Luther let out a low growl, his eyes darkening - they were cold, murderous. Callan knew with no doubt that Vaughn wouldn't survive this, but the man refused to acknowledge the truth and continued to his ground.
Vaughn rushed toward Luther, his sharp canine on display but just as he reached him, Luther dodged, sending him head straight against the wall, his head slammed on the brick wall and he slumped to the floor. Luther pounced on him once more, his teeth digging into Vaughn’s neck, where he tore at flesh, the fur around his mouth turning crimson.
With his paws, Vaughn feebly made an attempt at defending himself but with every blow, he managed to land on Luther, it seemed to only fuel the smaller wolf. His fur bristled, and the sharp edge of his teeth dripped blood, Callan knew Luther meant to kill Vaughn, and he didn't know why that was a thought that didn't bother him. Instead, he was impressed with his oldest friend, in the face of the pack’s uproar, it was a good thing to see Luther would always have his back.
The door flung open, and Amelia barged into the room, stopping when she came across the scene in the room, a horrified look on her face as she watched Luther’s vicious attack on her father’s wolf.
“Stop it!” she screeched, her pained voice tearing through Callan’s eardrums. She turned to him, her face a mask of ugly hate.
“How dare you sit and watch this barbaric act, Callan? Stop him at once! Stop this! Stop it!” she yelled and veered around, screaming at everyone in the room, but despite her screams, Luther’s attacks on her father weren't deterred.
His eyes slowly raked through Amelia, and he let out a small, contemptuous chuckle. “You play with fire, darling; you get burnt.”
Disbelief saddled her countenance, her lips parting slightly. “How… How could you?”
He got up. “That’s enough!”
And immediately, Luther ceased his onslaught, taking a step back from Vaughn.
“He’s my father, Callan! No matter what he has done to you, this shouldn't be your punishment. What has come over you?” She attempted to touch him, but he flinched, avoiding it. Pain flashed in her eyes.
“You are no longer the man I know, the boy I fell in love with. I no longer recognize you, Callan, I have no idea who you are. It’s her, isn't it? Sophia, you think yourself in love, but I promise you it isn't love, love is what we feel for each other, love is you and I coming together to bring peace to both our packs.” She tried again to touch him, and this time he allowed her, she reached out both palms cupping his face and gently stroking his cheek. “Look at us, Callan, it’s us, it has always been us. We are perfect together, we fit too well, and you know that, I admit I have done some things that I shouldn't have but so have you so can we…”
She swallowed nervously, her gaze boring into him. “Can we please put the past behind us and try to make this work? For the sake of everyone else, for the sake of peace, and for… for the sake of your mother because this is what she would have wanted.”
At the mention of her, his insides plummeted, and his breath hitched. Tears scorched the corner of his eyes. He pulled Amelia close, one of his hands resting on the small of her waist, and with a sigh, he pressed a kiss to her temple.
“My mother is dead, Amelia,” he whispered. “What she would have wanted doesn't matter.
And he pulled away before announcing loudly to the hearing of the warriors that stood outside. “Vaughn Thurlow is to be arrested and detained on treasonous charges, and if anyone dares try to stop it including his daughter, they are to be detained alongside him.”
He nodded at Amelia, the look of utter betrayal on her face bemusing him, and without another word, Callan strode out of the room.
****
Amelia tried to release her hunched shoulders, it was something she found herself doing subconsciously when she was in her father’s presence. Instead, she tore at the skin covering her nails, they were raw and bleeding, but she barely noticed that as she made her way through the dimly lit hallways of the dungeons.
Her steps echoed in the silence of the dungeon that sickened her. She hated how quiet the place was, how she could clearly hear her own maddening thoughts, the way her own wolf hauled insults at her, despising her for being so weak still. Her stomach was churning with the fear that consumed her, it crawled its way all over her, prickling her skin, tearing into her hair, and attempting to gouge her eyes… It was a surprise she hadn't gone insane yet, or maybe she had.
The closer she got to her father's holding cell, the slower her steps became, and the faster her nails picked at her cuticles with crazed desperation.
“Took you long enough, daughter,” Vaughn said, raw resentment in his tone. “Why, you didn't want to see your own father?”
She shook her head. “I’m sorry.” All of a sudden, it was as though she was a little girl again. Her father’s presence tended to have such an effect on her she could barely bring herself to think clearly or make coherent statements about where he stood.
“I wish that Luther had killed him!” her wolf spat.
“You’re entirely useless, Amelia. You do realize that, don't you?” he asked harshly.
Tears clogged her throat. “I’m trying my best, Father. I've only ever done as you've said, I did everything you asked.”
“You didn't do it well enough!” he barked. “If you had, tell me how a girl who has lived most of her life as a lowly servant could take everything that was meant to be yours?”
Amelia shook her head, she could taste the horrid taste of the bile that rose in her insides. “I wish I knew what to do, Father. I swear I would, I have… I have tried everything.”
“You’re just like your mother, aren't you? Here I was hoping you wouldn't prove to me her worthless blood doesn't flow through you, but you're her replica, a pathetic idiot!”
She drew a sharp breath, a lone tear falling from her eyes. “I’m sorry.”
“When is the mating ceremony?”
“In two days,” she whispered.
“Come here!”
And slowly, Amelia plodded toward her father until she was standing directly in front of him. The only thing separating them were the metal bars; they stood so close he could reach out and touch her, and that was just what he did—reached out a hand and grabbed her by the neck, pulling her closer.
Amelia let out strangled noises, terror momentarily paralyzing her.
“You have two options, daughter, to redeem yourself for the nuisance you've constituted. One, you attempt to seduce Callan, do all you can to get in his bed. You must have sex with him at all costs.”
Her throat burned, a certain chilliness creeping through her. “Two?” she managed to ask, albeit almost incoherently.
“Fuck Radley instead and help him overthrow Callan. That way, you become Luna.”
And he let her go, discarding her on the floor like a rag doll.