-Ember-
Everyone looks at the man. My father. Alpha Garret quickly gets to his feet and slightly bows to him. A sign of respect... that the bastard doesn't deserve after abandoning us for fifteen years.
"Councilman Sanderson," Alpha Garret says, his tone clipped.
My father strides into the room like he owns it, radiating the kind of confidence that comes from knowing exactly how much power you hold. The air grows heavy with his presence, a crushing weight that makes it difficult to breathe.
"I came here to visit my daughter," he says, voice deceptively soft. His gaze sweeps the room, taking in the tension, Tanner on the floor, the fear in everyone's eyes. "Is there something I should be made aware of?"
Alpha Garret straightens his shoulders. "No sir, everything has been handled."
My father looks at me, then at Tanner who is still writhing on the floor. His eyebrow arches slightly, but I can see the dangerous glint in his eyes—a predator assessing its prey.
"Did this boy reject my daughter?" he asks, voice so calm it sends chills down my spine.
"Fuck, he's terrifying," Ivy mutters. "I can feel the power coming off him in waves."
Bethany jumps up, her face flushed with anger. "No! She rejected him and then used some witchcraft on him or something. Look at him!"
My father's eyes—so similar to my own that it sends an uncomfortable shiver down my spine—fix on me. "Did he deserve it?"
I narrow my eyes at him, fifteen years of abandonment fueling my defiance. "Yes, not that I did anything."
"He deserves more than that," Stella adds, her loyalty unwavering.
"Oh?" My father's interest seems piqued, like a predator catching the scent of blood.
Alpha Garret coughs, clearly trying to shut Stella up. "Everything has been handled."
"Handled?" Stella scoffs. "He tried to r—"
"Enough!" Alpha Garret raises his voice, cutting her off.
The temperature in the room seems to drop as my father's eyes darken to obsidian. A crushing pressure fills the space, making it even harder to breathe.
"Don't let them silence her," Ivy growls. "That piece of shit tried to rape us and they're protecting him!"
My father turns to me with a softness that feels foreign and unearned. "Ember, honey, what happened here?"
"Nothing, everything is fine," Alpha Garret interjects before I can speak.
My father turns to him, his energy cold and dark. "I was asking my daughter."
"Damn," Ivy whispers. "Daddy dearest is scary when he's pissed." Causing me to mentally roll my eyes.
I watch Alpha Garret shrink back, sweat beading on his forehead. The mighty Alpha of Silver Moon Pack, reduced to a nervous wreck by my father's presence.
"Tanner accepted my rejection and fell to the floor," I say, keeping my voice steady. "Bethany is just being a drama queen."
"What did this boy do to deserve a rejection?" my father asks, his eyes never leaving my face.
Stella crosses her arms. "He deserves more than a rejection."
"Stella, stand down," Alpha Garret hisses.
"No!" Stella's voice rings out, fierce and unyielding. "The piece of shit you call son, drugged and tried to rape my best friend. And what is his punishment? Six months in the Timber Ridge Pack?"
My father's entire demeanor changes in an instant. The controlled calm vanishes, replaced by something primal and terrifying.
"He did WHAT to my daughter?" His voice is deadly quiet, barely above a whisper, but it carries more menace than a shout ever could.
Before anyone can react, he moves with inhuman speed, grabbing Tanner by the throat and lifting him off the ground with one hand. Tanner's feet dangle, his face turning purple as he claws helplessly at my father's grip.
"Dad!" I shout, shocked by the sudden violence.
Alpha Garret lunges forward. "Councilman Sanderson, please—"
My father's free hand shoots out, stopping Alpha Garret in his tracks. "You allowed this to happen under your protection. You should be on your knees begging for mercy."
"I love Stella," Ivy says with fierce approval. "And I hate to admit it, but your dad is kind of badass right now."
I watch my father's hand tighten around Tanner's throat, and something dark and savage inside me—something that feels distinctly like Ivy—rejoices at seeing my attacker suffer.
"Let him kill the bastard," Ivy whispers gleefully. "He deserves it."
But another part of me rebels against the sight. Not because I care about Tanner—I don't—but because the man delivering this justice abandoned me. Left me to fend for myself. And now he thinks he can waltz back in and play protector?
