Chapter Four: Who deserves you

My father, the Alpha, faced me with a stern expression on his face. His eyes were fixed on me, and from the way he looked at me, I already knew he was angry. I stood before him quietly, waiting for him to speak, even though I already had an idea of what he wanted to say.

“Azrael, explain why it is that you choose to defy the rules and regulations of our pack. As you already know, it is a sin to separate any duel or fight in our pack. They have to show themselves who the master is. It is either they surrender or they fight until death. So why did you stop a fight that had nothing to do with you? You clearly know the rules. It is either one surrenders or they fight to the death.”

I took a slow breath before answering him. I knew better than to argue with my father when he was speaking as the Alpha, but I also couldn’t pretend that what had happened to Selena was acceptable.

“Alpha, Selena is a wolfless girl. She has no wolf backing her, and she doesn’t stand a chance against Lyanna. Lyanna knows that. She will surely kill her, and she knows it.”

My father’s expression remained unchanged.

“Then Selena should have surrendered,” the Alpha replied.

“She had already lost consciousness by the time I got there. I’m sure there was no way she could speak or accept defeat. You all clearly know that accepting defeat here means admitting that you are the loser. She already has no wolf. I’m sure she wouldn’t want to feel like even more of a disappointment than she already thinks she is,” I explained.

I knew what the rules of the pack were. I had grown up knowing them, just like everyone else. I knew what happened whenever two people engaged in a duel, and I knew that interfering in another person’s fight was considered a serious offense. But there were times when following a rule simply because it was a rule didn’t feel right.

Selena had been completely defenseless.

She had no wolf.

She had no strength to fight back against Lyanna, and by the time I arrived, she had already lost consciousness. I couldn’t simply stand there and watch Lyanna continue beating her.

Before my father could respond, Marrok interrupted.

“Then you should have let her die since she couldn’t accept defeat.”

I immediately turned to face him. His words angered me, and I could tell from his expression that he was deliberately trying to provoke me.

“You were not asked to speak yet,” I said, my voice firm. “You should understand boundaries, Marrok.”

His eyes narrowed at me, and he squeezed his brows together. I was sure my words had gotten to him, and judging by the look on his face, he was clearly annoyed.

“And you should learn to respect your elders, Azrael,” he said, his voice carrying a warning.

The tension between us grew instantly.

I could see the challenge in his eyes, and I knew exactly what he was trying to do. He wanted me to react. He wanted me to forget that we were standing in front of the Alpha and challenge him openly.

But I wasn’t going to give him that satisfaction.

Still, I wasn’t going to allow him to speak about Selena as though her life meant nothing.

Before either of us could say anything else, my father spoke.

“Stop!”

The Alpha’s command filled the room, and immediately, everything died down.

No one dared to defy the words of the Alpha. His voice carried command, or rather, his words were a command themselves. Once he spoke, everyone had to listen. There was no room for argument when the Alpha had given an order.

“Both of you should stop. I am seated right here, and you want to start a fight?” he asked, his voice growing angrier with every word. “Should I just give you both the go-ahead and let you show who is the strongest? Maybe that would finally put some sense into you.”

Neither Marrok nor I responded.

His anger was obvious, and neither of us dared to challenge him any further.

“We are sorry, Alpha,” Marrok and I said at the same time, both of us bowing our heads as a sign of respect and recognition.

The Alpha looked at me again. His expression remained stern, and there was no trace of sympathy in his eyes.

“Now, Azrael, you are banned from saving that girl any further. If she cannot save herself, then she is better off dead.”

His words carried no emotion whatsoever, and I was sure he meant every single word he had said.

I swallowed hard.

“Okay, Alpha.”

I knew better than to call him Dad in public.

There was a difference between my father and the Alpha, even though they were the same person. In front of the pack, I had to remember who he was and show him the respect his position demanded.

“You are all dismissed,” the Alpha said.

Immediately, we left the pack hall.

I walked out with the others, but my mind remained on Selena. My father’s order continued to replay in my head.

I was banned from saving her.

If she couldn’t save herself, then she was better off dead.

Those words were difficult to accept, especially knowing what I had seen earlier. I knew Selena had no chance against Lyanna, and pretending otherwise wouldn’t change the truth.

I had barely taken a few steps when I heard my mother’s voice behind me.

“Azrael.”

Her words stopped me in my tracks.

I turned around and looked at her.

