Chapter 64

Dan's POV

"Tolan's formerly not my brother, we had a rift and his father said awful things to me over the fact that Elena choose me over Talon"

"What awful things?"

"I totally thought we're going to train," I stuttered as she giggled, she loved stories I could tell from the anticipation written all over my face.

"On a sunny day after meeting Elena, I entered the family home, I found my parents and Talon sitting in the living room, their expressions tense. I was curious about what was going on, but I decided to quietly make my way to my room without saying anything because whatever it was, I didn't want to be dragged into it. Just as I was about to disappear into the hallway, my father's voice broke the silence.

"Dan, come over here for a minute. We would like to speak to you," he requested.

I let out an audible groan. "Do I have to?" I questioned, not thrilled about the impending conversation.

My mother's anger flared, and she snapped, "Dan, come over here right now!" With no other option, I reluctantly approached the sitting room. Talon had a smug grin on his face, but as I neared, it transformed into a scowl, and he sniffed the air suspiciously.

"What's that?" he asked, his tone heavy with anger.

"What is what?" I inquired, bewildered by his question.

"Why do I smell Elena's scent on you?" Talon demanded, glaring at me.

"I ran into her on my way here, and we just had a brief chat," I explained. The concern etched on my family's faces deepened.

"Why are you talking to her? I thought you despised members of the Shadowood pack," my father questioned.

"I've had a change of heart," I replied.

"Why?" my mother pressed.

"Because she's my true mate," I confessed, causing a gasp to escape my mother's lips.

"Out of all things to lie about, why choose that?" my father asked, his angry gaze fixed on me.

"I'm not lying about her being my mate. Elena is my mate, and she's acknowledged it," I insisted. Talon appeared ready to explode.

"She's not your mate. She's mine! Not yours! Mine!" Talon yelled, his anger evident.

"You should really calm down, Talon," I warned, feeling my own anger rising as he claimed ownership of Elena, who was no one's property.

"She's not yours, Talon, so don't refer to her like that," I retorted, my tone seething with anger.

"She can't be your mate, Dan. She's already betrothed to Talon, so she's meant to be his mate," my father chimed in, further fueling my frustration.

"Father, the fact that she was betrothed to him doesn't mean she's his true mate," I argued, struggling to keep my anger in check as I stared at my parents, who once again favored Talon over me, despite the fact that Elena was rightfully my mate.

"It doesn't matter if she's your mate or not. She was promised to Talon, so mate or not, she belongs to him," my mother declared. I couldn't contain my anger any longer.

"Can you hear yourselves? Do you realize how absurd you sound?" I yelled, feeling my wolf pushing for control but managing to keep him at bay.

"How dare you shout at your parents? Talon would never have done that," my mother scolded, casting a disdainful glance my way.

"Mother, for once in your life, did you even care about what I wanted? It was always Talon this and Talon that. I'm your child too," I retorted, my frustration boiling over, causing me to raise my voice.

My father approached me, anger in his eyes, and slapped me across the face. "Shut your mouth! Don't speak to your mother like that," he commanded.

I struggled to control my anger, knowing that if I let it loose, I could seriously hurt my father. "I will speak to the two of you any way I like because you stopped being my parents the day you decided Talon was the better son and treating me like dirt was the best decision you could make," I said, my voice dripping with resentment.

I turned to Talon, who was still glaring at me. "Oh, and by the way, did he tell you that Elena's father already canceled their marriage?"

"What!" My mother exclaimed, shock etching across her face.

"I see the golden boy didn't tell you. How disappointing," I mocked, watching as Talon attempted to step toward me.

"Touch me, and I will make you regret it, regardless of our parents being here," I warned, a menacing tone in my voice. Talon flinched back in surprise.

"What is he talking about, Talon?" my mother demanded, turning her attention to my brother, who had a cornered look on his face.

Talon hesitated, struggling to find the words to explain himself. He finally spoke, his voice wavering, "I... I didn't think it was the right time to tell you, but yes, Elena's father did cancel the marriage."

My mother's face turned from shock to anger. "And you didn't think we deserved to know this?" She glared at Talon, disappointment and fury mixing in her gaze.

Talon's shoulders slumped, and he admitted, "I was trying to figure out a solution to make things right before telling you."

"What's the solution, then? You should have informed us when he canceled it, and we could have talked to him," my mother said, her distress evident as she fixed her gaze on my brother.

"Why did they call off the marriage?" My father inquired.

"Because Elena didn't want to marry me," my brother replied

"That wasn't news, so what changed?" My father probed further..

"Her father told me she chose Dan over me, so he must have had something to do with it," Talon explained, and everyone turned to face me.

"What did you do?" my mother asked, her tone filled with suspicion.

"I didn't do anything. He messed it up himself when he tried to attack her father, so trust me, this marriage isn't going to happen," I replied calmly.

"Shut up!" Talon yelled, attempting to lunge at me, but my father stepped between us to defuse the tension. "We need to sit down and discuss this as a family."

My mother nodded, though her anger still lingered. "Yes, we do, we need to solve this problem."

"A family? You've got to be kidding me. I won't sit down and pretend this is a family," I retorted as I turned to walk away.

"Dan, if you walk out that door, don't expect to return because I'll disown you," my father's anger reverberated in his words.

"Father, do you really think that's enough to scare me? I stopped being your son a long time ago, so your threats of disowning me won't work," I retorted firmly. I kept walking away, my parents calling out to me, but it was in vain.

My father's voice quivered with anger as he shouted after me, "You're making a big mistake, son! You'll live to regret this decision! And when you come crawling back to us, we won't be there to welcome you."

"I truly don't care, Father. You can do whatever you want; I'm breaking free from this toxic family and everything tied to it," I replied, feeling a weight lifting from my shoulders.

"You'll come running back, you can't survive out there alone, you need us," my mother insisted, her gaze filled with contempt as she continued, "After all, we gave you everything on your own, you don't have a penny to your name." My father nodded in agreement. Their words stung, but I knew I wasn't the same little boy who once craved their love.

"What a joke, Mother," I replied, my tone oozing with disdain, "I have no need for you, your money, or this so-called family. You can keep whatever you believe you've given me and shove it wherever you please, because I'm through with all of you."

"How dare you?" My father exclaimed.

"How dare me? Father, how dare you? You discarded your own child for what reason, huh? What's the excuse?" I demanded, causing my father's expression to twist into a scowl.

"Because you're not my son," my father declared, and the room fell into a heavy silence.

"If your father said you're not his son, have you tried finding out if Talon's your brother from the same mother different fathers?"