Chapter 61: Chapter 61

Kade

“No.” I said more firmly than I had ever said that word to my father before. He threw me a look of pure shock, his hands steepled together on his desk and gave me the once over like he had never seen me standing before him before. It was the kind of look that promised violence.

I met his eyes squarely, not looking away and not blinking. I had known when his car had turned up at school and his driver had announced that my father wanted a private audience with me that it was going to be bad. I just hadn’t realised it would be this bad.

“I beg your pardon?” His soft ever so quiet voice was full of threats even though he wasn’t yelling. But that was my father all over. If he was screaming and shouting then for the most part I was safe from his beatings.

It was when he was like this. Quiet, soft spoken and ever so polite that he was ultra dangerous.

A ripple of unease trickled down my spine but I didn’t break eye contact. Instead I straightened my shoulders. “I won’t do it.”

Steepling his hands together under his chin, he leant forward. A flash of his wolf in his eyes. “I see.”

I was about to ask what exactly he saw but he carried on before I could open my mouth.

“I see you have gained a backbone. I was wondering when it would happen.” A small cruel smile crimped up the corner of his mouth. I didn’t like the look of that smile one bit but I wasn’t going to back down either.

Not this time.

“I have to say I am surprised it’s taken me threatening to -“ up and down his lips quirked. And I could tell by the look in his eyes that he was beginning to suspect. “I didn’t know you and Elari had grown so close?”

I swallowed hard. “She’s my sister.”

“Only she  isn’t, is she?”

The lump that formed in my throat this time was too big and hard to swallow around. “When you married the mom , you told me to treat her daughter like blood. You made a big speech about us now being a family. I am only doing what you asked me to do.”

He had made that speech , he spoke about blood and pack and loyalty at length until I had rolled my eyes and he had back handed me across the face for being insubordinate.

Now he had what he had originally wanted. I would for the rest of my life be loyal to Elari. Just not because she was my step sister. I would protect her with my life because she was my mate. And mate always trumped family.

Plus him talking about loyalty and family was absurd. The old man had never cared about anyone but himself and his power.

“And that’s the only reason?” Two dark flecked with grey eyebrows lifted in exaggerated arches. “You simply care about her because she is family?”

The tone of his voice told all I needed to know. I nodded my head once sharply.  “What else could it be?”

Silence fell. And an uneasy thick sort of air filled his already stuffy office. Neither one of us looked away.

“I don’t know, son. There is chatter,” he left the rest of it unsaid. “Gossip that maybe your feelings for her aren’t quite-“ he rolled his lips under his teeth. “Well how can I put it?”

“Don’t.” I ground out beneath my clenched teeth.

“Well to be blunt and because you’re a man now aren’t you Kade. Gossip from the school is that you look at her like she’s the one you want in your bed.”

“That’s disgusting.” I snapped with righteous contempt even though it was the truth.

“So the gossip is wrong. You don’t want to fuck-“

I moved without thinking. Slamming my hands down on the wood of his desk. “That is disgusting.” I yelled, taking him completely by surprise. “Lari is my-“ my voice shook. I couldn’t say sister. I couldn’t even think about her in that way. “I’m surprised at you father.” I pivoted. “I didn’t think you listened to the gossip of teenagers.”

The hiss of his inhale told me I had hit a nerve. “I have never once.” I continued. “Gone against your wishes. I have always worked on your behalf. But this is a step too far. She hasn’t done anything to deserve this. In fact she’s come on so much in school. If you bothered to look you would see she has friends and is acing most of her classes. She might actually do you proud.”

His dark eyes narrowed at my words but then in stead of blowing up he sighed and nodded. “Oh I have been keeping tabs on her.” He said in a soft voice that just made me more uneasy. He was up to something I just didn’t know what.

“I know how well liked she is.”

My heart flip flopped. “What do you mean by that?”

The tips of his fingers tapped together and my fathers smile grew. “Did you think that a young she wolf as beautiful as my new step daughter. A young woman with connections to the most powerful wolf in the world would not have suitors.”

The lump in my throat became a boulder.  I could do nothing but stare at him with my mouth open.

“There’s a few that had potential but I think one.” He lifted his finger like I couldn’t fucking count to one. “Is the best bet. She already has a relationship with him and I think,” he looked at me triumphantly and my heart stopped beating. “I think you know him.”

Rivan. He was talking about fucking Rivan.

“She’s too young to be betrothed.”

“Of course she is but these things need to be planned. Now of course if she called her trails and got kicked out of school. That particular family would withdraw their son's name. No one wants to be tied to a drop out do they?”

“Goddess you are sick.”

His grin grew. He actually thought I was giving him a compliment, that's how warped he was.

“I like to think of myself as pragmatic, son. But those are your choices. Either I announce your sisters engagement to Rivan or you make sure-“

Screwing my eyes up I shook my head. “I won’t do it.”

My father ignored me completely. “Or you make sure your sister fails her trials and gets kicked out of FrostVeil academy.”