Cast Out

Zareth’s POV

“Tonight,” my father, Alpha Garrick, said in his deep voice, “I am going to discuss a matter that should have been discussed years ago.”

The room was in chaos. Some of the elders looked at each other.

I felt my mother getting tense next to me.

Garrick slowly got down the platform, his heavy boots making a loud noise as he made his way down until he came to a stop directly in front of us. He had no smile in his eyes. No hesitation.

Only disgust.

“For years,” he said coldly, “this pack has seen my bloodline falter, and my house is the laughingstock of other territories.

Some wolves looked down unpleasantly.

No one interfered with his work.

“My Luna didn't give me a son,” he said gruffly. Rather, she made my house a place of weakness.”

My chest constricted and I felt it.

Maevyn jumped up from her seat instantly. “Father—”

“Go away,” Garrick snapped without even looking at her.

He was so abrupt in his tone that he shook the quiet again in the room.

I clenched my fists on my sides as I felt anger take the place of my disbelief.

He can't possibly be doing this!

Not publicly. Not here.

Garrick eventually looked me in the eye and the hate he had in his eyes was like a slap.

“And this one,” he said, “does not even have a wolf.”

Murmurs erupted immediately.

My face was blushing.

“An embarrassment to the Black Hollow bloodline,” Garrick continued, being merciless. “A reminder of failure all the time.”

I swallowed hard and tried to not react.

My mother's voice was finally quiet. “Garrick… enough.”

However, he paid no attention to her at all.

“This disgrace I can no longer endure,” he said. “Starting tonight, Selene Vale and her daughter are not welcome in my house or my kingdom.”

Shocked whispers filled the hall.

I really thought I heard him wrong for a second. Then, Maevyn jumped up so fast her chair almost fell over.

“It is not possible,” she cried out. “Mother has done nothing wrong!

Garrick's eyes grew dark and menacing. “Maevyn, you will remember your place,”

“She’s your mate!” Maevyn yelled furiously. “And Zareth is your daughter!

“Enough!”

His voice rang with the Alpha command, as though it were a physical object, crashing through the hall. Several lesser wolves quickly dropped their heads. Even Maevyn flinched. I despised myself for it, but there was pain behind my eyes. Not because I didn't want my dad's approval. That was a part of me that had long since passed away.

But I never thought that he would actually throw us away, somewhere deep down.

Not publicly. Not like this. Garrick faced the guards that were close to the door.

“Get them out of the Alpha residence right away,” he said coldly. “They have 24 hours to depart Black Hollow territory for good.”

One of the guards hesitated. “Alpha… maybe this needs to be done in private—”

“Are you questioning me?”

The guard immediately dropped his head. “No, Alpha.”

Maevyn came towards us with a look of fear in her face. “Father, please—”

“Another word from you, Garrick,” he cried, “and I will think again about my place in this family.”

That finally put her to silence. Everyone in the hall was silent when the guards came towards my mother and me. I could hardly breathe, my chest was filled with shame.

I wanted to scream. I wanted to throw something at him. I wanted to ask him, why we were never enough. Rather, I stood there, paralyzed, and years of humiliation took away my last shred of dignity.

My mother took my wrist in her hand. “Come, Zareth.”

Her calmness only made me angrier. The guards led us out of the hall and whispers trailed us out of the building. No one stopped us. No one defended us. Not even those who had known my mother for more than twenty years.

As soon as we arrived at the Alpha residence, the servants had already started to pack our stuff off to the upper floor.

It hurt a lot more than I thought it would. They had prepared for this. I walked by all of them without speaking to anyone and closed my door before anyone could notice the tears running down my face.

My chest was sore and it was hard to breathe.

I looked around the room where I had lived since I was a child. All of a sudden, it seemed like nothing was familiar. Meaningless.

It was about an hour later that I heard the door quietly open behind me. Maevyn was carrying a bottle when she entered.

Her eyes were red.

She had whispered to the guards to leave, and closed the door behind her.

I wiped my face angrily. “Go back downstairs.”

“No.”

“Maevyn—”

“Don't push me away now.” She answered. 

I glanced down, but didn't say anything.

She walked across the room quietly and sat down next to me on the bed. We didn't say a word for a few seconds. Then Maevyn gave me the bottle. I stared at it blankly.

“What do you think that does?”

“It should make you look less like a stabber.”

But, in spite of all this a feeble laugh broke out of me.

Maevyn smiled sadly. “There she is.”

I reluctantly took the bottle and swallowed a mouthful which burned all the way down my throat.

“Mother shouldn't have taken this,” I grumbled. “What is she doing, why is she doing it?”

“She's trying to be strong for you. She answered, calmly. 

“I don’t need strength, I need a father who doesn't hate me. “I hissed. 

Maevyn looked away, silently. It was a painful silence between us. Suddenly, she stood.

“Get dressed.”

I frowned. “What?”

“It's going to be a few hours, but you’ll have fun .” She smiled.  “It’s a club..”

I blinked at her. “Have you gone nuts by any chance?”

“Probably,” she admitted. “If we have to leave tonight then I will not cry in this depressing room.”

“I don't feel like it.” I argued.

“That is why we will go.”

After another hour, against all common sense, I ended up in one of the biggest clubs in the city that was underground.

I didn't like a single minute of it at first.

Then the booze began to flow around.

“Nope, I am not taking it.” I tried to argue but Maevyn was not having it.

“Just one…” she said in an attempt to convince me.

“Just one…” I replied as I gulped down the first shot. The drink scorched my throat…and I felt it all the wa to my stomach.

“Yes.” Maevyn cheered.

One drink turned into two.

Two became four.

The weight that had been pressing down on me in my chest began to ease a little for the first time in months.

I kept complaining as Maevyn dragged me onto the dance floor laughing. At some point between the music and the booze, I forgot all about my dad.

I laughed.

Actually laughed.

I was pretty drunk by the time Maevyn was distracted dancing with a group near the bottom, and that was when  I started  having trouble walking straight.

“Mae, I'm getting water and try to escape this,” I shouted to her.

“Can't hear you over the music!” she shouted back at him. “But don’t do anything stupid!”

I rolled my eyes and walked away by myself.

Sadly, I knew no where I was going.

The upstairs hallway was less noisy and dim than the bustling floors below. The walls were lined with expensive paintings and armed security guards stood around several private doors.

Definitely not the public area.

Oops.

One of the guards jumped to his feet at once. “Miss, this part is off-limits.”

“I am allowed to go anywhere,” I said, in a slurred tone.

I looked at the guard and he looked at me like I was crazy. Another voice called out from behind him.

“Let her through.”

All the guards immediately moved out of the way.

I shifted my gaze to the other man, who was further down the hall, in an unsteady manner. He was tall, imposing and wore all black. He quickly scanned me and then pointed to the big suite at the end of the hall.

I strolled forward, still confused. I pushed the suite doors open slowly. The interior of the room was huge. Fancy lights were lit against expensive glass walls that looked out over the city below.

Sitting down, against one of the leather couches, was the most attractive man that I had ever seen, if he were not so dangerously attractive.

Silver eyes.

Dark hair.

He looked impatient. Irritated even. Like a man who waited too long. Slowly, he scanned my attire and a cold smirk crossed his lips.

“Late?” he said sleepily.

I blinked in confusion.

He leaned back in the couch, maintaining eye contact.

“Huh?” I mumbled. 

“You’re late , strip and dance.” He hissed.