Chapter 17
When I enter the dining room, everybody is seated at the table quietly watching the food on their plates get cold. I sit next to Jacob who is here as well. My father intertwines his hands together and rests his elbows on the table staring at me. I swallow the lump in my throat and look down at my hands.
“So?” He says, with a raised eyebrow.
“I was at the camp,” I almost whisper.
“What camp?” He asks.
I look at my mother, I can tell by the look on her face that she knows exactly what camp I’m referring to. I look at Jacob who’s watching me intently, before my eyes finally meet Talon’s as he nods his head ushering me to continue. I reluctantly look at Tyler, his voice filters through the silence in my head, “Tell the truth…remember…no more lies.”
“I was at the witches camp.” I look my father dead in the eye waiting for the shock to register, but his facial expression doesn’t change. He nods his head and takes a sip of the wine he poured earlier.
My mother keeps looking back and forth between the two of us. I can feel her trying to get into my head, but I block her out. She’s playing with the place mat under her plate, tears forming then falling down her cheeks.
“I thought I made it clear, I don’t want you near Noelle?” He says. I hate that everyone is looking at me with disappointment, but I realise that after the secrets I’ve kept this was inevitable.
“You told Alex not to see Noelle, you never told me I couldn’t,” I explain.
He smacks his hand on the table hard, making Alex and I jump at the sound. He then uses the same hand to cover Alex’s, trying to calm her down.
“Don’t play smart with me, Angel. I have been very kind to you and have treated you better than any other pack member besides your mother because you are my daughter. You have also gotten away with a hell of a lot more than I’d allow anyone else. Every member of this pack earns their way around here. We don’t expect you to pay for anything, but at least show us the respect we deserve and listen to your Alpha.” His voice is threatening; his wolf in control of this conversation. My hands shake underneath the table and the food that sits on my plate is making me nauseous.
“You can’t give me the answers I need!” I yell.
“I understand that you are concerned about certain things, but we have bigger problems than this right now. There’s a pack of rogue wolves running from territory to territory, hitting all our allied packs. This is far bigger than what you have got going on right now. What we don’t need are other wolves from our pack seeing you entering and exiting that witch’s camp. There are already enough people questioning your sudden presence in this pack, you are just gonna raise more. Once this is all over and we have the rogues under control then you’re more than welcome to speak to Noelle; but here in this house, and on our land,” he orders, tapping the table harshly.
I don’t even know what to say. He has no idea of what it feels like, not knowing whether the next time I get angry could be the time I possibly kill whoever happens to be around me. He doesn’t understand because all that he is concerned about is his pack. That’s his main priority and I get that. The only people that understand what I’m going through right now is Noelle and Phoenix. They understand, well, at least they’re trying to.
“You said you had a decision to make. What was it?” I try keep my voice firm, avoiding my father’s eyes as I look down at the food on my plate.
“Caspian and I have been speaking.” At the mention of Caspian, the tension in the room rises up a notch. Agitation is radiating from the twins.
“Angel, you understand that once a child of an Alpha leaves school they are meant to take over the pack and Alpha position, don’t you?” I nod. “Unfortunately you are an unmated female.” The twins adjust themselves in their seats and my father looks over at them with concern.
“Caspian and I have been talking about combining our packs.” My father continues, “He has started asking questions about you and your bloodline, he knows you’re different.” I start shaking my head because I know where this is going.
“We think it will be beneficial for the pack if you marry him, become his Luna.” Chaos ensues as the twins growl.
“Silence.” My father speaks and immediately the table is quiet. I still can’t believe he’s even considering about it.
“He is a good man, Angel. He can teach you how to be a great Luna. If he knows as much about you as I fear he does, then he alone can protect you. I’m concerned because you weren’t brought up knowing about our kind… your kind. I worry that you share the same thoughts and have adopted a human frame of mind. You have yet to learn that wolves run in packs. We do everything together. No secrets are kept unless it’s for the benefit of the pack, and trusting your pack members is imperative. A pack won’t work without trust; how are you meant to run this pack when you have secrets bottled up and all these trust issues? You hardly interact with pack members unless its Nixon, you keep to yourself, and your mind link is always closed off. Are you really a part of this pack or are you on your own, Angel?”