FREDA

Damien decided to give us space as he strolled off and rested at the door of a nearby cell while he watched me. I stared at my father’s face, confused as to how to start a conversation with him.
After a few minutes of awkward silence, I cleared my throat and decided to just ask about his wellbeing.
“Uhh, Dad. Are you alright?” I asked.
“I’ve been better, but I’m alive.” He offered me a gruff smile before his eyes landed on Damien. “How has…how has Damien been treating you?”
“Far better than you have been treating me these previous years, so I guess that’s a good sign.” A surge of anger welled up inside me and I spat out.
My old man’s smile faltered and an awkward silence descended between us. I shifted my gaze to the squalid cell walls as I was too pissed to even meet my father’s eyes. The seconds ticked by and none of us were willing to say a thing. I sighed as I realized that I might have gone overboard. I needed answers and I would admit, being angry wasn’t necessarily the best way to get the answers I needed.
“I’m sorry.” I reluctantly muttered out a quiet apology while pouting my lips. Dad didn’t respond as he continued to stare at me, the characteristic cold in his eyes were gone, replaced with warmth. Something I hadn’t seen in those eyes in a long time.
Taking a deep breath, I decided to get this over with.
“Dad.” I began as I met my father’s gaze. “Back at the pack…you weren’t exactly fatherly. But here, you seem…worried. What changed? And don’t downplay this or try to change the topic, I deserve to know what’s going on.”
The question hung in the air as I gazed at my father. His face underwent a multitude of emotions before settling back into a gruff mask and kept quiet.
“You’re not going to say anything?” I flung what little respect I had for him to the wind and yelled at him. He didn’t respond, just staring at me blankly.
“I knew this was a waste of time.” I stopped the tears that threatened to cascade down my face and turned around to find Damien and ask him to take me away from this hell hole. I didn’t care anymore what would become of him. Damien could torture him for all I cared, I wouldn’t give a damn.
“Wait.” My father’s strained voice made me pause. “It’s because of your mother.”
“What!” I spun around curiously. I hadn’t seen mother for a while, the last time I saw her was when I sneaked out of the pack to go apply for college.
“It all goes back to your mother, Freda.” My father’s face hung low, avoiding my gaze. “I did what I had to do…to protect both of you.”
I walked back to his cell door as my thoughts spiraled out of control. Protect us? From what? The absurdity of his statement bubbled up within me and it spilled over in a burst of disbelief.
“Protect us? By ostracizing me and treating me like crap? What the hell are you talking about?” I screamed at him, demanding answers.
He flinched at my outburst but calmed himself quickly. Then, with a deep breath, he began to speak.
“Your mother…she was my destined mate, Freda. The moment I laid eyes on her during my younger years, I knew. Our connection was undeniable.” My father said with a low voice as a gentle smile danced at the edges of his lips.
“But the previous Alpha, my father and the elders didn’t approve.” His face hardened as he continued his tale. “They couldn’t stand the idea of the alpha’s son being mated to a human. They pestered and pressured me to choose a mate from a pureblood family. I fought them, Freda, believe me, I fought. But their hold on the pack was strong.”
Tears threatened to well up in my eyes again as I listened to my father. His words painted a picture of a past I never knew, a past filled with struggle and constant battled with his father and the pack elders.
“They threatened her life, Freda.” He choked out as his voice tightened with emotion. “They threatened to... to kill your mother.”
My breathe hitched in my throat as I processed my father’s words/ Kill my mother? The woman who had made my life beautiful? My fist tightened in fury and my teeth clenched together. At that moment, if I had a means to kill the pack elders, I would have done so without blinking an eye.
“I couldn’t let that happen,” he continued with a low and gruff voice. “And I couldn’t risk running, they would have eventually found us and so I made a deal with them. I would abandon her, never see her again.. but. I would take you, my only child, with me.”
His words echoed in the cell, a bombshell exploding in the carefully constructed narrative of my life. The truth was far more complex and tragic than what I had originally thought.
“They agreed,” My father continued bitterly. “But with a condition. You wouldn’t be given a high place in the pack. You were to be ostracized, scorned. Even by me. I went along with it Freda. I convinced myself it was for the best, for your safety. Even after my father’s death, the elders still maintained their stand on this. Sometimes, I wonder if I made the right choice.”
My mind reeled. Everything I thought I knew – about my mother and father’s relationship, about my place in the pack – it all crumbled to dust. The anger I felt towards him, for his perceived neglect now felt like ash in my mouth. He wasn’t the cold, uncaring alpha I had painted him out to be. He was a man caught in an impossible situation, a man who did what it took to protect his mate and his daughter. Yet, a burning question tugged at the edge of my mind.
“Would you go back to being a cold and detached father if you and I were to go back?” I asked waiting for an answer.