44.Silverclaw

Mia Miller

My eyes are blindfolded. I can’t see anything, no trace of where I might be. I only know that I am in a moving car, and I want to get out of here. I try to scream, but I feel weak; he sprayed something inside the car as soon as I got in. I clasp my hands together and ask... if the Moon Goddess, who they always talk about in the pack, really exists, to save me from this and take me back to Lorenzo.

The car stopped abruptly. I felt the weight of the silence around me, except for the sound of my rapid heartbeat. Still with my eyes covered, fear coursed through my veins like poison. The doors opened, and I immediately felt rough hands pulling me out, without any gentleness.

“Let me go!” I tried to scream, but my voice came out weak. The substance he used in the car still made me dizzy, my body felt slow and heavy. I was dragged over what seemed to be dirt ground. I could hear the rustling of leaves beneath my feet, the wind shaking the trees. Was it a forest?

The scent of wolves was all around. The air had that distinctive smell I started to recognize after spending so much time in Ethan’s pack. But this place... it felt different.

After a few minutes of being dragged, I felt we were entering some sort of building. The ground changed from dirt to something solid and cold. Soon, the hands holding me pushed me into a chair. I heard the sound of a door closing, and then, silence again.

Minutes passed before I felt someone approaching. The hands that had been tied behind my back tingled with pain, but now, all I felt was a rising tension. Suddenly, the blindfold was removed from my eyes.

I blinked several times, trying to adjust my vision. I was in a large, simple room, but what truly took my breath away was the man standing before me.

He was tall, with broad shoulders, and his presence dominated the room. His eyes were cold, yet, at the same time, they looked at me with something I couldn’t define... was it familiarity? His features were hard, and there was an undeniable authority in him.

My heart raced as I recognized something in his eyes... something that made me shiver.

“Who are you? Why am I here?” My voice barely came out.

He took a step forward, his shadow falling over me.

“I am the Alpha of the Silverclaw Pack.”

“Why did you bring me here? Please, have mercy... I have a son.”

“I won’t do anything to my own blood, Mia.”

His words hit me like a bullet, and I froze, not believing what I was hearing.

“Are you my father?” I whispered, my mind spinning.

He nodded slowly, his eyes never leaving mine for a second.

“You are my daughter, Mia. And it’s time for you to know the truth about your blood... and our lineage.”

It was too much to absorb. I always thought my father was the one who raised me all my life, who gave me love, sacrificed, and mortgaged our house to give me an education. That was my father.

This man in front of me might share my blood, but he knew nothing about being a father.

“You never wanted to know about me. You never searched for me,” I murmured.

“I did it to protect you, Mia, you and your mother. Look at everything that’s happened; they kidnapped your son, all because of the power you have.”

Anger rose like an uncontrollable fire inside me. That wolf, who had just revealed himself as my biological father, was nothing but a stranger. He was standing before me, trying to justify a kidnapping with empty, cold words.

“Protect?” My voice came out full of contempt. “You kidnapped me, took me away from my son, gagged me, and threw me into a car! This is your idea of protection?”

He remained silent, his gaze fixed on me, but without a sign of regret. His silence only fueled my hatred. I wanted to scream, destroy everything around me. How could he think I would accept this?

“You were never there!” I screamed, getting up from the chair abruptly. “Where were you when my mother died? When my father died? When I was alone, struggling to survive? You never showed up. And now you come to tell me you protected me? What kind of father does that?”

He took a step forward, his presence still intimidating, but I wasn’t going to back down.

“I did what I thought was necessary, Mia. Your mother and I had an agreement, a promise to keep you away from this world... until you were ready. But what I didn’t expect was that fate would be so treacherous and put that Alpha in your path.”

“Ready? I didn’t ask for any of this!” My hands were trembling. “All I wanted was a normal life! Not a pack, not wolves, not power! I just wanted peace!”

His expression hardened, and he lifted his chin, his voice low and controlled.

“A wolf’s place is with her pack, Mia. And you’re stronger than you think. You belong to Silverclaw, and your power is growing. Whether you accept it or not, your destiny is greater than you imagine.”

“Don’t give me that destiny talk!” I interrupted him, feeling frustration and anger welling up in my eyes. “I don’t belong to you. My life is not yours to control.”

He sighed, crossing his arms.

“The world you knew, Mia, is over. It’s no use fighting against what you are. Your power attracts enemies, and those who kidnapped your son will come back, sooner or later. Here, with Silverclaw, you’ll be safe.”

“Safe?” I laughed bitterly. “Safe from what? From you? Because that’s what it seems like! You’re telling me the place of my son’s mother is far from him? That kidnapping someone to force this choice is the right way?”

“You don’t understand what’s at stake, Mia. It’s not just about you, but the future of our bloodline. I didn’t want to force you into this, but you need to accept that your true family is here. Silverclaw needs you, and you need us.”

“That ‘Alpha’ you’re referring to, the one who saved my son. Ethan may have his flaws, but he helped me.”

“He’s engaged to someone else, daughter. You deserve a man worthy of you. I will fight to bring my grandson here as soon as possible too.”

I took a deep breath, feeling the weight of it all on my shoulders. His words only deepened the emptiness and revolt in my chest. I felt betrayed, used, as if he saw me as just a pawn in his power game.

“I have a family,” I whispered. “And that family is Lorenzo. And I will do whatever it takes to return to him. Nothing you say will convince me to stay here.”

He looked at me for a moment, with an unreadable expression.

“You still don’t understand what’s coming, but soon you will. The human world you cling to can’t protect you. But the pack can.”

I shook my head, disbelieving.

“You will never be my father. And I will never be part of your pack.”

My words cut through the silence, and he stepped back, as if accepting my rejection. But deep down, I knew he wouldn’t give up easily.

I was trapped in the Silverclaw Pack, and what he had planned for me was something I couldn’t predict. But I knew one thing: I would do whatever it took to get out of there and return to Lorenz