~Zarek's POV~
I glared at the paper in front of me while my hands shook with— was that panic? Or anger? I had no idea.
All I knew was that I was uncomfortable with the idea of my father sending me letters out of the blue and right now, I was more pissed at the content of the letter.
It's been a little over Four years since I last saw or heard from the old man and ever since our last interaction, more like an altercation, we parted ways. There was no love between us. There never was and never could be.
"Would you honor the invitation?" Orion's voice snapped me out of my deep thoughts and I tilted my head to look up at him. Orion never knew my father. They never met but for some reason, he was just as weary as I was about the man.
I shook my head.
"But wouldn't that mean you blatantly turned him down? What if he wants to talk about business?" He snapped, his eyes wide. "Or maybe he just wants to be sure…?"
"Sure of what?"
"Sure that you're indeed the young Alpha striking fear in the hearts of other Alphas. He wants to be certain that it's his son and strike an alliance."
I sighed. As much as that could be true, it still didn't help shake out the pent up anger… the frustration and the fact that I hated that man. It still wouldn't erase the twenty-five years of suffering I endured with him and the two years of absolute torture I endured in the hands of my oppressors— same oppressors that he had willingly given me up to— all in the name of a peaceful alliance.
Memories of all those dark painful nights struck my mind and I winced, balling my hands into fists by my sides.
"No."
"What if it's business? He wants to talk business with—"
"You and I know that my father does not wish to talk about business. He's heard about my pack… have you forgotten that we recently made it public?"
"Yes, yes!" Orion answered quickly. He appeared very flustered and I couldn't blame him. This whole mess was never any of his business and now somehow, he's been roped into it all of a sudden.
Leaning against my chair, I sighed and said; "And he's mad."
"He shouldn't be mad, he should be proud."
"He's my father and I tell you, he's mad. He's mad because I'm meant to be his heir. I'm meant to take over his pack after his demise, and do you know what I did while he's still alive?"
"You made yours."
"Exactly." I spat. "Not just that but I made one bigger than his; and I pulled that off in less than three years. So Orion, he is mad."
"That sounds… fucked up." He added with a small smile and then came to sit on the chair just beside me. And for the first time since this letter came in, I chuckled.
"We have a fucked up relationship actually."
"Should I give you my two cents?"
"Of course!" I answered, "…you're my Beta, whose two cents do I listen to if not yours?"
I heard him mutter something along the lines of; "A woman's coochie" under his breath. I rolled my eyes but before I could comment on that, he winked and leaned even closer.
"Go." He said, his voice dark but there was a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Let it be known that you honored his invitation, but whatever happens next will be on him… not on you."
*
The drive to my father's pack was a long one. Long and intense; and by the time we arrived at the familiar gates of Silvermoon pack, my subjects and I were already tired, weary and very dehydrated.
However, my tiredness soon wore off, replaced by a feeling of unease when suddenly, the large gates were pushed open and I saw my father standing at the doorstep leading to his mansion. It was only a few years since I last saw the man but for some reason, he looked about a decade older… if not more, and a sudden sprout of grey hairs by the sides of his face made him appear even a lot older than he should.
I almost felt for him. Almost, until a flash of one of the dark nights I spent locked up in the dungeons attacked my mind's eye and I shuddered, shaking off the warmth that had begun to spread across my chest as I stepped out of the car.
"Father," I greeted coldly, bowing while he only smiled at me. A smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.
Thankfully, he didn't try to shake my hands or hug me as that would've been awkward.
As he led us further into the pack house, I couldn't help but notice how everything remained the same. How everyone remained the same, save for the now strange faces of the bodyguards guarding the throne. Deciding not to be affected by whatever must be happening around here, I plopped into one of the chairs close to the throne and folded my hands, waiting for him to state the reason for this abrupt meeting.
Father smiled. "You know, I never believed that it was you when I heard about the new Shadowfang pack."
"Why?"
He leaned into his chair as a young girl not above sixteen poured wine into his cup. When she was done and was about to move away, he slapped her butts so hard that she whimpered. I frowned.
"First, you were supposed to rule this pack after me, so I expected that if you were ever supposed to return, it'll be to me. Also, it was surprising because I never thought that something as dreary as that could possibly be ruled by my weakling son…" he drawled and I recoiled, feeling the first sting of his not-so-subtle insult.
The girl came to me then, to pour me some wine and I politely declined, shaking my head as her eyes widened… in panic.
"Leave!" Father bellowed and I watched with irritation as the girl fled.
"But it does," I drawled, answering to his earlier statement, "…but it belongs to me, how do you feel about that?" I asked cockily.
However, my bravado soon deflated when father barely gave a scornful laugh. He grunted as he looked away from me. "I don't feel anything besides disappointment. You could've put in all this work into making our Silvermoon pack better, yet you decided to create one of your own just to spite me."
"I didn't do it to spite y—"
"Oh shut up! You do not have to pretend."
"It's funny how you think I think about you so much as to put in effort just to spite you. I don't."
At my words, his smile faded. His eyes hardened and he sat up to glare at me so much I feared that his eyes would pop.
"You've always been a failure, you know that right?" He snapped but I barely rolled my eyes. Gone were the days when words like that struck a nerve. Now, it only meant I had succeeded in riling him up so much, he could hardly think of a more nerve wracking comeback.
I nodded. "An apple doesn't fall far from its tree."
If father was angry before, then now he is furious. His nose flared with indignation and in response, I glared right back at him.
"Since I've seen that you didn't invite me here for anything worthwhile, I'll like to take my leave now." I stood up to leave but stopped in my tracks when my father's voice rang out.
"I'm glad. I'm glad that I was a failure to you. And I'm glad because now, you're also a failure to your daughter… and you've never even met her."
My eyes widened as I whipped around to face him. "What does that mean?" I growled, my voice tight.
"You remember your last night here? You were heartbroken and drunk… you slept with one of the slaves?…" The more my father spoke, the more my heart hammered against my chest.
I remembered that night like it was the back of my hand. It was the night I regretted the most because I'd used a girl in heat. Fucked her merciless and I never even got to see her face— or maybe I did, I just never remembered.
"… she conceived shortly after you left. A girl. A girl that always managed to remind me of the failure that you were."
"Where is she?" I growled as my body shook with raw emotions. "Where is she, father?"
"I have zero idea." He stated darkly. "Shortly after I heard you were returning, I threw her out of the pack because I didn't want you both to cross paths… her daughter too. They might be dead… who knows? Certainly not you."
My heart fell.
"All I care about is the fact that you failed your daughter… and to her, wherever she is, you'll always be a monster."