Tempting the Alpha’s Father

Ifunanya07

The hall smelled of roses, champagne, and lies.

Hundreds of guests filled the ceremonial chamber, all dressed in glittering finery, their laughter and chatter weaving through the hum of live violins. Chandeliers rained golden light on the scene, making the polished marble floors glow. At the far end, a raised dais held the altar where the Alpha King himself stood, officiating the most anticipated union of the decade.

And I was trapped in the back row, invisible, suffocating.

My wolf stirred restlessly inside me, sensing the same humiliation I felt. My nails dug into my palms until I felt the sting of blood.

I had to watch this.

I had to watch him vow himself to another.

Not just any “another.”

The Alpha King’s daughter—Lyra Blackthorn.

And he—Damien Blackthorn—was supposed to be mine. My fated mate. The man the Moon Goddess had chosen for me. The man who had once kissed my scars and sworn that nothing, no title, no throne, no destiny, would ever come between us.

A hollow laugh threatened to escape me. What a liar.

Two months ago, he swore loyalty to my family’s pack, promising protection against our enemies. Two weeks ago, he broke that vow in the most brutal way imaginable—by leading the very attack that slaughtered half my kin. My father’s blood had soaked into the snow, and Damien hadn’t even flinched.

And now here he was, dressed in a black silk suit that hugged his broad shoulders, a smug smile playing on his lips as if nothing had happened.

“Do you, Damien Blackthorn, accept Lyra as your fated mate and Luna, to cherish, honor, and protect for all your days?” the Alpha King’s deep voice resonated through the room.

My throat tightened.

Every word was a blade, and each one cut deeper.

“I do,” Damien replied smoothly, eyes never leaving Lyra’s perfect face.

Gasps of delight rippled through the crowd. I couldn’t breathe.

I turned to slip out, hoping to escape before my wolf shattered completely, but the massive oak doors slammed shut with a deafening thud. Startled, I froze.

“You’re not leaving.”

The voice—low, sharp—cut through the noise of celebration. I turned slowly.

Damien was walking toward me, his gaze cold and possessive. The scent of his cologne hit me first—rich, dominant, with a hint of smoke. It used to make me dizzy with want. Now it made me want to claw his face off.

“What do you want?” I asked, my tone laced with venom.

He stopped so close that I could feel the heat radiating off him. Behind him, his new wife laughed with a cluster of nobles, oblivious.

“I have a proposal,” he said, his lips curving into a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “You don’t have to live like this. I’ll give you everything you need—protection, money, comfort. Be my mistress. No one has to know.”

My hand tingled with the urge to slap him. “You killed my father.”

His jaw tightened for half a second before his smirk returned. “And I can make it up to you.”

I leaned in, close enough that my breath fanned against his ear. My voice was sweet as poisoned honey. “I’d rather sleep with your father than ever touch you again.”

For the first time all night, his smirk faltered. “Careful, Emma.”

“Oh, I’m just getting started,” I said, holding his gaze.

That’s when I felt it—the shift in the air, the weight of a gaze far more dangerous than Damien’s. The crowd’s laughter dimmed, replaced by a low, expectant silence.

I turned my head.

Adrian Blackthorn.

The Alpha King’s father. Damien’s father’s father. A man whispered about in half-truths and rumors, each one darker than the last. Twice Damien’s size, older, broader, radiating the kind of power that didn’t need to be shouted. His hair was silver at the temples, his sharp jaw shadowed with stubble, and his eyes…

Golden. Piercing. Predatory.

He stood just a few steps away, having clearly heard every word.

“I heard everything,” Adrian said, his voice a deep, lethal purr. The kind of voice that could seduce or destroy.

And gods help me… he looked amused.