Chapter 7
As soon as my father asked me who "him" was, I felt my heart drop to the pit of my stomach. I tried to keep my face neutral, but I could feel my father's eyes narrowing, his intense gaze piercing right through me. He was not very good at being patient in situations like this. I felt like melting away and just disappearing far away.
"It was nothing, Dad," I said, attempting to sound casual.
"Who is 'him,' Astrid?" he asked again, his voice low and firm.
I could never lie to my father. It was impossible for anyone to lie to him, really. His presence alone made it hard to keep secrets, and now I was stuck. My heart pounded in my chest, and I knew I couldn't dodge this situation. My mother was looking at me skeptically, her brows furrowed with concern.
Guilt washed over me. This was supposed to be a happy moment-we were celebrating the news of my soon-to-be little brother. Yet here I was, about to ruin it all. Tears welled up in my eyes, and I saw my mother's expression change to one of worry.
"Astrid, what's wrong?" she asked, her voice softer but filled with tension.
I couldn't keep it in anymore. "I saw a man the night I crossed the border," I confessed, my voice trembling.
My father's face remained stoic, but I could see the flicker of recognition in his eyes. He already knew. Of course, he did. He was waiting for me to spill everything. My father deserved a lie detector award because the man could literally drill the truth out of anyone if it came to it.
"The man... he told me he was my mate," I continued, tears now streaming down my cheeks. "His name is Jeremiah."
My father was dangerously quiet as he sat back in his seat, his eyes never leaving mine. The silence was suffocating. My mother, however, was a different story. Her face turned red with anger, and when she finally spoke, it was in a voice that made me jump back in fear.
"What?" she yelled, her voice echoing in the room. "Astrid, how could you keep such a thing away from us?!"
I hated it when my mother was angry. Despite being human, she was still terrifying. "I'm sorry, Mother," I whispered, my voice barely audible.
She shook her head, her eyes blazing with fury. "Alexander, say something!" she demanded, turning to my father. I do not know how my father handled my mother's anger, but my heart was racing. She looked as if she was about to burn the whole room up with her fury.
He remained calm, his eyes never leaving mine. "Astrid hasn't gotten her wolf yet," he said, his voice cold and measured. "There's no way Jeremiah could know she's his mate. Until she gets her wolf, she is still my pup. End of story."
My mother's eyes were still red with anger, but her breathing steadied a bit at his words. I was relieved my father wasn't tearing me apart just yet.
"Go to your room, Astrid," my mother said, her voice shaking with controlled rage. "Your father and I need to talk about this."
I didn't need to be told twice. I quickly left the room, feeling the intense atmosphere cut through the air like a razor blade. I needed to be alone.
In my room, I tried to calm down. The conversation replayed in my head over and over. The cold intensity of my father's words, the fury in my mother's voice-it was all too much. I sank onto my bed, letting the tears flow freely. This was supposed to be a happy time for our family, but I had just made everything so complicated.
I didn't know what would happen next, but I knew one thing for sure-life as I knew it was about to change forever. How could Jeremiah know I was his mate,did he have some secret superpower or something. I didn't have my wolf yet, so it was impossible! I scoffed he was a liar and an opportunist. He saw an opportunity to get to my father, and he took it. It was so obvious his strategy was to lie that I was his mate. That way, he would have a way to get to my father and plan on how to destroy us all.
A few days passed without any sign of Alpha Jeremiah, and I finally began to relax. Maybe he had just been trying to scare me that night. Everything seemed to be back to normal at home. My mother's scent being different made sense now; she was pregnant. The announcement was necessary since she was starting to show. With the extra security around her and the baby on the way, my father was less intense when it came to me. I only had two guards now, which was a relief compared to the six he had threatened to assign me after I crossed the border.
The next day, while I was keeping an eye on my cousin Amara's three-year-old triplets, I heard a lot of commotion outside. I instructed one of the maidens to watch the kids while I followed the noise, my guards trailing behind me. I tried to listen to the chatter while standing a bit further away, still under my father's imposed house arrest.
My heart raced when I overheard someone say, "Alpha Jeremiah is in our territory."
Panic surged through me. Why was he here? He wasn't my mate, and I didn't like him. His whole aura screamed trouble, and it annoyed the hell out of me.
Some of the pack members were panicking, whispering anxiously. "Is he here to cause trouble?" one of them said, wide-eyed.
Another voice chimed in, more hopeful. "Maybe it's an alliance. Every pack needs strong alliances."
But not everyone was convinced. "He's bad news. We should be ready to fight if he starts something," a third person said, their tone defiant.
I ran back inside, freaking out. I couldn't believe this was happening. My thoughts were a jumbled mess of fear and anger. I didn't want anything to do with him. Why couldn't he just stay away?
I paced my room, trying to calm down. This was a nightmare. Just as I was about to lose it, there was a knock on my door. My mother walked in, her face etched with concern.
"Astrid, are you okay?" she asked softly.
"No, Mom. Why is he here? I don't want him here!" I blurted out, tears welling up in my eyes.
She sighed, walking over to sit beside me. "We don't know yet. Your father is handling it. We need to stay calm and wait for more information."
My heart was pounding in my chest. "I hate this. I just want things to go back to normal."
"I know, sweetheart. But we have to be strong. Your father won't let anything happen to you," she reassured me, squeezing my hand.
Despite her words, I couldn't shake off the dread that settled in my stomach. I hoped my father could handle Alpha Jeremiah and keep him away from me. I couldn't deal with his presence and the chaos it promised to bring.
The hours dragged on, each minute feeling like an eternity. I stayed in my room, trying to distract myself, but the tension in the air was palpable. My mind kept racing with all the possible scenarios. Why was Jeremiah here? What did he want? And most importantly, how was my father going to handle this?
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, there was another knock on my door. This time, it was one of the guards. "Your father wants to see you in his study," he said, his expression unreadable.
My heart skipped a beat as I followed the guard to my father's study. I walked in to find both my parents there, their faces serious. My father's intense gaze met mine, and I felt a shiver run down my spine.
"Astrid, we need to talk," he said, his voice calm but firm. "About Jeremiah."
I braced myself, knowing this conversation was going to be anything but easy.
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