Chapter 26: My Fathers Frustration

ALEXANDER

I was shocked by Chris’s confidence. I looked at him doubtfully, but he said nothing more. Instead, he leaped away and disappeared into the midst of the flowers.

I didn’t dwell much on his words. Turning around, I returned to my room. The lights were out, but with my sharp eyesight, I could still make out a silhouette standing by the window.

From his styled hair, the knife tattoo on the back of his neck, and his posture, I already knew it was Damon. I was surprised that he had been watching Chris and me talk in the garden all along, and I was certain he had heard everything we discussed.

“What are you doing in my room?” I asked, uneasy at being alone with him there.

He didn’t turn to look at me. He simply retorted, “You really couldn’t wait to leave the pack with my uncle, could you? Are you always this desperate for a taste of new dick?”

Anger flared inside me at his words, and I sneered. “I couldn’t wait to leave the pack because of your lousy skills in bed. Your uncle is more considerate and understanding. He knows how to make a woman feel good far better than you do.”

He turned around, and in the blink of an eye, he was already in front of me. Grabbing my arm, he pulled me so close that I could feel his breath against my face. He searched my eyes intently, leaving me confused.

Then he chuckled and let me go, which only confused me even more.

“You said that just to anger me, Alex,” he said. “You’re not clever enough to provoke me, so stop trying to trick me.” He gave another low chuckle before adding, “You should give up on your daydreaming. I will never let you out of my sight. Neither my uncle nor anyone else in this world will take you out of this palace. This fantasy of yours will only make you unhappy, so stop clinging to it. It will never happen.”

Although his words shook my belief, I still chose to trust his uncle. I snorted confidently. “No one can tell the future or decide fate with mere words.”

He looked at me in surprise, but I was done talking to him. I climbed onto my bed and lay down.

When I heard his footsteps coming closer, my body stiffened. Memories of the way he had tortured me filled me with tension and left me almost breathless.

He must have noticed, because he said softly, “I will not touch you again until you accept me and realize that I truly love you—and until you can forgive all my mistakes.”

I was stunned when he stood up and left my room.

As silence settled over the room, I fell into deep thought, wondering if Alpha Damon was only acting.

If he was, then he was very good at it—so good that it was almost convincing.

But I had already made up my mind.

I would not stay here.

It was dawn the next day. I didn’t know how long I had slept, but my father’s boisterous voice jolted me awake, along with the reckless way he flung open the door.

When I opened my eyes and turned toward him, I heard him say loudly, “Oh, my dearest Alexander, you’re still in bed at this hour? The council has already been dismissed. But it’s good for you to sleep more, for a lady becomes prettier and more beautiful when she rests well.”

His words were so indulgent that, for a moment, I almost forgot this was the same father who had barely looked at me for more than two years. But I quickly snapped out of it, knowing he had only come because he expected to gain something from me.

“Good daughter, Alex,” he continued, “I am just coming from the council. The Alpha has proposed to publicly crown you as the Luna of the pack, and he is also going to publicly acknowledge you as his wife. You will be the Luna of the pack. The Moon Goddess truly has eyes. My family has been blessed with greatness—”

While my father was still lost in his daydream, I cut him off.

“I am not interested in being the Luna of the pack,” I said. “I don’t want that position or the crown.”

My father stared at me with wide eyes, disbelief written all over his face. He blinked rapidly, the muscles in his cheeks twitching as frustration darkened his expression.

“What did you just say?” he demanded.

I looked him straight in the eyes and repeated myself.

“I have no interest in being the Luna of the pack.”

“Nonsense!” he barked, pointing a finger at my face. “You’ve gone mad. Do you even know what it means to be the Luna of the pack? It means you are the second-highest authority in the pack. In the Alpha’s absence, you would lead the pack. Have you gone crazy, Alex? What has come over you?”

I didn’t care about my father’s rambling or his inability to accept my decision. I got out of bed, walked into the bathroom, and washed up. By the time I came back, he had already stormed out of my room in anger.

Later, Christina brought lunch for me.

“My Lady, you need to rest more,” she advised kindly. “You skipped breakfast today. Don’t stay up too late at night.”

I nodded. I hadn’t even realized how hungry I was until Christina served the food. I began eating immediately.

After I was done, Christina suddenly said, “Many people in the pack have been secretly murdered, and the invaders at the border have retreated. There are rumors that those who were killed were saboteurs working together with the invaders.”

I looked at Christina, speechless. I had no interest in the pack’s politics. I didn’t care whether the invaders won or the pack drove them away. None of it meant anything to me anymore.

When she noticed my lack of interest, she stopped talking and quietly left the room.

I wanted to rest, but I couldn’t.

Not when Alpha Damon suddenly appeared in my room.