl," she murmurs as I take her hand. "I'm so sorry. About everything."

"Mom, Vincent Blackstone. Tell me about him."

"I loved him," she sighs. "God help me, I loved him desperately. But he was mated, had a pack to run. We tried to stay away from each other, but his mate was cruel. She knew about the affair, used it as leverage. Said if he didn't end it, she'd declare war on Silver Moon. So he left. Never knew I was pregnant."

"It's okay, Mom. Rest now."

She falls asleep, and I stay there holding her hand, thinking about tomorrow. About facing the father I never knew existed.

My phone buzzes with a text from an unknown number.

"The White Wolf rises, but shadows gather. Trust no one, especially not the Alpha who shares your blood. He keeps dark secrets. – A friend"

I delete the message, but unease settles in my stomach.

Tomorrow, I walk into the wolf's den – literally. And something tells me Vincent Blackstone isn't the father figure he's pretending to be.

But I'm not the scared little omega anymore. I'm the White Wolf.

And anyone who tries to use me is about to learn that white wolves have teeth too.