Too Late, Baby Daddy!

“You are going to watch me get married to the love of my life and there's absolutely nothing you will do about it! You are nothing but a burden to me and you will stay like that!”

He said that to her without a bit of pity or regret brimming in his eyes. They were as cold as ice and at that moment, ten years of history didn’t matter to him.

  Avery had thought the sting of rejection couldn’t hurt worse than the first night he cast her aside, but she was wrong. His words kept replaying in her head as she stayed hidden in the shadows of the grand hall, watching strangers and pack members she once called family brush past her with mocking gazes.

   Tonight, Luca wanted her to feel it. To know she no longer belonged. To understand she was no longer welcome in the very pack she had once called home.

And he had succeeded in doing that.

A single tear slipped down her cheek before she could stop it. She sniffled weakly, lowering her head as she sat alone in the farthest, emptiest corner of the hall. “Dad…” She whispered, her voice cracking, “Why did you have to be so selfish? Why?”

Her chest tightened as her gaze fell on Luca taking his steps to the stage. Even amidst the makeup he had on, she couldn’t miss the dagger scar on his jawline. The one her father had left on his face when he tried to raid an attack on him for the throne.  

Two weeks. That was all it had taken. Two weeks to turn the man she once thought was her future into the monster standing before her.

Tonight was the cruelest thing Luca had ever done to her. He made her watch him moving on with his life despite knowing that they both still felt the same way for each other, or she thought they did.

She couldn't keep her focus away from Luca, the Alpha she had no right to dream about, as he stood at the center of the gathering. His powerful, dominating aura drew every eye in the room, yet, his softened eyes were only on Isabella, the only daughter of Alpha Greta.

The vows he wrote for her, Luca shamelessly up there reciting it word for word to another wolf. He was quick to move on despite their promise to each other. 

Avery took a deep swig from the bottle in her hand, the burn of alcohol doing little to dull the sharp ache in her chest. She watched, helpless, as Luca’s lips pressed against Isabella’s, sealing their bond in front of the pack. His kiss was deep, passionate and filled with the kind of love Avery would never know, at least not in sickness nor till death do us apart sort of love.

Avery's heart skipped a beat when Luca’s eyes fell on her. Startled his attention was on her, she gazed away, retracting her hands from the glass cup and her head lowered slightly below.

She knew exactly what Luca was inferring from his brutal glare. It was simple: Don't you dare come in between me and my Luna; that he made very clear to Avery on the night he rejected her as his mate.

Avery didn't need anyone to spell it to her that he didn’t care about her, and would give anything for her to die brutally. Even killing her was too less of a challenge for him. He wanted her to atone for her father's sins with every drop of her blood. 

She wiped at the tears stinging her eyes and downed another gulp from the bottle. “You can’t fall for him again. If he is happy and moved on, you should move on as well.” She whispered harshly to herself, hating the way her heart thudded painfully in her chest every time she looked at him.

Another tear slid down before she could stop it. She swiped it away angrily, lifting the glass of alcohol to gulp in when her wolf detected a looming shadow behind her. She turned around to meet one of Luca’s chief guards. “I am not here for any harm. See, I'm five meters away from Alpha.”

His eyes were drawn from Avery and then to the stage where Luca was on and back to Avery, measuring the distance between them. “You learn fast Miss. But that's not why I'm here. Your father’s persecution is tomorrow. Do you have any last words you wish to say to him before Alpha Luca passes the final verdict of death?”

Avery’s breath caught. For a moment, she couldn’t move nor think. Everything in front of her faded immediately, her fingers tightened around the bottle until her knuckles ached. Slowly, Avery's lips parted enough to let it go.

“I will pass,”

“I won't agree, it is tradition for at least a loved one to see them once before they are killed.”

 “I don’t… I don’t want to say anything to him, is it hard for you to accept my wishes just the way I want it?”

The silence that followed and judgemental gazes on her snapped Avery from her daydream back to reality. It was only then she knew she was loud enough for her to be heard by the crowd. But Luca never turned from Isabella to look at her. 

Least expected, a hand fell on her shoulders, giving it a bit of a squeeze. “She’s drunk, come back later.”

“But, Alpha Luca said…”

“And as a commander in chief and his twin, I said come back later!”

The guard’s jaw tightened with the tone Alnos spoke to him with. He narrowed his eyes from Avery in irritation. “Your brother isn’t happy you keep postponing Caius’s death,” He said flatly. “I will be in the courtroom… in case she changes her mind.”

