The Father’s Deception

Chapter 2

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Estelle

Elias’s words clung to me like frostbite.

“If you stay, you’ll be dead before sunrise.”

I sat frozen on the floor of my room, staring at him, trying to make sense of his face in the shadows.

His jaw was tight, his shoulders stiff, but there was something in his eyes that unsettled me. Fear. Urgency. Not the kind of look you gave to someone you’d humiliated at the altar hours earlier.

“You’ve already ruined me,” I whispered. My voice shook, brittle like glass. “Now you come to threaten me?”

“I’m not threatening you, Estelle.” His voice was clipped. “I’m warning you. Leave tonight.”

I stood, every ounce of pain inside me twisting into anger. “Why should I believe you? You rejected me in front of everyone. You chose her. And now you think I’ll listen to you?”

His gaze softened for the briefest second, then hardened again. “Think what you want. But if you’re still here by morning, you won’t live to regret it.”

He turned, hand already on the door.

“Elias!” My voice cracked. “Why? Why are you doing this?”

He didn’t answer. The door shut behind him with a dull thud, leaving me with silence and a storm inside my chest.

The night stretched on, restless. Sleep wouldn’t come. His warning echoed in my head, colliding with the image of his lips on Anette’s.

Dead by sunrise.

I hugged my knees on the bed, rocking slightly, desperate for something to ground me. He had betrayed me, yet his warning didn’t sound like a lie. What was I supposed to believe?

When dawn finally crept through the curtains, painting the sky in pale pink, I couldn’t wait any longer. I needed answers. And only one person could give them to me—my father.

I stormed down the empty corridors of the pack house, searching. Guards nodded stiffly as I passed, but none dared meet my eyes. Whispers followed me, heavy with pity and disgust.

“Where’s my father?” I demanded of one guard near his office.

“He left last night,” the guard said quickly, avoiding my gaze. “He hasn’t returned.”

Left? On the night of my rejection? My fists clenched. Of course. He hadn’t stayed to comfort me. He had been too busy securing Anette’s new position.

Hours dragged. I waited in the hall outside his office, refusing food, refusing to move. By the time the sun had set again, exhaustion blurred my vision. Finally, footsteps echoed down the corridor.

My father appeared, tall and composed, as though nothing had happened.

“Father,” I breathed, standing to meet him. My voice cracked with all the desperation I had bottled up. “Please. I need to understand.”

His expression softened, but only slightly. “Estelle, my child…” He reached to cup my shoulder, guiding me into his office. “You’ve been through a great humiliation. I know it must feel unbearable.”

“Unbearable?” My throat tightened. “Elias rejected me, in front of everyone. Anette took my place. You—” My voice broke. “You let them. You chose her over me.”

He sighed, as though the weight of my pain was nothing more than an inconvenience. “You must see it from my side. The pack would never accept a wolfless Luna. Elias made a foolish scene, yes, but I couldn’t allow our reputation to shatter. Announcing Anette as his mate, as the new heir—it was necessary. It gave the people an explanation.”

“So you sacrificed me?” My voice shook with disbelief.

“I protected you,” he countered smoothly. “If I hadn’t acted, the entire pack would have turned against you.”

I stared at him, my heart breaking all over again. “Protected me? By throwing me away?”

He held up a hand, firm. “Listen. This is temporary. I cannot undo what Elias has done, but I can give you a path forward. You will go to the Academy.”

“The Academy?” I blinked, confused.

“Yes. If you excel there, if you prove yourself despite being wolfless, I will restore you as heir. I promise you that.” His voice was calm, calculated. “But for now, you must leave. Give the pack time to accept Anette. It is only politics.”

I stared at him, searching for sincerity in his eyes. His words were soothing, but something inside me whispered they were hollow.

Still… what choice did I have?

“I’ll go,” I whispered, my throat tight. “I’ll prove myself.”

“Good.” He smiled faintly, brushing a hand against my hair before stepping away. “Leave at dawn. It will be safer.”

Hope. Fragile and trembling, but it was enough to keep me moving as I packed my small bag the next morning. My hands shook with each item I folded.

I glanced once more at the pack house, the only home I’d ever known, before stepping past the borders. The forest stretched before me, mist curling through the trees.

Maybe this was my chance. Maybe my father was right. If I succeeded, if I proved myself, maybe I could reclaim everything I had lost.

My thoughts were still tangled when the sound of snapping twigs jolted me.

Figures emerged from the shadows—five warriors, their eyes glinting with hostility.

“Estelle of Crescent Moon,” the leader sneered. “By order of Alpha Theron, you are under arrest.”

My blood ran cold. “What? Why?”

“You stand accused of attempting to harm your sister Anette,” he barked, stepping closer. “And of stealing sacred relics from the pack vault.”

“What?” My voice broke with disbelief. “That’s a lie! I would never—”

“Silence!” he snapped. “Your crimes will be punished. Surrender, or be taken by force.”

My father’s promise echoed in my head—temporary, only politics, prove yourself.

No. It had been a lie. A trap. He never meant to restore me. He wanted me gone.

Rage and heartbreak crashed together inside me. “I didn’t do anything!” I screamed, backing away.

But the warriors lunged.

I ran. Branches whipped my face, thorns tore at my arms. My lungs burned, heart slamming against my ribs. I stumbled over roots, barely dodging the claws that slashed at my back.

A blade grazed my side, hot pain searing through me. I cried out but kept running.

Blood dripped from my wound, my strength faltering. My vision blurred.

“No…” I whispered, stumbling, collapsing to the forest floor. My chest heaved, eyes fluttering shut.

The last thing I saw before darkness swallowed me was the glow of strange eyes surrounding me.