\[Denali’s POV\]
“What were you thinking?” Rosco demands the minute we are in the car. “Why didn’t you fight back?”
Why? Because I knew if I did things would have been a lot worse than they were. Plus, playing the victim would ultimately work in my favor as it showed others the true colors of my entire family.
“My purpose was served,” I shrug.
“Purpose?” He repeats, slamming on gas while I press against my seat from the force of it. “Don’t fucking tell me you did that shit so that you could make them look bad. Shit, Denali, don’t you know that every fucking person there doesn’t give two shits about you?”
“Actually,” I counter, ignoring the sting of pain that shoots through my ribs. “Alexander’s family or Alexander for that matter didn’t necessarily know about the way my family treated me.”
Back when we first started dating I lied about being bullied using it as an excuse to try to end my life. Then when we started to get closer I did everything in my power to not let him see that side of me. I guess you could say I was too embarrassed and didn’t want to be looked down on. Some fucking good that did me.
“Was he blind?”
Rosco’s words slam into me like a ton of bricks and instinctively I look at my arm which is covered in many tiny white scars.
“Maybe,” I respond, realizing just how fucking stupid I was from the start. “Or it was never me that he wanted.”
Of course anyone would be with me simply for the fact I was the true daughter of the alpha of Emerald Moon and Alexander was no different.
“He’s a fool,” Rosco says gently, reaching out and placing a hand on my thigh. “But his foolishness is my gain.”
“Yeah,” I sigh, trying to ignore the pleasant tingles I feel where he touched.
Since our sleeping together I felt strange. It was almost as though I was a moth attracted to a flame and Rosco was that flame. With each passing minute, hour, and day, I wanted him more and more. I wanted to grow closer to him. I wanted to be touched more by him. And I truly wanted to believe that he was the one for me.
Along with that, I was feeling different sensations when he touched me. It was like tiny pulses of electricity racing through my veins and to my heart. It was both exhilarating and terrifying at the same time because it wasn’t like anything I had ever felt before and honestly I found myself wondering if Rosco felt the same, but I was too scared to ask him.
“Hey,” he continues, taking my silence as sulking. “I’m sorry about what I said earlier, I was just…”
“Right,” I finish for him. “I was stupid to think that maybe revealing my father and stepmother’s true colors would make much of a difference. As alpha of Emerald Moon no one would dare step up to him.”
“That makes them fucking idiots,” Rosco huffs. “Your father is no alpha.”
Frowning, I consider his words while what he said to my father appears.
“About that. What did you mean back there?”
“Hm?”
“About my father losing everything,” I push. “Is there something that you know about my family?”
Honestly, I wouldn’t be surprised given his vendetta against my father it was clear that there were things I didn’t know. If I asked him would he tell me?
“Are you not aware of the fact the pack was once your mothers?”
“What?” I gasp, my eyes growing wide. “My mother was the true leader of Emerald Moon?”
No. There was no way. But if that was the case why did everyone bow to my father and allow him to continue to lead after her death? And why didn’t I know about any of this?
As these thoughts race around my head, Rosco gives me a look of pity that just makes things that much worse.
Did this mean that in the end the pack belonged to me since I was my mother’s only living relative? But if that were the case she would have left something stating it, right? Dammit, why were things becoming so confusing.
“It looks like your father really left you in the dark,” Rosco sighs. “Shady bastard.”
“Then don’t we just need to find a way to prove that the pack shouldn’t be led by him?” I ask quietly. “Like a will or statement left by my mother or even her parents?”
“That would be the ideal way, but if something like that existed wouldn’t you have already come across it?”
“Right.”
Growing quiet, I can’t help but wonder if there was a way my mother may have left something but my father or even stepmother kept it hidden. Of course they wouldn’t want to hand over the power that belonged to them especially given just how strong Emerald Moon was.
“Hey,” Rosco murmurs, giving my thigh a squeeze so a squeak of shock escapes me. “I didn’t tell you this to upset you, not when you’ve already been through so much.”
“No,” I say quickly, trying to push away all my feelings of betrayal. “I’m glad you did.”
Even if things were looking pretty shitty and grim right now, it didn’t mean that they would stay like this forever and Rosco’s big reveal actually gave me a possible lead on how to get everything back. There was only the matter of doing some digging to figure out if my mother did leave something stating that I would lead Emerald Moon.
“Do you have anyone who would be able to access the files in Emerald Moon’s computer systems?” I ask slowly, coming up with an idea. “What if there is something left by my mother, but my father kept it hidden?”
“Possibly,” Rosco responds. “But I can’t guarantee anything. If your father was smart he would have deleted something like that a long time ago. But that is if he was smart.”
Nodding, I begin to relax in my seat again. His response wasn’t very comforting, but it was a start. And if we couldn’t find anything that didn’t mean that things were over. There had to be someone who knew about my mother’s past like a relative or a close friend, maybe they would be able to help us.
“What’s going through that head?” Rosco asks when a long silence begins to fall around us. “You look like you’re scheming.”
“Maybe,” I admit. “Growing up, I never had any hopes in becoming anything more than a disgrace when it came to Emerald Moon, but because of you I actually have it now. If my father truly isn’t meant to lead the pack then in honor of her memory I will do everything possible to take him down.”
“You don’t have to do that. I already planned on doing that from the start. You can just sit pretty while your husband takes care of everything.”
For a moment, I don’t speak as I examine Rosco. From the start I knew that he despised my father, but we weren’t close enough for me to ask him his reasons. However, if we truly wanted to move forward with our relationship then full disclosure was a must and I wonder if I ask would he tell me what happened between him and my father in the past.
“Can I ask you something?” I ask, deciding to try my luck. “And you’re more than welcome to tell me if I am overstepping boundaries.”
“What is it?”
“Why do you hate my father so much?” The words are leaving my lips before I can second guess my asking and when Rosco’s face becomes guarded I worry that I may have pushed a little too much. “I was just…”
“It’s fine,” he assures me, giving an apologetic smile. “Do you really want to be told such a boring story?”
“Is it boring if it left you so hurt?” I counter.
“I guess not,” he sighs, pulling into the drive of our home. “Come on, princess, I’ll tell you while I help you get cleaned up.”