Avery closed her eyes, and opened it up to see he was gone and the only person next to her was Luca’s brother, Beta Alnos, his hands clutched softly on her shoulders. She swallowed hard, her throat dry from the alcohol, and managed a whisper.

“Thank you but you don't have to stand up for me. I really appreciate but you can let go of me now, please. You’re only going to make things worse for me.” His brow furrowed, but his grip didn’t loosen right away. Avery’s chest tightened, afraid he might not understand. She leaned closer, speaking low so only he could hear.

“Luca sees that you care for me, Alnos,” she confessed bitterly. “And that… that just gives him more reason. More daring ways to punish me. To kill my father faster. Don’t you see? Your kindness will only put a target on my back.”

“Please,” She whispered again, this time steadier. “Let go before anyone else sees.”

For a long moment, Alnos didn’t move. His hand lingered, his thumb pressing lightly against her shoulder as if reluctant to sever the small tether he had to her pain. Then, with a low breath that sounded almost like defeat, he let his hand fall away.

Avery lowered her gaze again and gave the faintest nod. “Thank you for respecting my choice” She tipped the bottle back and swallowed another mouthful but stopped midway at the scrape of metal chair on marbles. Alnos dragged out a chair and settled beside her.

“....”

Her breath caught when, without hesitation, he reached for the same bottle she had been drinking from. He tilted it against his lips, drinking deeply. Avery blinked at him, stunned for a moment before a sudden laugh slipped past her lips, bubbling awkwardly with the alcohol still in her mouth. She nearly choked but managed to swallow, shaking her head in disbelief.

“Are you insane?” she scoffed, her words slurring slightly. “Aren’t you afraid your brother will kill you every time he sees you with me?” Alnos didn’t flinch at her words, instead, had his arms outstretched and sleeves rolled up to his biceps. 

Avery's laughter faded the moment she laid eyes on the uneven whip lashes on both his arms. The flesh around them looked infected, showing the wounds had been reopened too many times to ever properly heal. Some were thicker as if the whip tore through his skin. 

If she guessed right, the only punishment that Luca could have given him was that of being flogged with a wolfsbane whip. Her stomach churned. It wasn’t the kind of wound any wolf could heal from so easily even after decades. 

“He did this to you?”

“I shouldn't have shown you in the first place but I wanted to let you know this is the worst he can do to me. It hurts but I thought about you all the time. This is nothing compared to what Luca will do to you if I leave you. He only is soft to you because he knows he can't do much with me around you.” 

Avery pressed her lips together, her body trembling as fresh tears welled up. She turned her head away, unable to bear the truth in his words. With a frown on his face, Alnos lifted the cobalt blue glass wine up in the air, his eyes on Luca's face. He shifted his gaze back to Avery and said, 

“There’s no benefit in you lingering in Alpine pack anymore. No one wants you here, Avery. No one but me. And it is not safe for a six-month pregnant wolf like you. You should know better!”

Her breath caught. Instinctively, her hands moved downward, resting protectively against the curve of her stomach — the very swell she had worked so hard to hide beneath baggy clothes and hunched shoulders. She swallowed hard, her pulse quickening terrified of being discovered.

“Alnos…”

“Avery, I didn’t tell him you’re pregnant with his child but how long do you think you can keep it hidden? The mood swings, the scent changes, the spitting? He will notice soon, Avery, then it won’t just be your life on the line. You could lose both yours and the lives of those puppies too.”

He pushed his hands into his pocket and pulled out a key locket, handing it to her. “Emma Russell. She passed away on the tenth of January. It won’t raise suspicion. I’ll make the statement tomorrow morning once you’re gone — that you committed suicide. I’ll get a body as proof. Everything is planned, Avery. All I need is your go-ahead.”

“You are willing to do this for me? Even after I choose him over you?”

“Yes, I am. He is stupid to let go of fourteen years of love. He will regret it, Avery. Mark my words and when he does, it will be too late.” 

She set the bottle down and came down from the chair, her steps increased as she dragged herself to her quarters—a small, dim room far removed from the main hall. Once inside, she slumped onto the bed, curling into herself as the sobs finally broke free. 

It was time to let go. Her fingers slipped into her dress, tugging at the ivory blue necklace Luca had made from scratch for her on her birthday. With a sharp pull, she ripped it off and dropped it on the bed. “I wish you nothing but happiness Luca. Isabella will make a good Luna and you will be a great Alpha. And as for you my little pup, mummy will take good care of you.”