Chapter 24. Daddy Dearest

**24. Daddy Dearest**
***Rafael's POV***
"Sir, where to?" Bryan inquired.
"It's time that we have a talk with Daddy dearest" I answered.
"Are we going to see Elliot Delmar?" he asked.
"Bryan, stop asking silly questions and spoiling my mood." I said this while giving him a bored look.
"Oh, okay," he said with a Cheshire cat grin.
"Did you send Eva to Astrid's help?" I questioned him, almost forgetting that I had urged my sister to go and comfort Astrid. I still need to explain everything to Eva later; otherwise, she won't let me breathe.
I already have a feeling she will have all the information from Astrid till I return since she is really good at starting conversations, and I think she and Astrid will get along pretty well and might wind up becoming friends.
. Yes, I spoke about Astrid to Eva; she, being the most beautiful sister she is, may have already begun her mission.
"I can't believe Eva is your sister; she's so beautiful." Bryan commented. I jabbed him in the side with my elbow.
Firstly, he speaks more than what is asked, and he is blatantly flirting with my sister.
No matter how good Bryan is, I don't want him for my sister, and she, too, can't tolerate the sight of Bryan as he openly flirts with her.
"You just answer specifically for what I ask, or keep your mouth shut, okay?" I stared at him.
I know my sister is excited to meet her because when I told her I was going to get my mate, she begged me to take her along with me to get her, but for the first time in my life, I refused her.
However, after alerting her that Astrid was in my room, I told her to go there later once she had gotten some rest, but Eva was headstrong and quickly thrilled. I'm sure she's already on her way to see her and spill everything she's got to say about me, and I'm hoping it's not too embarrassing.
The very thought of Astrid learning about me excites me. I hope it can influence her mind about me even if it is only by 1%. We passed through the dungeons, and as we took a path next to it, we found my father's room.
When we walked there, his guard bowed to me and went inside to get his permission to let us in, as he always does. Maybe my father is busy with another girl he would have found interesting by now because that's what he's doing most of the time when I come to visit him.
"You can go inside, my prince; his highness is waiting for you," he added.
Even though I was irritated by him always referring to me as the prince, I snarled and went inside.
That's the thing with his men; they refuse to recognize me as a 'King,' instead of referring to me as a 'Prince or Crown Prince.'
This is the time to seize what is properly mine and what is waiting for me.
"Hello, Mr. Delmar," I smirked and said in my normal tone.
I don't even like calling him a father because he was never one when we needed him.
"Hello Son, what brought you and your puppy dog here?" He asked, looking at Bryan and me.
"Don't react Bryan; be calm; I don't want to mess this up," I urged through the mind link. I knew he was upset with my father, yet he stayed put and smiled straight in his face.
"It's a pleasure to even be a dog for my king," he said with a smile.
That is why I refuse to let Bryan go; he is devoted to me alone. Though he might be irritating to the limit at times, he has always been a part of my highs and lows.
I was happy with what he had just said, taking my side.e "Well, I felt it was about time that I took what was rightfully always mind, and please don't stress your old brain too much because I want my throne and I think it's about time that you got some rest and I get to carry the 'Legacy,'" I grinned at him.
He burst into laughter, his repulsive voice echoing off the walls. "Son, you forget you need to mate before taking the throne. I won't hand it over until you prove you're capable."
If I could only kill one person right now, it would be my father, but I can't because I need my mother's blood for that, and I'm not the type of person who will go to my deceased mother's grave and take her blood. No way; I'm not going to do it.
"Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you, Mr. Delmar, but I don't have any good news for you," I exclaimed excitedly.
"Huh?" he asked, frowning.
"Congratulations! You can now rest in peace. I have found my mate," I announce, winking at him.
"What?" he asked, shocked. "What? Where is she? You could have brought her if it's true; you are lying," he said confidently.
"Well, my mate was a little tired, and she is resting up for now, and as far as everything else is concerned, I was going to introduce their queen to everyone tomorrow, and I wanted to do that rightfully and ceremoniously, but before that, I wanted to share the news with you that you can enjoy your days as a king for the time being." I ended up making excuses.
I was so absorbed in looking around that I didn't notice Mr. Delmar was silent. Then it occurred to me that he might be mind-linking his minions to obtain information on Astrid. Yes, he can read minds and communicate with others, but he cannot do so with me unless I agree to it.
Oh boy, was I correct? He was definitely gathering information about Astrid. I need to make an excuse and get out of here before he finds out anything about her.
"Okay, I'll be back tomorrow, but until then, enjoy your stay on this throne." I made up an explanation and began leaving from there.
At the very least, if I am with her, I can save her from everyone, but if he finds out that Astrid is a werewolf, he will try all in his power to kill her.
My father believes that werewolves killed my mother, but I know they weren't the ones, and I even showed him proof that they weren't anywhere involved in her murder, if at all. Mom was a born vampire, and she could have easily destroyed them, no matter how many there were.
I know how werewolves kill, and nothing related to Mom's death led to anything near what the true facts revealed. I know there was magic involved, which is why I believe warlocks or witches were to blame. If he had such a problem with werewolves, he should not have worked with them, yet he did.
"Stop, son, I have something to talk to you about." He made me stop in my tracks.
Soon, his second in command entered, followed by some other guys, one of whom I recognized as his spy.
"Daniel, could you please tell me everything you found about my son?" he requested.
Shit! With everything going on around me and my rage taking over, all I could think about was getting Astrid, and it completely passed my mind that he could have someone behind my back spying on me like he always did, but this time I was a fool to not think about it.
I knew he had someone watching over me and reporting back to him, but after a few months, he stopped, and I let my guard down and didn't give it much attention. I always pretended I didn't know since I easily misled his spy every time, but this time I'm sure he's here with every piece of evidence he can get his hands on.
"You set up a spy on me," I growled as I took a risky step toward my father. My rage blinded me, and I could only see red.
"Oh yes, since you don't like spending time with your family and sharing anything with me, this was the least I could do as a father to look after his son." He grinned at me, but I loathed it.
Soon after, his man began telling him everything, including the auction, and I sat helplessly listening to everything while seeing my father's actions.
"Yes, she belongs to werewolves, but she doesn't have a wolf, which is why her pack was willing to sell her," he added.
I was eager to hear Father's remarks because if he does anything ridiculous, I am fully prepared to save my mate no matter what. When my father heard this, he burst out laughing. "You honestly think you can fool me by buying a female at auction and pretending she's your mate, and a werewolf at that," he said as he gazed at me.
"Even if I bought her, she's my mate," I snarled at him.
"And you think I'll believe you? What if you're doing this to usurp my throne?" He asked.
"She is my rightful mate, and I will show you my mark in the coming days." Unlike werewolves, we can only mark our mates after we have had physical contact with them.
"Why not now? You know what? Even if she is, I deny taking someone from werewolves to govern vampires. There is no way I am letting it happen, and she doesn't even have a wolf," he cautioned me loudly.
"Her lack of a wolf makes it easier for me to kill her," he thought in his mind, and I was quick to read his thoughts.
I lunged at him and grabbed him by his throat. "Dare to think about harming her, and I will rip you into pieces," I warned him as my other hand pierced his body, grabbing his windpipe from within.
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**Don't worry; I have no intention of glorifying what I just described.**
**Not yet, but if I intend to do so in the future, I will notify you all and provide a warning so that you can skip the section if you are uncomfortable.**
**If you think Astrid's brothers were assholes, wait till you know more about Rafael's father.**
**Stay tuned I love you all<3**
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