Chapter 145 HEAT-INDUCED SECRETS
Edeline
Alpha William stood there, holding the test in his hand and looking a bit puzzled. "What is this? Nixx?"
He glanced over at the door where we were all standing, a sense of confusion clear on his face.
"What's up?" My dad leaned in closer, peering over William’s shoulder to see what he was holding.
"Wait, Nixx has Alpha blood? How is that even possible?" William’s brows furrowed deeper as he spoke. His eyes moved from my dad to my mom, a look of sheer horror crossing his features. "No..." he whispered, his voice barely audible.
I heard my mother let out a choked sob. Wow, things really took a dramatic turn at that moment.
Everyone else went back inside, but Tatiana remained near the door, just watching silently.
Nixx walked over to William and took the test from his hand. He looked just as puzzled as William had been, his mouth hanging open in surprise. "Wait, what? How..." Everyone's attention shifted to my mom, who was desperately trying to avoid eye contact. Tears welled up in her eyes as she stumbled into a chair, struggling to stay upright.
Percival’s eyes darted back and forth between Nixx and my mom with a sense of urgency. He could hardly believe what he was hearing.
"Dahlia had a thing with William before he met me," Luna Penelops stated flatly, her voice devoid of any emotion. I really disliked her unique mannerisms. A fierce urge to squeeze the life out of her surged through me.
The room fell into a heavy silence. My dad started growling, and in an instant, he transformed into a wolf. His eyes were locked onto William with a fierce intensity.
"You slept with my mate? My... my son. My son is yours?" he asked, his voice filled with incredulity.
Mom was crying, her body shaking as she tried to explain. "I can explain! I just found out recently... I wanted to tell you before this test... not like this!" She cried out, her voice trembling.
"Well, it is a bit late for that, Dahlia. Looks like you are about to face the consequences of your actions," Annabel said, her gaze shifting to William with a stern expression. She reached for him, but he pushed her hands away. Annabel looked visibly upset.
"You knew?! This whole time?!?" William’s voice was filled with outrage as he turned his anger toward his mate. The betrayal was clear in his eyes. He had never mentioned it to her, yet she had known, never doubting him. It felt like a double betrayal.
Annabel shot him a sharp look, her piercing gaze unwavering. "Hey, do not give me that look! I have been keeping your little secret under wraps for years, you know? And you never bothered to clue me in on who it was or that we would end up being so involved with her. All you ever mentioned was that it happened."
"Is this the woman Dad had an affair with?!" Percival’s anger was palpable and caught me off guard. I was frozen in shock. Did he know? It seemed he had found out about his father’s indiscretion. We made brief eye contact, and I could sense his frustration.
Annabel closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and then slowly opened them to reveal a pair of crystal blue orbs with a distant look. "I was aware of the affair. Not that there was any consequence to it," she said, her voice sounding uncertain.
William looked utterly dejected.
My dad let out a furious shout, his whole body trembling with anger. “Annabel, you knew? And you didn’t say anything? Seriously, how could you? And the rest of you too!” His voice was full of rage, and once the initial shock wore off, his anger bubbled over, pouring out in every direction.
Nixx and Percival were sitting quietly, side by side, seemingly unfazed by the turmoil around them. Percival finally spoke up, his voice soft but laced with curiosity. “Wait, so you’re saying that Darius and I are actually half-brothers?” He didn’t expect an answer, but the question hung in the air, thought-provoking and heavy.
Mom yelled back, her voice choked with emotion. “I had no idea. It was a long time ago… before you labeled me. When you really couldn’t stand me!” Her intense crying made her words difficult to understand. “I was going through my heat, and I had no one to teach me about what would happen. It was, you know, after Nyra passed…”
It was shocking to see my mother’s skeletons exposed so abruptly. The moon outside seemed indifferent, her light casting shadows that revealed the raw truths we had tried to hide.
Dad’s eyes narrowed, his entire body tensing as he stared at William. His wolf instincts kicked in, and his eyes turned a deep shade of green. His skin rippled, sharp claws emerging from beneath his nails as his teeth began to cut through his gums.
We all took a step back, including William, who watched the scene unfold with a mix of apprehension and resignation.
“I trusted you, William! We were supposed to be best friends!” Dad’s voice was intense, but as his wolf side took over, his words became more relaxed, almost informal. William’s attention shifted, and the tension between them grew. It was clear that things were about to become even more complicated.
“Jack, it was a mistake,” William said through gritted teeth. “There was this one time when Dahlia was in her heat, and we were both drunk and struggling after Nyra’s death. You were never around, too caught up in your own selfishness to give your mate any attention. I never expected Nixx to become mine! If only you had paid attention to her instead of ignoring her for six months, none of this would have happened! It wasn’t an affair, just a heat-induced moment. Let her explain it to you!” William’s growl was full of anger, and I couldn’t help but feel frustrated with my father for his past treatment of his partner, denying them a chance to explain.
But no explanation, not even William’s, could make my dad feel better. To him, it was a simple black-and-white situation: his friend had betrayed him by sleeping with his mate. It was unforgivable in his eyes.