“Meet me in my room,” she said.

“Okay, Luna.”

My mother is one of the kindest Lunas I have ever known, and sometimes, I can’t help but feel that my father doesn’t deserve her. She hardly speaks, and whenever she does, I know it means something important. When my mother calls for me, especially after something like what just happened, I know she either wants to warn me or speak to me about something serious.

Luna Kiera is the softest Luna ever. She is gentle, calm, and hardly ever raises her voice. She doesn’t like unnecessary arguments, and she avoids conflicts whenever she can. But there is one person she fears more than anyone else, and that person is my father.

My father.

The Alpha.

The man whose presence alone can make an entire room fall silent.

My mother hardly speaks around him, and whenever she does, she chooses her words carefully. I have noticed it many times, but I have never really understood why things are the way they are between them.

We hardly speak about it.

So I can’t say much about my mother or her relationship with my father, sadly. There are many things I don’t know, and even though I sometimes want to ask her, I never know how to begin.

Still, I know my mother well enough to understand that whenever she calls me privately, she has something important to say.

I made my way to my mother’s room and met her waiting for me.

I stepped inside and closed the door behind me.

“Azrael, you know I don’t want you to disrespect your elders, and most importantly, I wouldn’t want you to have a dispute with your father,” my mom began.

I remained quiet as I listened to her.

“You know how he can be, right? Having a dispute with him means putting your life in danger. He can do and undo, and once he is angry, there is nothing he can’t do,” she continued.

I sighed softly.

“I know, Mum, but he is unreasonable sometimes.”

My mother looked at me, but I continued before she could say anything.

“Lyanna is hurting her, and I can’t just back down and do nothing about it. She is planning to kill her.”

I couldn’t hide the concern written all over my face.

Selena had already suffered enough. She had been beaten badly, and knowing that Lyanna was capable of killing her made it impossible for me to simply stand aside and watch.

I knew what my father wanted me to do.

Stay away.

Do nothing.

Let Selena handle her own problems.

But how was she supposed to handle anything when she didn’t even have a wolf to protect her?

That was the part I couldn’t understand.

My mother studied my face for a moment, as though she was trying to understand something I wasn’t saying.

Then she dropped the bombshell.

“Who is she to you?”

I looked at her.

“Selena, right?”

I remained silent.

“Why are you protecting her this much?”

I opened my mouth to respond, but she continued before I could say anything.

“You’re not thinking of mating with a wolfless girl, right?”

Her questions caught me completely off guard.

I stared at her for a moment before shaking my head.

“No, Mom,” I stammered. “I don’t plan on mating with her. No, that’s ridiculous.”

I paused before continuing.

“But I can’t just leave her like that and let Lyanna kill her.”

My mother looked at me carefully.

I knew she was trying to determine whether I was being honest with her. I didn’t blame her for asking. From her perspective, there was probably no reason for me to put myself between Lyanna and Selena unless there was something more behind it.

But there wasn’t.

At least, that was what I kept telling myself.

I was simply doing what I believed was right.

I couldn’t watch someone get killed when I had the ability to stop it.

“Good, then,” my mother said after a moment. “If you say so, remember that you are the future Alpha. Having a wolfless Luna will make you look worthless and ridiculous.”

I listened quietly.

“You need to have a Luna who will stand and fight by you. There are lots of things to consider when choosing a mate. That is, if the Moon Goddess has not already matched you with one.”

She paused before adding, “And love is not among them, dear son.”

Her words stayed in my mind.

I couldn’t help but wonder about what she had just said. She spoke about choosing a mate as though it were a decision based on responsibilities rather than feelings.

Maybe that was how things worked in our world.

Maybe being the future Alpha meant that I couldn’t simply choose someone because I cared about her. There were expectations, responsibilities, and things that had to be considered.

But still, hearing my mother say that love wasn’t among them made something inside me question everything.

I looked at her.

For some reason, her words made me think about her own life.

My mother had always been quiet about her relationship with my father. She never complained, never spoke badly about him, and never told me what she truly felt.

But I had always wondered.

What did she feel when she looked at him?

What did she feel when he spoke to her?

Was there ever love between them?

Or had they simply accepted whatever the Moon Goddess and their positions had decided for them?

The question formed in my mind before I could stop it.

I looked directly at my mother, and after a moment of hesitation, I finally let it out.

“Do you even love my Dad?”

I paused.

“I mean, the Alpha?”