"You don't get to do this," I say, my voice trembling with rage. "You don't get to disappear for fifteen years and then act like you care what happens to me."
My father's eyes flick to mine, surprise flashing across his face. His grip on Tanner loosens just enough for the boy to draw a ragged breath.
"Ember—"
"No!" I cut him off. "Where were you when Mom was dying? Where were you when I cried myself to sleep every night? Where were you when I needed a father?"
Each question is a knife I twist into both of us, and I can see each one landing, see the pain in his eyes. Good. Let him hurt like I've hurt.
Alpha Garret tries again, using a more familiar tone in a desperate bid. "Councilman, we can discuss this reasonably—"
"Reasonably?" My father laughs, the sound devoid of humor. "Was your son being reasonable when he drugged my daughter? When he tried to force himself on her?"
The room falls deathly silent. Beta Richard backs slowly toward the door. Bethany's smug expression has vanished, replaced by naked fear as she realizes just who my father is—and what he's capable of.
"Do you know what the punishment is for attempting to force-mark a wolf?" my father asks conversationally, though his eyes burn with murderous intent. "In the old days, we would remove the offender's canines. One by one. While they were conscious."
Tanner whimpers, and I feel a chill run down my spine.
"Dad," I say, trying to break through his rage, "you can't just kill him."
"Can't I?" he replies, his voice eerily calm. "Do you know what they call me in the Council chambers, Ember? The Executioner. Do you know why?"
"Stop," Alpha Garret pleads. "She doesn't need to hear this."
My father ignores him. "Because when a wolf breaks our most sacred laws, I'm the one they send. And no one—no one—has ever escaped my judgment."
"He's not lying," Ivy whispers in my mind, sounding impressed despite herself. "I can feel the death on him. He's killed many."
The revelation horrifies me. This dangerous man is my father. His blood runs in my veins.
"Timber Ridge?" my father says, turning back to Alpha Garret with contempt. "So your idea of punishment is sending your son to go snowboarding for six months?"
"He is my heir," Alpha Garret says defensively. "Regular punishments for a mistake are a little difficult here."
Something snaps inside me at his words. "Crime," I interject, my voice stronger than I expected.
Alpha Garret looks at me, confused. "Excuse me?"
I cross my arms over my torso, standing taller. "Your son didn't make a mistake... he committed a crime, one that is punishable by banishment, imprisonment, and sometimes death."
"Tell them!" Ivy encourages, her rage fueling mine. "Make them say it out loud—he's a fucking predator!"
My father releases Tanner, who collapses in a heap, gasping for air. He puts his arm around my shoulders and looks down at me. The weight of it feels strange—both comforting and suffocating.
"Did he ever mark you, honey?" he asks, his voice gentler now.
"No," I answer, trying not to flinch away from his touch.
"Hmmm, so not a Luna or Luna-to-be... so unfortunately not death in this case."
Stella starts to speak, "She's actu—"
"What do you suggest we do then?" Alpha Garret cuts her off, his eyes pleading with my father. "He is my son, my heir, the future of my pack."
My father looks down at me, his expression unreadable. "What do you want to do, honey? You're the one he wronged."
I open my mouth, but before I can speak, Stella interjects.
"I think we should send him to Dark Pine," she grumbles, "and have him dealt with there."
My father's head snaps toward her, his entire body tensing like a predator that's caught a scent. "And why to Dark Pine, young lady?"
The intensity of his reaction catches everyone off guard. Stella falters under his scrutiny, her confidence wavering.
"Because... because they will deal with him the way he deserves," she stammers, her voice losing its earlier conviction.
A strange silence falls over the room. My father and Alpha Garret exchange a loaded glance that I can't decipher. Something unspoken passes between them—some history or knowledge that I'm not privy to.
My father finally breaks the tension, clicking his tongue as he looks at Tanner, still writhing on the ground in agonizing pain. "Someone get that boy a healer. His incessant whimpering is grating on my nerves."
"Let him suffer," I scoff, surprised by the venom in my own voice.
"Yes!" Ivy hisses with savage satisfaction. "Let the bastard writhe."
My father's eyes soften slightly when they return to me, but harden again as he turns to Alpha Garret. His posture shifts to something more threatening, power radiating from him in waves that make everyone in the room shrink back.
