Chapter 266 WEIGHT OF BETRAYAL
Percival
“Maybe it’s time we try things differently, Dad,” I said slowly, my voice like ice cracking. “Your way doesn’t seem to be working anymore.”
I turned to the rest of the wolves gathered around us. My voice rang out, sharp and clear.
“Look at them! Look at all these skins!” I gestured toward the lifeless bodies. “They don’t even shift into wolves half the time! What’s the point of calling this a pack?”
I threw my arms wide, letting them all feel the weight of my words.
“This isn’t a pack—it’s a bunch of humans living together under one roof! We’re the Brady Bunch, with cousins, uncles, and friends! Always throwing barbecues for any excuse we can come up with!”
From behind me, Maxim chuckled, low and amused.
The anger boiled hotter inside me, a raw energy that surged in my chest. My wolf stirred, urging me forward. He was with me, pushing me toward the truth we both knew.
We wanted a real pack.
I turned back to Dad, locking eyes with him.
“We haven’t been wolves in years, and that’s why the moon is punishing us.”
My voice cracked with the weight of the truth. “You’re not a leader anymore. You lost our respect the moment you made this about finding mates and giving up everything for them. And now you’re forcing Nixx to lead when he doesn’t even want to! He already has a mate! He doesn’t want another!”
Dad flinched, his lips parting to protest. “Son, we—”
“No!” I roared, cutting him off. “Stop making excuses! You’ve been doing that your entire life!”
The words burned my throat, but I didn’t hold back.
“Edeline left me because of you. You pushed me toward Tatiana so hard, you never gave me the choice. And I wasn’t strong enough to stand up to you before. But I am now.”
I was breathing hard, my chest rising and falling with jagged gasps.
Dad’s face twisted with confusion and pain, but I pressed on. “You lost your strength years ago, Dad—when Nyra was killed.”
I threw a sharp glance at Gaspar, who stood quietly off to the side.
“Oh, and just so you know,” I added coldly, “Gaspar? He was Mom’s real mate. The one she rejected because she wanted the Luna position after Nyra’s death.”
The silence that followed was suffocating.
Dad blinked, stunned, and his gaze drifted toward Mom. She stood rigid, her face pale as she glanced between me and Gaspar. Finally, her shock melted into fury.
“After everything I’ve done for you?” she shrieked, pointing a trembling finger at me.
Maxim chuckled again—dark and taunting.
“Oh, Annabel, sweetheart. You were never in this for anyone but yourself. Let’s not pretend.” His grin was sharp as a blade. “You only ever wanted to be Luna. Without a mate to challenge you, you figured you could hold the position until Percival found someone. You’re still the same praying mantis you’ve always been.”
The insult landed like a slap, and Mom’s face twisted in rage.
She stormed over to Maxim, her heels clicking on the ground like gunshots. She shoved her face close to his, eyes blazing. “What are you doing, Maxim? You’re my cousin!”
Maxim’s lip curled, and a low growl rumbled from his throat.
Maxim’s voice dropped to a growl, low and dangerous.
"You've been here too long, Penny. Don't forget who you're talking to—cousin or not."
His eyes widened as Mom instinctively shrank back, tucking her tail between her legs.
Dad’s voice cut through the thick tension. "Annabel, is this true?" His expression crumpled with pain. "You rejected your own mate? For power? Just so you could be Luna… after finding out my mate—your cousin—was dead?"
His voice echoed with disbelief, the weight of betrayal cracking through every word. Around us, the pack shifted uneasily, their emotions tangled—shock, confusion, anger—watching as old secrets clawed their way to the surface.
I could feel it too—me and my wolf. Both of us alert, uneasy, like we were standing among wolves for the first time, seeing them for what they really were.
Mom never looked away from him. Her gaze stayed cold, unflinching.
"Yes," she said, her voice steady. "And I’d do it again."
Maxim’s roar tore through the clearing. "Nyra was my sister, Annabel! Don’t think I’d ever favor you over her—dead or not." His lips curled with disgust. "Percival is her mate’s son. That’s the only reason I helped him. Not for you. For Nyra."
He turned toward me, and we exchanged a nod—simple, but weighted with unspoken respect.
That’s when I noticed them—several men creeping behind Dad, eyes sharp with intent. They thought they could take him. Thought they could overthrow him right here and now.
But this was my fight. My test.
My wolf surged forward, the wildness bubbling up to the surface. I snarled, a deep, earth-shaking roar ripping from my throat. Claws and fangs glinted as I bared them for all to see.
The men froze, wide-eyed, and scrambled back, the scent of their fear thick in the air.
Dad glanced at me from over his shoulder, then slowly turned back. His expression was unreadable, but something in his posture had shifted—wariness, maybe. Or something more complicated.
His voice was rough when he spoke. "Percival, go home. You've done enough for the night."
A laugh escaped me, low and bitter.
I let the wolf’s fire burn behind my eyes, making sure Dad could see it. "I don’t think so."
His gaze locked onto mine, unwavering. A challenge—silent, but undeniable.
I squared my shoulders. "I’m not giving up, Dad. Not ever again." The words carried more weight than just defiance. It was a promise. To myself. To my wolf.
Something in him shifted—his wolf rose to the surface, flickering in his eyes for a moment before settling under his skin. He wasn’t used to being challenged, not like this. Not by me.
Maxim and Gaspar stood at the edge of the clearing, watching, curious. They weren’t the only ones—every wolf around us was riveted, their attention sharp and expectant.
I leaned in, my voice a snarl. "You’re weak."
The words tasted like truth. And they hit him like a slap.
I could feel my wolf howling inside me, riding the high of unleashed power.