Chapter Eighty-One - Willow

I followed my father to Chase’s office and shut the door behind us. The irony of us being here, the place where he crushed my dreams, wasn’t wasted on me.

He walked toward the desk and began to dig through the drawers for contact information. I waited awkwardly, hoping he would say something to ease the tension soon because my mind was racing with what-ifs.

What if he was secretly so mad he didn’t want to be around me any longer?

What if it’d broken his heart into more pieces than it already was?

What if he didn’t love me anymore?

Tears built in the corners of my eyes as he grabbed a binder and opened the contacts tab. He stalled on the first number and looked up at me. His salt-n-pepper hair was smashed against his head as if he’d worn a hat today.

But it was his dark eyes that settled into my soul.

“Willow, come here,” he said, standing beside Chase’s chair.

I walked over and waited for him to give me an indication of how he was truly feeling. “I’m—I don’t know where to begin. If you’ve learned anything from me throughout your life, it’s that I’m not good with emotions. I’m guarded and broken on the inside. I’ve been put through Hell and back and none of it is your fault.”

He reached out and grabbed my hands, rubbing his thumb over my knuckles. “There has never been a part of me that doubted my love for you. I’ve always loved you and considered you my daughter. There was a voice in the back of my mind that vaguely mentioned that you didn’t look like me. And that you were more strong-willed than I ever dreamed of being. I blamed the differences on your mother’s side of the family and went on with my life.”

A tear traveled down my cheek and he hurriedly wiped it away. “It doesn’t matter who your biological parents are, because you’re mine. Even when I failed at being a father, I loved you, I was just too weak to show it. I’ll love you until the day I die, and I am so proud of the person you are. You’re strong. You stand up for what you believe in and you always do what’s right. I love you, Willow. Please, don’t ever forget that.”

My bottom lip trembled and I launched myself at him. He wrapped his arms around my waist and held me close to him. I inhaled his familiar scent, which brought me back to my childhood, and rested my cheek against his shoulder.

For a brief moment, I wasn’t worried about the Alpha King or the courts. Everything felt in line for a few brief moments.

Dad pulled away and cupped my cheek. “I have a few friends on the courts to our west. I will call them and see if we can get a bug in their ear before Patch.”

I wiped my face. “Sure thing. Do you want me to do anything?”

He pointed toward the small mini fridge in the corner. “Grab you a water and sit down. You’ve had a long day, and while you sit, you can tell me about the beast that chased you.”

Being me, it felt unfair for me to sit down and wait for someone else to take care of things. I sat down and guzzled half of the bottle before wiping my mouth.

“It stood on two legs like a person but had wolfish features. His eyes were soulless. I’ve never seen anything like it. I was so scared before Chase showed up.”

Dad dialed the number on Chase’s office phone and stared at me as it rang. “Yes, I’m looking for Mrs. Young. This is Alpha Gerald. It’s an emergency; can you please tell her it’s an emergency?”

I tried to listen but I couldn’t hear anything on the other end.

Dad sat up straight. “Mrs. Young? Yes, this is Alpha Gerald. I’m in a bit of a strange situation. My daughter was summoned and delivered to the courts today by Patch, The Alpha King over our region. When she got there, he attempted to drug her, and when she ran, he let a beast chase her through the woods.” Dad rolled his eyes. “Yes, I’m aware of how crazy it sounds, but would I be so stupid to call your courts and lie? We’re desperate. We’re assuming that he’s going to come after her. We’re afraid for her.” Dad listened carefully for a few moments. “Yes, we won’t leave. Of course, thank you for your time. How long will it take you to make it here? Okay. We’ll see you then.”

He ended the call and looked over at me. “They’re going to send wolves from their region over to check on things. It’s a start. It’s a step in the right direction. I’ll call the other regions but I’m not sure how good it will do.”

I leaned back and rested my head against the couch pillow. My eyes fluttered close and before I realized it, I’d fallen to sleep.

When I woke up, Lilly sat across from me on the table and Chase was speaking with my dad at his desk. I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and swung my feet to the ground. “What time is it? What did I miss?”

Lilly handed me a cup of tea from beside her. “Nothing. It’s only been an hour. Chase told me to let you sleep. They have two regions that listened and are all on their way. Patch got to the other ones before we did.”

I took the hot tea and sighed deeply. It soothed the ache in my throat from running and screaming from the monster.

Lilly touched my knee. “I’m glad you made it out,” she whispered. “I can’t imagine how scared you were.”

I took another sip of tea when Chase caught my stare. “We can expect the courts to be here by the morning,” he said. “I have the entire pack lands and the pack house guarded. I think you need to sleep.”

I rubbed the sleep from my eyes and took another sip of tea. “I’m fine—,”

“I’ll be there with you soon. Maybe Lilly can walk you down?”

I didn’t want to hear that but I could tell by the look on his face that he wanted me to rest. “I’ll go get a shower,” I said.

Lilly and I walked out of the office and down the hallway. She stepped awkwardly into our room and smiled. “Things look different from this angle. Last time I was in a dream.”

I chuckled and took off my T-shirt.

“I never knew Dad was keeping us from the Alpha King,” Lilly said. “I thought it was a hate for authority. It almost makes me feel sorry for the man. Then again, I think about how feral and out-of-control his wolf was, and the feeling goes away.”

I tossed my T-shirt into the bin. “I’m sorry he’s dead. I know you weren’t close but he was your dad.”

She nodded. “You’re right, he was. He just wasn’t a good one.” She turned toward the balcony. ‘I’ll be out here when you finish your shower. I think Chase is right about you getting some rest.”

“Now I have two people bossing me around,” I said. “I’m older than you, ya know.”

Lilly smiled. “Yeah, but the little sister is always more bossy.”

I slipped into the bathroom and out of my clothes. The warm water hit my skin and fell down my skin like velvet.

I ran my fingers into my hair and massaged my scalp.

I’d never envied Lilly for growing up with Ian, but for a few seconds, I regretted not being able to grow up with Lilly.

I closed my eyes and instead of the beast staring back at me, I saw Patch. In the moment they seemed the same kind of evil. The soulless kind that didn’t care about death or others.

It was a sign that I had to end this. He had to pay for what he did to me, and what he wanted to do to my family.