76

76


Jane

My father’s angry voice came through the phone.

“Jane, you will come home this instant!” he barked. “My health is getting worse every day, and you need to come back and take your rightful position as the next Beta of this pack!”

My mind went blank with confusion. “What are you talking about? What Beta position? What pack?”

Had my father lost his mind? Since when did he want anything to do with me or my future?

“How dare you question me!” he roared. “Do you forget who you’re speaking to? I am your father, and I am the Beta of this pack. You will come home immediately and prepare to take over my duties as my heir.”

The cruel irony of his words made me laugh bitterly. “The last time I checked, I didn’t have a father,” I said coldly. “Especially not one who gave a damn about my existence. Please put my mother back on the phone.”

“You will regret defying me,” he snarled. “If you don’t come home willingly, I’ll make sure you hate the consequences.”

The line went dead. He had hung up on me rather than let me talk to my mother again.

I stared at the phone in my hand, my whole body shaking with rage and old pain. The man who had spent my entire life telling me I was worthless, weak, and a disgrace to his bloodline was now demanding I return to serve his pack.

“Baby, maybe you should listen to him,” Vishal muttered gently, taking my hand. “After all, he is your father. And if he’s really sick...”

I jerked my hand away as if he had burned me. “Listen to him? You want me to go back to that hellhole?”

“Jane, I know he’s hurt you, but—”

“No!” I cut him off, my voice raising with each word. “You don’t understand what you’re asking of me, Vishal. That pack destroyed me. They treated me like I was nothing, like I didn’t even deserve to breathe the same air as them.”

Tears of fury started streaming down my cheeks as all the painful memories came flooding back.

“They bullied me every single day,” I continued. “They called me names, made me feel like a freak because my wolf was late to emerge. And my father? My own father was the worst of all.”

I could see Vishal wanted to interrupt, but I wasn’t finished.

“When the Alpha King rejected me in front of everyone, do you know what my loving father said?” I asked bitterly. “He told the King that he completely understood why no one would want me as a mate. He said I was weak, pathetic, and an embarrassment to his bloodline. He laughed, Vishal. My own father laughed while I was being publicly humiliated.”

Vishal’s face went pale with shock. “Jane, I didn’t know—”

“Of course you didn’t know!” I shouted. “Because you weren’t there! You didn’t watch your own family turn their backs on you when you needed them most. You didn’t have to live with people who made you feel like you were better off dead!”

“I understand you’re hurt, darling, but what choice do we have?” Vishal asked desperately. “He’s sick. His pack needs leadership. You’re his only heir.”

His words felt like a betrayal. How could the man who claimed to love me ask me to go back to the people who had destroyed my self-worth?

“I don’t want to be separated from you,” I whispered, my anger turning to heartbreak. “Being a Beta isn’t just some simple job, Vi. It means living there, dedicating my life to people who hate me. It means leaving behind the only happiness I’ve ever known.”

“We won’t be separated,” Vishal promised, pulling me into his arms. “I’ll come with you. I’ll help you learn how to be a good Beta. We’ll face it together.”

“I don’t want to go!” I sobbed against his chest. “Please don’t make me go back there!”

“You have to go, Jane,” he said softly. “Your people need you.”

That broke something inside me. “My people?” I screamed, pushing away from him. “What people are you talking about, Vishal? The same people who called me a disgrace? The same people who stood by and watched while I was humiliated and broken?”

I was breathing hard, feeling like the walls were closing in around me.

“You want me to forget every cruel word, and every moment they made me wish I had never been born?” I added. “Well, I won’t do it. I refuse to go back and pretend to care about people who never cared about me!”

The look of shock on Vishal’s face made me realize I had been yelling. But I was too hurt and angry to care.

Something was wrong with this whole situation. My father had spent my entire life treating me like garbage, and now suddenly he wanted me to take over his position? Why now? How did he even know I had finally gotten my wolf?

A terrible thought occurred to me. What if this wasn’t really about his health at all? What if someone had told him about my wolf, about my new strength? What if this was some kind of trap?

“I need some air,” I muttered, walking toward the window.

“Jane—” Vishal started to say.

“Just... give me a minute,” I said without turning around.

Several Hours Later

I had spent the rest of the day avoiding Vishal. But as the sun started to set, I realized I was being unfair to him. None of this was his fault.

“Are you still angry with me?” Vishal asked softly when I finally came back to the living room. “Please forgive me, Jane. I’m sorry.”

I looked at my mate—this sweet, caring man who only wanted what was best for everyone. How could I stay mad at someone with such a good heart?

“I’m worried about your father’s health,” he continued. “I know he’s hurt you terribly, but I can’t stand the thought of you living with regret if something happens to him and you never got the chance to make peace.”

His concern for my well-being, even when I had been horrible to him, made my heart ache with love.

“I would never force you to do anything you don’t want to do,” Vishal added. “I just want you to be happy and at peace with yourself. Please forgive me for pushing too hard.”

How could I resist such genuine love and concern? I walked over and took his hands in mine.

“I’m the one who should be apologizing,” I said softly. “You didn’t deserve to be yelled at like that. You were just trying to help, and I took my anger about the situation out on you.”

“I forgive you for everything,” he said, pulling me close. “Can you forgive me too?”

“Of course, my love,” I whispered.

Vishal gently placed my head against his chest and stroked my hair, just like he always did when I was upset. The steady rhythm of his heartbeat began to calm my frayed nerves.

“I still think you should consider forgiving your father,” he stated quietly. “Not for his sake, but for yours. Carrying all that anger and hurt is only poisoning your own happiness.”

Here we went again. Vishal’s kind heart couldn’t understand that some people didn’t deserve forgiveness.

He didn’t know my father the way I did. He had never experienced that level of cruelty from someone who was supposed to love and protect him.

“Vishal, you don’t understand,” I uttered. “That man is selfish and evil. He only remembers he has a daughter when he needs something from me. For so many years, he treated me like I was worthless. Now suddenly I’m useful to him?”

“I know what he did was wrong,” Vishal replied. “But holding onto hatred will only hurt you in the long run. Maybe this is a chance for both of you to heal old wounds.”

I sighed deeply. He would never understand why I couldn’t just forgive and forget. And I was tired of arguing about it. Maybe it would be easier to just pretend to agree with him.

“Okay,” I said reluctantly. “I’ll try to forgive him.”

Vishal’s whole face lit up with hope. “Really? You mean it?”

“Yes,” I lied smoothly. “And if it means that much to you, we can go back to the pack together.”

I hated lying to him, but I couldn’t bear to see him disappointed in me. Besides, maybe once we got there and he saw how terrible my family and pack really were, he would understand why I had been so resistant.

“Before we leave for the pack, there’s something I want to do,” Vishal said with a mischievous smile.

Before I could ask what he meant, he cupped my face in his hands and kissed me deeply. For a moment, all my fears and worries faded away.

This was what mattered—this love, this connection, and this perfect understanding between us.

But even as I melted into his kiss, a voice in the back of my mind was screaming warnings. Going back to my father’s pack felt like walking into a trap.

And if the Alpha King really was looking for me, it would be the first place he would search.

I just had to hope that my love for Vishal and his love for me would be strong enough to protect us from whatever was waiting for us back home.

Because something told me we were going to need all the strength we could get.