Chapter Two:The Man My Father Fears

 

For three days, nobody said his name.

It was as though Alexander Knight had never existed.

The moment he disappeared into the night of my birthday, the entire Sterling Estate fell into chaos. Guests were ushered into their cars. Security was doubled. My father spent hours shouting into his phone behind closed doors.

And me?

I was locked inside my room like a prisoner.

"You're overreacting," I snapped as my mother drew the curtains for what felt like the hundredth time.

"Your father is trying to protect you."

"From what? My own mate?"

Her hand froze.

"Don't use that word."

I stared at her.

"Why does everyone keep acting like I've committed a crime?"

She wouldn't meet my eyes.

That was the thing about my family. They had mastered the art of silence. Whenever the truth became inconvenient, they buried it beneath money and power and prayed it never resurfaced.

Unfortunately for them, I had inherited my father's stubbornness.

The morning after my birthday, I had demanded answers.

I received none.

Who was Alexander?

Silence.

Why did my father hate him?

Silence.

Why did my wolf recognize him?

Silence.

The only thing anyone would tell me was this:

Stay away from him.

As if I had a choice.

The mate bond had only grown stronger over the past seventy-two hours. It was like a thread tied around my heart, pulling me toward someone I couldn't find.

I hadn't slept.

Hadn't eaten.

Every time I closed my eyes, I saw his face beneath the moonlight.

"You should not have found me."

What did that even mean?

"You need to let this go, Amelia."

I laughed bitterly.

"Would you have let Father go if the Moon Goddess had chosen him for you?"

Her silence answered the question.

"I didn't think so."

A knock interrupted us.

A moment later, my father entered the room.

Richard Sterling looked exhausted. The dark circles beneath his eyes suggested he hadn't slept either.

Good.

"Leave us," he said to my mother.

The moment the door shut behind her, I folded my arms.

"Am I still grounded at eighteen?"

"This isn't a joke."

"It isn't to me either."

For a moment, neither of us spoke.

Then he sighed.

"What do you know about werewolves?"

I nearly laughed.

"What?"

"Answer the question."

"Only what everyone knows. Packs exist. Alphas lead them. The Moon Goddess chooses mates. Why?"

His expression hardened.

"And what do you know about Alpha Kings?"

My heartbeat slowed.

"Alpha Kings aren't real."

"Who told you that?"

"Everyone."

He looked away.

"Then everyone lied."

The room suddenly felt too small.

"No."

"Yes."

I shook my head.

"No, Alpha Kings are stories. Parents tell them to children."

"They are very real."

My mouth went dry.

Every werewolf child knew the stories.

Alpha Kings weren't simply leaders. They were born once in generations, blessed by the Moon Goddess herself. Stronger. Faster. Deadlier.

They united packs.

Started wars.

Ended them.

And according to legend, every Alpha King was destined to change the course of history.

"Why are you telling me this?"

My father was quiet for a long moment.

"Because the man you call Alexander Knight is not a driver."

I stopped breathing.

"No."

"He never was."

The world tilted beneath me.

"You're lying."

"I wish I was."

He walked toward the window.

"Ten years ago, a man arrived at this estate carrying a wounded child in his arms."

"What child?"

"You."

My blood ran cold.

"That's impossible."

"You were eight years old. You disappeared during a pack gathering."

I stared at him.

"I was lost."

"No, Amelia. You were taken."

My knees nearly gave out.

"What?"

"There was an attack. By the time we found you, three guards were dead."

Every word felt like a stone sinking into my chest.

"I don't remember any of this."

"You weren't supposed to."

"What are you saying?"

My father finally turned to face me.

"I'm saying Alexander saved your life."

Silence.

"No."

"He found you in the forest and brought you home."

I remembered something then.

Not a memory exactly.

A feeling.

Strong arms carrying me through the darkness.

The scent of rain and cedar.

A voice telling me everything would be alright.

"Oh God..."

"He made me a promise that night."

"What promise?"

My father's jaw tightened.

"That he would protect you until your eighteenth birthday."

The room spun.

"Why eighteen?"

His expression became unreadable.

"Because that's when your wolf would awaken."

The mate bond in my chest suddenly tightened painfully.

"You knew."

He said nothing.

"You knew!" I shouted.

"Yes!"

The word echoed through the room.

Tears burned my eyes.

"You knew he was my mate?"

"I suspected."

"And you didn't tell me?"

"What was I supposed to say? 'Good morning, sweetheart. The man who drives me to work is actually your fated mate and one of the most dangerous creatures alive'?"

I froze.

"Dangerous?"

My father's face darkened.

"You have no idea who he is."

"Then tell me!"

He hesitated.

And for the first time in my life, I saw fear in my father's eyes.

"His real name is Alexander Draven."

The name sent a strange shiver through my body.

"Who is that?"

He laughed humorlessly.

"Twenty years ago, every Alpha on the continent feared that name."

I swallowed.

"Why?"

"Because Alexander Draven is the last surviving heir of the Moonfang Dynasty."

I had never heard of it.

Then realization dawned.

"No..."

"Yes."

"The royal bloodline was wiped out."

"That's what everyone believes."

The room fell silent.

"You said Alpha Kings were real."

"They are."

"And Alexander..."

My father closed his eyes.

"He is the son of the last Alpha King."

The words hit me harder than anything else had.

My father's driver.

The man who opened doors for guests.

The quiet stranger who avoided looking me in the eye.

An heir.

A prince.

My mate.

"Why would he hide?"

My father's expression became grim.

"Because someone is still trying to kill him."

At that exact moment, every light in the room went out.

Darkness swallowed us whole.

Then came the sound.

Three knocks.

Slow.

Deliberate.

Against my bedroom window.

My father went pale.

"Stay behind me."

Another knock.

My heart stopped as a familiar voice drifted through the darkness.

"Richard."

Alexander.

"I believe," he said calmly, "it's time we stopped lying to her."

The curtains moved with the wind.

And standing outside my second-floor window—as though gravity itself had no hold on him—was the man my father feared.

His golden eyes met mine.

"Hello, little mate."

I forgot how to breathe.