Chapter 182 The Woman From His Past

Chapter 182 The Woman From His Past
I carefully stepped over the Doberman dog that was sleeping on the front porch of a simple-looking house somewhere in the outskirts of the pack estate. The old runt reared its head when it noticed my presence, but did not bark and simply went back to sleep. 

Stopping in front of the door, hesitation found its way into my bones again. When I had called father to ask where he was, this was the address he gave me. Without needing to be told outright, it was obvious what he was doing here. 

The man was having another affair. He was cheating on his wife… again.

I exhaled softly and shook away the thought. Whatever the man chose to indulge in was none of my business. Finally letting go of that hesitation, I pressed the doorbell. 

After waiting a few seconds, footsteps neared the door, and it was unlocked from the inside. I saw an elderly woman in a black and white maid outfit first. She bowed in greeting, then made way for me. 

I paused for the briefest moment, before finally stepping into the house, my hands clenched inside my coat’s pockets. 

“He's in the dining room.” The old lady spoke in a surprisingly clear voice for someone her age. 

I gave a small nod in response and unfamiliarly walked around the place. My eyes shot towards the living room. No one was seated there. It was furnished very simply, and that unmistakable scent of feet was present. My nose twitched faintly. 

After being guided by the woman, I arrived at the dining room. There, I saw my father seated at the head of the table, wearing nothing but an unbuttoned white shirt and briefs. His lean, yet muscular chest stuck out casually, and he acted like he hadn't a single care in the whole world. 

I found it… disgusting. 

Still, I pushed down my discomfort and took a seat at the end of the table. My first question wasn't about the pack’s well-being or the recent murder, but instead, “Who is it?”

Father raised his gaze to look at me. 

“Hm?” He muttered, as though he wasn't perfectly aware of what I was asking.

No matter. I was going to play this game of his. 

“Who is it in the room? The person whom you're cheating on your wife with?”

The man’s unyielding expression suddenly bore a crack. He smiled—something I did not think he was capable of anymore—and responded, “Can't you tell?”

What—

As my head thought of the only person that I would absolutely dread to see if I walked into the bedroom, a voice sounded behind me.

“Hey, Caligo.”

“...”

I recognized that voice. It was too familiar. It was too painful. It was the source of a lot of problems. 

My entire body went into a panicked state, and I froze. There were only a handful of things that could shake me, Caligo d’Aragon, and unfortunately, this was one of them.

The footsteps of the person drew closer, and that familiar, yet dreaded scent hit me like a freight train. 

I swallowed, fists clenching at my sides. 

No way…

“This is a setup.” I forced the words out of my mouth. “This is a setup. You could've met up with me for our talk somewhere else. You wanted me to see her.”

“Yes, I did.” My father did not even bother to lie. He seemed too casual about the fact that he was still having an affair with the very woman who turned my life into a living hell. The woman who brought me into this world and watched me suffer when the whole pack ostracized me. 

The son of a whore. That was my tag back then. In school, at home, everywhere I turned my head. 

“Son…” That voice spoke behind me, and I felt the woman inch closer. 

“Do not touch me.” I quietly warned. “Do not even think to lay a single finger on me.”

The woman walked forward, standing in my view now. Good heavens, I did not want to even look at her. I couldn't. Not after everything. What the hell was she even doing here? Wasn't she exiled from the pack? 

I glared at my father. 

The man must've found a way to sneak her back in, even going so much as to settle her down. From the looks of things, she must've been living here for quite a while. A year, at least. 

This has been going on for a whole year, and I wasn't aware…

What was I supposed to feel? Anger? I couldn't even muster that emotion right now. I was simply… sad. 

And so, finally, I raised my head to look at her. 

The woman standing in front of me was my mother. My biological mother. The woman who committed the taboo of seducing the Alpha of the pack, whilst there was already a crowned Luna. That was forbidden. Utterly forbidden. 

But she did not care. She had not cared all those while ago. And so, all the hatred was passed on to me. Better to bully a child who couldn't help the situation he was born into, right? 

And she did not make any attempt to own up to her mistakes. To stop the affair. It continued, until the Luna found out again, and the Elders collectively had her chased out of the pack. 

And now, here she was… again. 

“Why?” I squeezed out. 

My heart was in the process of shattering into a million pieces.

The woman in front of me—I refuse to call her my mother—said, “Because we wanted you to know, son.”

“Don't call me that.” I warned, my voice laden with a silent threat. “Don't ever call me that again.”

“You're angry at me.” She said, and I almost flipped the goddamn table out of rage. 

“You think?! Oh, how'd you figure? Can you even use that brain of yours?!” I barked, rising to my feet. 

“Caligo!” My father's voice thundered, rattling the dining room. “You will speak to your mother with respect.”

This fucking bastard—

“Do not tell me what to do.” I fired back, suddenly feeling a rush of defiance. 

What the hell was I even scared of all this while? To hell with the man and his authority. I was not a child. I was the Alpha for fucks sake! I was not about to allow myself to sit obediently and listen to whatever bullshit they had to say.