Chapter 105

Phoenix

"What is it, Phoenix?" my father demands the moment the door clicks shut. We're in what used to be his soundproofed office that now belongs to me. I understand now why he needed it that way. He had to keep his secrets buried, locked away in a room no one could overhear.

I don't answer him right away. Instead, I grab a piece of paper from the desk and write down: Are you wearing a wire? Or do have they inserted a permanent listening device in your head?

That wouldn't surprise me. They seem to go through great fucking lengths to keep track of their pawns. I can't help but wonder if when he opens his mouth, they'll like snipe him through the fucking window or something. I glance out the window, then yank the curtains closed.

Better to be safe than sorry.

I pass him the note, watching as his eyes flicker with confusion before hardening. He reads it over, the meaning finally sinking in. He knows now that his lies, his darkest truths, have been exposed. And by the one person he should've trusted with this information, but didn't.

His face turns to stone. "What are you talking about, Phoenix?" His tone is deceptively calm, but there's an edge to it, like he knows exactly what the fuck I'm talking about. I can tell he's trying hard to maintain control, but his mask is cracking.

He can't lie to me anymore.

"I know everything," I say quietly, looking him right in the eyes.

A flash of anger passes through his eyes, and I feel the tension rolling off of him in waves. "And what, exactly, do you think you know?"

Of fucking course. He's trying to gauge me, see how much I know before he decides how to react.

"The Council. They've been blackmailing you for years. And I know about mom...and the crimes they're trying to pass off as yours." My fists ball up at my sides. I've imagined this conversation happening at least a thousand times since last night, but now that I'm standing here finally confronting him, it doesn't feel real.

His face tightens, and for a split second, I see worry cloud his expression. "Who told you this?"

"It doesn't matter," I shoot back, shaking my head. "I just want to know why you never told me. I knew Mom didn't just drop dead out of nowhere, but you kept gaslighting me, making it seem like I was going insane. That's why I started rebelling against you...I fucking hated you. I thought you murdered her."

Dad's jaw clenches. "I would've never done something like that to her," he snaps, his voice harsh, but there's something raw beneath it. "I loved your mother, even if she didn't love me back. Even if she chose a human over me." He pauses, a shadow crossing his features. "Even if she laundered money for him behind my back."

Oh shit. How could I forget that? Luke found evidence of the laundering even before mom died. That's why I thought he killed her. But it was her all along?

I blink, having a hard time processing this information. "But there were accounts were in my name and hers..." My voice trails off, the words tumbling out as if I'm trying to make sense of something impossible.

My stomach drops, and it feels like I'm about to barf everything I just ate.

No. No. No.

This can't be true.

My mom might not have loved me like a normal mother, but she wasn't the monster I thought he was.

"Of course they fucking were. She wanted it to look like I was doing it," he growls, his fists clenching as his rage leaks through. "It was all a part of her plan. She wanted to disappear with that human bastard and make me take the fall for it."

I shake my head, swallowing the lump forming in my throat. "I don't believe you. Tell me you're lying," I grit out.

Dad's gaze meets mine with an intensity that leaves no room for doubt. "Well, it's the truth, son. And since you've figured out this much, I might as well tell you everything."

His voice drops lower, carrying the weight of years of secrets and lies. "Your mother was having an affair for over a year. She was taking the pills I was testing at LcyCorp, ones that could suppress your wolf for twenty-four hours without harm, or at least, that's what it was supposed to do. Our wolves feel it when we cheat, but with those pills...she could slip away, meet her human fucktoy, and fuck him while I was away." He pauses, his expression twisting with bitterness. "One day, I had one of my men follow her. He reported everything back, even had photos of them together. I found that fucker and snapped his neck. When she found his body...she took her own life that night."

My body stiffens as the words crash over me. What the fuck? She killed herself?

Dad's jaw tightens. "I didn't know how she did it at first. It wasn't until after the autopsy that I found out. She took too many of the pills. Made herself a guinea pig. I had no fucking idea you could die from them."

I hold my breath, waiting for him to continue. There's a sadness in his eyes I've never seen before, and It's scaring me. There's a chance he could still be lying, but I really don't think so. It feels like I'm just standing here watching him pour out his soul to me, and it's making me really fucking uncomfortable.

"A few members of the Council found out. They threatened to expose me, destroy my company, ruin everything. I couldn't let it happen. So, I gave in to them...allowing them to trace their crimes back to me. Not that I really thought they could ever be traceable, but obviously if someone like you could find out, they're getting fucking sloppy."

Yeah, we'll circle back to that insult later.

"There are five members. Who's blackmailing you, Dad?"

"Two of the members. Linda and Heath."