Chapter 68 So weird
"How long have you led the pack under your father's nose?" Leif asked, dis- pelling the tension. "Since I was eight," I admitted, finding it surprisingly easy to talk to the Lycan. "Harold didn't care for the pack, and he failed to understand the gravity of being stuck on the top of a mountain peak during winter. The other alphas helped me, of course. I would instruct them on what needed to be done, and they would bring it up at the meetings as if it were their ideas. I had to maintain the relationship with the alphas, encouraging them to assist me in running the pack. I was a child, after all. Even as the daughter of the alpha, to them and everyone else, I was a beta female, secretly helping the pack survive." "And they didn't try to mate you to their sons?" Leif turned as Carleigh whispered into Saint's ear, causing him to snort loudly at whatever she'd said. I did my best to ignore the pathetic attempt to make me jealous.
"They did, but Harold wasn't interested in making a match with our people. My match with Saint came as a shock to both of us since, originally, we couldn't stand one another. Saint had his crew, and I was the spoiled little bitch they en- joyed tormenting."
"I will agree with that remark," Eryx chuckled, leaning back where he sat be- side me. I could feel their eyes heating my face while they listened to the conver- sation. "Braelyn was a pampered princess who was off-limits to the pack, accord- ing to her daddy. But she discovered her mate in Saint. And we all know what happened from there, don't we?"
My attention slid to Saint, who watched me as his jaw ticked rapidly. Car- leigh was running her fingers over his forearm while gawking at me. My heart clenched with the memories of the summer we'd spent together, hiding and learning each other. It hadn't been sexual, but we'd spoken of our desires and exposed every little detail of ourselves to one another.
"I'm guessing your father didn't approve of Saint as your mate?" Leif asked, his tone neutral without the condemnation the others held in their stares.
"My father wanted to breed me because, through me, he thought he could get an heir to his line. He wouldn't have approved of anyone," I admitted, downing the cup as those at the table went silent. "Luckily, Fenrir protects fe- males from being raped or forced to breed with anyone who isn't their true soul mate. He would have done so if he'd been able to, but I remained untouched to prevent it from happening."
Leif stared at me with wide, horrified eyes. His mouth opened and closed, and then he slowly blew air out before nodding with understanding.
"He wanted a purebred Fenrir wolf heir, and he already had one under his nose the entire time. Your mother would have rolled over in her grave."
"My mother never loved nor cared for Harold. They weren't true mates," I disclosed, running my finger over the rim of the glass. "And yet she allowed him to mate with her, creating you, Princess," Leif stated.
"So she did, paying for it with her life. I am not a princess, though. That's just something these pricks call me to get a rise out of me."
"You are a princess, Braelyn. Had I not murdered your grandparents, you'd have been the Queen Alpha of the Norway packs. Your mother was a princess. I know because I fully intended to claim her as my mate, forcing her to give me sons to piss off her father." My eyes locked with Leif's as Saint snorted, leaning closer to Carleigh's ear to whisper something into it. "Had you not discovered you were soul-mated to my friend here, I'd be taking you away with me."
"A Fenrir wolf must remain on the mountain, or the blessing of the land will fail," I returned, ignoring his comment about Saint.
"Your mother was buried on this mountain, eternally blessing the land with her presence. The gods are rather fickle with their terms, leaving them open and misinterpreted more often than not." Leif smiled before he sat back, allowing the servers to place his meal in front of him.
I ate in silence while those around me talked pleasantly with one another, proving their camaraderie extended beyond this mountain. Saint held a conver- sation with Carleigh, who laughed and boasted loudly about their time together for my benefit. Eryx snorted at something she said, forcing my attention to the blonde, annoying woman who was drinking and shoving food into her mouth without care.
I felt alone, watching as they all talked about old times, reminiscing about things they'd done together. My people surrounded me, yet Saint had secluded me by forcing me to sit away from them. Listening to my pack speak, I craved to be a part of their conversation, which hadn't ever been something I'd desired.
Saint joked, flirting openly with Carleigh while ignoring me. She laughed, and he'd echoed it while the others cut in, talking about something that had happened. It had never occurred to me that Saint had a life away from the mountain while I'd been forced to stay here, surviving while he'd lived and gone places I'd never dreamed of going.
I drummed my fingers on the table, absently considering what life would have been like if I'd been strong enough to stand up to my father. Would Saint and I have had children by now? Or would he have ended up on the table beside me, being dissected while I'd be forced to watch?
No one spoke to me or about me-not until Carleigh purposely laughed loud enough that it caught my attention, allowing her to make eye contact. She slid her eyes over me and smirked as if she found me pathetic and lacking. Her eyes sparkled with delight, holding mine before she leaned closer to Saint, whis- pering in his ear again as he grinned at me. Rolling my eyes, I turned to take in my pack as they consumed their meal.
They didn't seem upset that we had a new alpha. Nor had the other alphas joined the meal, which still bugged me. It wasn't alarming for them to miss a meal, having their packs scattered throughout the mountain. But with a new alpha taking Harold's place, they should have been present to learn what was happening. So where were they?
A scream ripped through the room, and my attention moved to Cora, a member of my pack. She was holding her pregnant stomach, howling in pain. I rose from my seat, going to her as she bent over, and another scream ripped from her lungs.
Cora dropped to the floor on her back, and I saw that her water had broken. Lifting the skirt of her dress, I rubbed her leg slightly. "It's okay. Cora. I just need to take a look." Dropping her legs open, Cora screamed again, just as I saw the head of the babe crowning, escaping her body. The babe slid free from its mother's womb, and I captured it in my hands. Standing, I lifted the babe to my body, smiling until I caught the vacant stare in Cora's eyes. She reached down and ripped the placenta free as foam and saliva dripped from her open lips. Patches of red broke through her hazel gaze, and before I could prevent her from moving, she lunged at me.