What was going on with me? Was I really this unhinged and I just didn’t know until something caused me to snap?
“You speak to me thusly?” my father warned, arching a brow.
“We’re here to discuss you, not me,” I said, trying to control the attitude in my tone. I didn’t want to disrespect him. It wasn’t in my nature to do so, especially when it had been the two of us for so long. But it was difficult to control myself. I was unraveling and I couldn’t stitch myself up fast enough to salvage the girl I once was, the girl I thought I was. “You’re marrying Chamberly. You claim you’re doing your duty, but I don’t see how —“
“The Marriage Law!” My father’s voice boomed through the room, and I jerked back. Matthyw took a step forward, positioning himself in front of me, hand at his waist. “Don’t you see, or are you too ignorantly naive to believe this has nothing to do with us? That blasted law will impact us in the worst way by diluting our pack with human blood and keeping it from remaining pure.”
“Father, there are a handful of humans mated to our pack —“
“Because that was their destiny,” my father said. “Because that was what the Fates chose for them. In that way, the humans were chosen, making it impossible for their blood to be impure. Arranging a marriage, forcing someone to take part in that marriage, is different.”
“Isn’t that what you did to me?” Matthyw drawled, slowly allowing his hand to fall back to his side.
“Excuse me?” my father asked.
“You said it yourself – I did my duty,” he said. “I married that good for nothing ginger cunt because you insisted, because you held my inheritance hostage –”
“Your inheritance?” my father asked with a snarl. “You think you have any claim to our pack? My daughter will inherit it. I’ve already made this decision; you know it –”
“Not at the time,” Matthyw said. “As far as I knew, I was your heir until you decided to give it to Adrya. Once that was clear, you married me off to a minor pack who has nothing going for them, save for the fact that they have expansive land.”
I blinked, trying to keep my features from giving anything away. I didn’t realize my father naming me heir took anything away from Matthyw. But it had. It was the catalyst to sending him away. I didn’t even realize that he had been heir at all, though, now that I thought of it, it made sense. There had been no female Alpha in our pack’s history, even though other packs had no qualms about naming a female heir.
How could Matthyw not hate me when he saw me?
Or maybe he did.
“And yet, rumors swirl that your marriage hasn’t even been consummated,” my father stated.
I rubbed my lips together. I shouldn’t be here. I shouldn’t be hearing this. It wasn’t any of my business.
“Would you like me to fuck her in front of you?” Matthyw asked, cocking his head to the side. “That is, if I could even get my cock up right at the thought of entering her dry, withered cunt.”
My father’s lip curled up in disgust. “You would speak in front of my daughter in such a vile manner?” he asked.
“No more vile than the prospect of you wedding and bedding that cunt professor,” Matthyw countered. Though I couldn’t see him, I could already picture him arching a challenging brow, reeking of arrogance.
My father tightened his grip on his glass tumbler. “Why are you here?” he demanded to know.
“I must speak with you,” Matthyw said. “It’s urgent. And private.” He tilted his head so I discerned his profile, but his eyes weren’t on me at all.
My father looked like he was ready to send both of us out. Instead, he brought the glass to his mouth and took a sharp sip. After swallowing the liquid, he rubbed his lips together.
“Adrya, go,” he said, jutting his chin in the direction of the door. “You’d do well to consider my words about duty. I’m doing mine, whether you agree with it or not. And it won’t be long before you’re asked to do the same.”
Freya
I was the last person on the field. My thighs burned, but I kept running. I wouldn’t let him see that I was rattled, that I wasn’t terribly fond of running. In all the training sessions my mother made me partake in, cardio was the last thing on her mind. She figured there was no real reason in running from a threat because there was a good chance they would catch up. It was defense she instilled in me, attack and defense.
Running…
I was terrible at running.
But I couldn’t give Captain Byron the satisfaction of seeing me winded. I was sure my red face and frizzy hair already gave me away. I was sure the sweat dripping down my brow and running down my neck was enough to inform him that I was exhausted.
I kept going, even as the rest of the students left, even after the other pack left. I wasn’t sure if Captain Byron was around but I didn’t want to assume. I knew the sun was close to going down, which meant he had to leave for his frolick in the forest soon, but I wouldn’t stop until it was dark just to show him he couldn’t break me.
Is that what he’s doing you? Breaking you?
I ignored the condescending voice and kept running. Every now and then, I was forced to look down and see what I was stepping on just in case it was a root or a stone, something that might cause me to trip and humiliate myself.
I ran, even when the sun started to dip, when the sky turned a gold color and the blue was almost drowned out.
“Foster.”
I ignored the voice. It was probably my mind playing tricks on me. My nails dug into my palms and I forced myself to speed up. I wasn’t sure if it actually worked, but it felt like I was putting more effort into doing what I was trying to do. Which was to keep up and run. Not make an utter and complete fool of myself.
“Foster!”
I glanced to the side and frowned. Apparently, Byron was still there, watching me with narrowed blue eyes. His lips were impassive, arms crossed over his chest. He had the stance of someone who clearly thought I was wasting his time, and yet, he hadn’t told me to stop. Instead, he continued to watch me, probably counting all the ways I was running wrong.
Without warning, my foot snagged something and I shot forward. I managed to catch myself at the last moment, but my cheek still hit the hard dirt, causing a thousand prickles of needles to engulf my skin. I grunted, managing to swallow any whimper. I knew his shifter hearing would be able to pick up the sound easily, and I didn’t want to give him anything to throw in my face if I could help it.
“Congratulations,” he said as he walked towards me. “Your obstinance has taught you how to eat shit.”
I pushed myself up. Not that he offered me his hand, but even if he had, I wouldn’t have taken it.
I wiped my palms on my thighs. Byron stepped forward, eyes still narrowed. Instead of looking at me as a whole, however, they focused on my cheek.
“I think it’s time you went back to the Ack building,” he said.
“Aren’t you supposed to be on some full moon ritual?” I demanded. I could barely formulate the words, given my breath came out in gasps, but I couldn’t bring myself to be embarrassed.