Chapter 45 Chapter 45
The air around her became thick, cold and unbreathable. Suki looked at her father, wide-eyed, mirroring his shocked expression as he saw who was with his daughter. Looking up at Brendan, his eyes were the only window to show his fear, but his body screamed protective, holding her close even though she wasn’t the one in danger. She was far from it.
She examined Brendan; the small essence of his shadow magic was no longer hovering around him. Whatever he had released before must’ve been accidental. He wasn’t shielding himself from her father’s vision, and it was too late to do it now. He had been seen, and they had been caught.
Her gaze shifted between the two repeatedly, feeling the tension build more and more, to the point where it felt almost suffocating.
Suki stepped back from Brendan and tried to hold herself tall. Her breathing became jagged as she spoke, “Father, please, I can expla–”
Machiavelli flashed towards them and hurled Brendan away from Suki and off the front porch, throwing him to the grass at the bottom of the steps. “How dare you touch my daughter!” he roared.
Brendan sat up, but stayed on the ground and said nothing. There was nothing he could say to defuse the situation. Through the bond, Suki could sense his attempt to contain his bubbling annoyance and rage.
“There are rules in place that you must follow for a reason, one of those was to stay away from the children of high-ranked families, the only exception being Zale.”
“What?” Suki gasped. “There was a rule in place saying that he could never come near me?”
Her father turned to her and scanned her entirely, “It was an extra precaution to keep you safe.” He held her shoulders, “Did he hurt you?”
She shook her head. “No, I’m fine, I promise you. He would never hurt me.”
Machiavelli grimaced, “He’s a Rogue, he can’t be trusted. He’d hurt you at the first chance he gets if it benefited him.”
“You’re wrong, he’s kind, he’s not a bad person.”
Silence struck for a few short beats, but it felt like a lifetime. Her father examined his daughter’s face, with his own being dusted with concern. “You know better than this, Suki. He’s a danger within the pack.”
“He’s not,” she muttered.
He gripped her tighter, “You know your rules; you have always stuck by them. This is not like you, dear.”
A tear slipped down her cheek. “How do you know what I’m like? You’re never around.”
Taken aback, Machiavelli continued his quarrel, “I know how I raised you,” he said harshly. “It’s alright, you’re safe now, just tell me why he was here.”
She swallowed thickly and looked away.
“Very well. I’ll get answers from the criminal himself,” he huffed and sped over to Brendan. He pinned him down and threw a hard punch into his jaw.
“Father, don’t, please!” Suki screamed.
He threw another punch at him. “Well? What do you have to say for yourself, Rogue?”
Brendan wiped the corner of his mouth, looked at the blood and forced a scoff, “I expected you to hit better, Beta.”
Growling, he clasped his hand around Brendan’s throat, lifting him and slamming his head into the ground. Brendan groaned at the pain, but that didn’t stop Machiavelli from throwing blow after blow.
“Speak,” he demanded.
“Screw you.”
Machiavelli raised his fist once more, channelling his rage and power into one mighty blow. As he brought his fist towards Brendan’s temple, a force held him back.
“No,” Suki squeaked, fighting hard against her father’s incredible strength, “don’t kill him.”
“Enough!” He barked, shoving his daughter away, causing her to stumble on her rear. He stood tall, fury emitting off of him like a potent scent. “He broke one of the rules he swore to live by when he was permitted to live here. This punishment is well deserved.”
Suki shuddered, locked in place. She knew better than to argue with her father, but the power of their bond within her was fighting against it, and she was letting it win.
“The sooner he’s gone, the better for everyone,” he scowled at Suki before pulling out a dagger and holding it to his neck.
“NO!” she wept, immobilised by her anxiety and fear. All she was able to do was turn to rest on her knees, “You can’t. Please!”
Brendan murmured down the bond. ‘Get out of here, love. Don’t watch this.’
‘I… I can’t move,’ she whimpered in their connected mind. ‘I can’t leave you. I won’t.’
“You had this coming since you set foot in our pack, Rogue.” Machiavelli chastised, drawing back his hand, he slashed his daggered hand towards Brendan’s neck.
“HE’S MY MATE!” Suki bellowed.
Machiavelli’s movement froze just in the nick of time. His head turned slowly, looking bewildered at his daughter. “No. Tell me that isn’t true.”
Pushing herself to her feet, she hastened over to her father and knelt beside him, gazing at him with pleading eyes. “It is,” she gripped his arm, “please, let him go.”
Dropping the dagger, he only focused on his daughter as his mind spiralled with a thousand questions. “This can’t be…” he scanned her expression, looking for a sign of lying, but there was none. He cupped her face in his hands. “My sweet daughter, you deserve so much more than a Rogue, don’t you see that?”
“He’s not what you think. He was framed. If you’d hear us out, you’ll understand.” She continued to plead through her eyes, praying to the Moon Goddess in the back of her mind that her father was actually listening to her and would understand her. When he didn’t respond, she continued to ramble, “Once he told me his story, things started to piece together. Everything I’ve been going through has to be connected: the mysterious threat against the werewolf race, my mate bonds–”
“What?”
Suki slapped her hand over her mouth. She glanced over to Brendan, whose head dropped, knowing what was going to happen next.
Her father made her look at him. “What do you mean by bonds?”
She struggled at first, stammering over her words, not knowing how to get herself out of the mess she had made. There was only one way out now. She spoke wearily as she exhaled, “I didn’t want to believe it at first either, I was in denial for so long.”
“Explain,” he ordered, raising his brows.
“I’m not just bonded to Brendan. I’m also bonded to another… Reynard.”
Machiavelli gasped, “Dear, it all makes sense now. He must have poisoned your mind for you to believe this bond with him was real. Think about it, it makes sense why your behaviour has changed. Your true mate is Reynard; you’ve loved him since you were children.”
She blinked rapidly. “You knew about my feelings for Rey?”
“Of course I did,” he breathed, “I saw the way you looked at him, and still do. I’m not a fool when it comes to young love.”
“I do love him,” she looked down, “it feels so good to say that out loud. I haven’t told him that in too long, but that’s because I care for Brendan, too. I think I could also love him.”
Brendan’s heart palpitated. ‘Do you mean that?’ he sent down the bond.
‘I do.’ She replied, giving him a weak smile.
Her father looked between the two of them. “You can both communicate through the bond? And you can communicate with Reynard, too?”
“Yes,” replied Suki.
“Have you completed the bond with either of them?”
She shook her head, tears streaming down her face. “No, I haven’t. I–”
“Then you must reject him now.” He stood and pulled her up to do the same.
“What? Dad, no, I can’t–”
“You can and you will!” he hissed. Grabbing Brendan, he hauled him up to his feet and snarled, “Reject him.”
Looking at Brendan, Suki’s heart shattered. There were still too many questions she had for him; she wanted to get to know him better. She wanted to know if the feelings she had for him were, in fact, love. In his eyes, she could tell he was already accepting it, but she couldn’t do it; she wouldn’t. “No…”
“I SAID REJECT HIM!” his raging roar pierced and echoed in her eardrums.