"I left my family here for you to protect, care for, and provide them a home of peace," he says, each word precise and cutting. "This is the thanks I get for helping you all those years ago? My daughter being defiled and you sweeping it under the rug?"
Alpha Garret's face pales. "Well, no, I, you see—" he stammers nervously, all his earlier authority evaporated.
Dad raises his hand, the simple gesture immediately silencing the Alpha. "My men are to be granted access to enter your territory. They are to be treated as esteemed guests. They will take over Ember's protection detail from this point on."
"Oh hell no!" Ivy protests inside me. "We don't need babysitters!"
"Dad, you don't need to do that," I say, grimacing. "I'll be fine."
He shakes his head, his expression brooking no argument. "No, it has been decided." Looking at Alpha Garret, he adds, "Is that going to be a problem?"
Alpha Garret stands up straighter, trying to reclaim some dignity. "No."
"This is bullshit!" I explode, pointing at Tanner. "He attacks me, and I'm the one who gets grounded?"
"Honey, no," my father tries to placate me, his tone softening in a way that only infuriates me more. "It's only to protect you from him."
I make an annoyed face at him. "You're taking away my freedom! They'll keep me locked in my cabin."
"You are being dramatic," he says, treating me like a toddler.
The condescension in his voice ignites something in me—years of resentment and abandonment bubbling to the surface. "Dramatic? The last time you had men watching Mom and me, I ended up being homeschooled for two years. TWO! They wouldn't let us leave the cabin. I wasn't allowed to play with the other kids."
"I left you to protect you," my father says, his voice lowering. "There are things you don't understand—things that would have gotten you killed if I had stayed."
"Protection?" I laugh bitterly. "Is that what you call abandonment? I needed a father, not a ghost!"
"Tell him, Ember!" Ivy encourages, her fury matching mine. "He doesn't get to play daddy of the year after abandoning us!"
"You're coming home with me," my father announces, his tone softening but still brooking no argument. "Tonight. I'll have my men collect your things."
"What?" The word escapes me in a breathless gasp. "No!"
"It's not up for discussion," he says firmly. "You'll be safer under my protection."
"Your protection?" I laugh, the sound bordering on hysterical. "Where was your protection when Mom was dying? Where was your protection when I was growing up alone?"
The walls seem to close in around me. Everyone is staring—Alpha Garret with calculation, Bethany with smug satisfaction, Stella with concern, and my father with a possessiveness that makes me want to scream.
"I can't breathe," I gasp, clutching at my chest. "I can't—"
"We need to run," Ivy urges. "NOW."
My wolf's panic merges with my own, and suddenly I'm moving, shoving past everyone, knocking a chair over in my haste to escape.
"Ember!" My father's voice booms behind me, the command in it nearly stopping me in my tracks. But fifteen years of abandonment have made me immune to his authority.
I burst through the door and into the night, my feet barely touching the ground as I sprint toward the forest. Tears stream down my face, blurring my vision, but I don't slow down.
Behind me, I hear shouting. Orders being given. The sound of pursuit.
"Don't stop," Ivy growls. "Don't you dare stop."
And I don't. I run like I've never run before, away from Tanner, away from Alpha Garret, away from the father who thinks he can reclaim me after throwing me away.
The forest welcomes me like an old friend as I disappear among the trees, leaves crunching beneath my feet, branches whipping past my face. For the first time since this nightmare began, I feel something close to freedom—even if it's just the freedom to run away.
I don't know how long I run, but eventually I collapse against a massive oak tree, my lungs burning, my legs trembling with exhaustion.
"Did we lose them?" I gasp internally to Ivy.
Ivy is silent for a moment, assessing. "For now. But they'll track us. Your father... he won't give up easily."
I slide down to sit at the base of the tree, hugging my knees to my chest. "What do we do now?"
"We keep running," Ivy says fiercely. "We don't need him."
But as the adrenaline fades, leaving me cold and shaking in the darkness, a terrible truth settles over me: I'm trapped between two impossible choices. Return to a pack that protected my attacker, or go with a father who abandoned me.
Unless...
A third option whispers through my mind—a memory of dark eyes and a scent that made my wolf howl. A stranger from the City who felt more like home than anywhere I've ever been.