Chapter 4

DAMON POV

NEXT MORNING

"I'm telling you, Celeste has the best tits in the pack," Jake laughed, taking another swig of whiskey. "But Fiona? That omega had moves that would make a grown man weep."

I leaned back in my chair, enjoying the envy in my friends' eyes. "You have no idea," I smirked. "Three months of the tightest—"

"Enough."

The voice cut through our laughter. We all turned to see my father standing in the doorway of the private lounge.

How long had he been there? How much had he heard?

"Alpha!" Jake jumped to his feet, nearly spilling his drink. "We didn't know you were back from the capital—"

"Out." My father's voice was deadly quiet. "All of you. Now."

My friends scrambled for the exit like scared puppies. Jake shot me a look of pure terror before disappearing through the door.

The silence that followed was suffocating.

"Father," I stammered, trying to salvage the situation. "I didn't know you'd returned. Should I have been notified of your—"

"Sit down."

I obeyed immediately, my Alpha confidence evaporating under his stare. Even at twenty-five, he could still make me feel like a scolded child.

He moved with predatory grace, circling my chair like a wolf sizing up its prey.

"Disappointed doesn't begin to cover what I'm feeling right now, Damon."

"I don't understand—"

"Don't you?" He stopped directly in front of me. "Kids nowadays have no respect for tradition. Boasting about the girls you've bedded like some common street dog. Such immorality..."

My throat went dry. "Father, it was just locker room talk. You know how it is—"

"I know that a future Alpha should conduct himself with dignity. Honor. Respect for those under his protection." His eyes were ice cold.

"Tell me, what exactly happened yesterday with that omega?"

My heart stopped. He knew. Somehow, he knew about Fiona.

"It was nothing, Father. Just some low-level omega who got ideas above her station. I had to put her in her place—"

"Shut up."

The command hit me. I'd never heard my father use that tone with me before.

"Put her in her place?" His voice was dangerously quiet. "Is that what you call publicly humiliating a pack member destroying her in front of everyone?"

"She was embarrassing herself! Throwing herself at me, claiming I'd promised her things—"

"And had you?"

The question hung in the air. I could lie, but something in his eyes told me he already knew the truth.

"It was just physical," I said defensively. "I never meant for her to think it was serious. Omegas get emotional about sex—everyone knows that. I was doing her a favor, really, setting her straight before she made an even bigger fool of herself."

My father's expression didn't change, but the temperature in the room seemed to drop ten degrees.

"A favor," he repeated slowly.

"Yes! I mean, what was I supposed to do? Actually, mate with some nobody omega? The pack expects me to choose wisely. Celeste is perfect—noble blood, strong genetics, political connections. Fiona was just... entertainment."

The slap came so fast I didn't see it coming.

My head snapped to the side, my cheek burning from the impact.

"You disgust me," my father said quietly.

I touched my stinging face, shocked. He'd never laid a hand on me before. Ever.

"Father, I don't understand. I did what was best for the pack—"

"You did what was convenient for you. There's a difference."

"But the ceremony is today! Celeste is already prepared, the pack is expecting—"

"The mating ceremony is suspended."

The words hit me like a freight train. "What? You can't be serious. Everything's arranged. Celeste's family is coming. The neighboring packs—"

"I said it's suspended."

"But why? Because of some omega who doesn't matter? Father, you're not thinking clearly—"

His growl silenced me instantly. It was the sound of pure Alpha dominance, the kind that made every wolf in a five-mile radius submit involuntarily.

"Not thinking clearly?" His voice was deadly calm. "Let me be very clear about something, son. I'm stripping you of your heir status."

The world stopped spinning.

"You can't," I whispered. "I'm your only child. Your heir. The pack—"

"The pack deserves better than you."

"This is about her, isn't it?" Desperation clawed at my throat. "About that pathetic omega? Father, she's nothing! Less than nothing!"

"That's enough."

"You can't throw away your bloodline for some used-up omega whore who—"

This time, I saw the second slap coming but couldn't move fast enough to avoid it. The force of it knocked me from my chair.

"Stand up," my father commanded.

I scrambled to my feet, tasting blood. "Father, please—"

"You want to know the secret of being a pack leader? ?" His eyes blazed. "Put everyone before you. She loved you completely, trusted you with everything, and you destroyed her for sport."

"It wasn't like that—"

"It was exactly like that. And now you get to live with the consequences."

My mind raced, trying to find an angle, some way to fix this. "The council will never approve of you removing me. I'm your blood heir. It's tradition—"

"I am the Alpha King. My word is law."

Fear crept up my spine. This wasn't just about my heir status anymore. This was about something deeper, something that had fundamentally changed in my father.

"What's happened to you?" I asked quietly.

"This isn't like you. You've always put the pack first, always made logical decisions. Now you're throwing everything away for some omega you barely know?"

For a moment, something flickered in his eyes. Doubt? Uncertainty?

Then it was gone, replaced by iron resolve.

"Maybe it's time I make decisions with my head and start listening to my heart."

"Your heart?" I laughed bitterly. "You don't have a heart, Father. You have a duty. Responsibility. You taught me that."

"I taught you wrong."

The admission stunned me into silence.

"Gather your things," he continued. "You have until sunset to leave pack territory."

"You're banishing me?"

He looked at me for a long moment,

Then his expression hardened.

"Father—"

"Get out, Damon. You have four hours to leave my territory."