Truth and Lies #10
The omega returned with my dinnerware, and I thanked her as she placed it in front of me. It wasn’t the same fine china that everyone else had, but I knew better than to say anything. My father was determined to remind me of my place even as he attempted to please Caelan.
I stared longingly at my mother’s crystal glasses. I’d never gotten to use them before, and I’d kind of been hoping I might get the chance tonight.
Caelan must’ve noticed because he swapped his glass for my plain one.
“Thank you,” I whispered.
He smiled in reply.
Is this what they mean when they say your mate always knows what you need? He didn’t know the glass was important to me, but he didn’t need to know. All that mattered was that it meant something to me, so he fixed it.
My heart fluttered at the revelation.
Dinner was served, a beautiful plate of roast venison placed in the center of the table with potatoes, handmade rolls, and salad. An omega came around with a bottle of wine and filled everyone’s glasses.
My father offered a brief prayer of thanks to the Moon Goddess for all that she’d given us, something that I’d never seen him do before, and then encouraged everyone to dig in.
I was going to wait until the others had served themselves before grabbing any food as I usually did. I knew my father would throw a fit if I didn’t follow the rules of hierarchy in his home. But Caelan didn’t give me the chance.
He filled his plate and then set it in front of me before taking my empty one for his own meal. If my father or Sunny noticed, they didn’t say anything, which I was grateful for. This dinner was going to be tense enough as it was.
Everyone ate quietly, but it wasn’t exactly what I would call comfortable. This didn’t seem like the getting-to-know-each-other event that Caelan had said it would be.
My father finally broke the silence.
“I can’t begin to express how happy I am to have you all here,” he remarked. “Now that it seems like we’re going to be family, I think we should make this dinner a monthly thing.”
I saw Luna Maty’s jaw tighten as her sharp eyes snapped to my father. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say she was furious with him.
“I have to say, you couldn’t have made a better choice, Alpha Caelan,” my father continued. “My princess is smart, beautiful, and kind. She has all the makings of a good luna. Once she gets used to how Harvest Moon does things, I have no doubt she’ll make the perfect partner for you.”
He smiled adoringly at Sunny as she took his hand.
“I couldn’t be prouder,” he gushed. “My daughter. A luna.”
Of course, he’s proud. He sent her on a mission to snag Caelan as her mate, the only thing he’s ever given her to do, and from what he can see, it looks like she’s succeeded. How upset is he going to be when he learns otherwise?
“Which one?” Caelan asked casually.
“I’m sorry?” my father questioned, awkwardly clearing his throat before taking a swig of his wine.
“I was just wondering which daughter you were referring to,” Caelan clarified. “Did you mean Sunny or Shade?”
My jaw dropped open. I couldn’t believe that Caelan had just come out and said it like that. I knew we planned on confronting my father, but I thought we were waiting until a little later in the evening.
I watched my father visibly pale, sweat breaking out along his brow as he scrambled for how to respond. His eyes darted to me for a moment before they settled back on Caelan.
Is he finally going to validate my existence now that the cat’s out of the bag? Caelan made it clear that they knew. The Kendrick family is aware of his shameful secret. All that’s left is for him to admit it.
“You have two daughters, correct?” Caelan asked again.
“No. I’m afraid you’re mistaken, Alpha Caelan,” he replied with a firm shake of his head. “Sunny is my only child.”
His eyes darted to me again, and I held my breath as he stared directly at me for the first time in a long while.
“My other daughter is dead.”
When the Dam Breaks
SHADE
I stared at my father in disbelief. He’s still determined to perpetuate this lie even when he’s confronted with the truth. What does he hope to accomplish by denying it? They obviously know.
“Just stop it, Butch!” Luna Maty snapped. “We know the truth. I suspected it the moment I saw her. I can’t believe you thought you were going to get away with this. She’s your daughter too!”
“I can’t believe you told them, you ungrateful mutt!” he charged, pointing an accusatory finger in my direction. “After all I’ve done for you, this is how you repay me?! You rat me out the second you get an ounce of freedom.”
“Alpha, I—”
“She didn’t have to tell anyone,” Luna Maty interjected. “Did you really think the whole world would simply believe that you found another she-wolf who looks exactly like Sunny to act as her bodyguard? Or that she conveniently had the same name as your deceased daughter?”
“You have no idea what you’re talking about,” my father growled.
“Yes, I do!” she exclaimed, banging her fist on the table hard enough to rattle the glasses.
I reached out to catch mine before it fell, surprised by her burst of anger.
“Brona was my friend!” she continued. “She would be furious with what you’ve done! She would’ve wanted you to give both girls a good life in her absence. She never would’ve approved of you turning your back on Shade for things that were completely out of her control.”
“What would you have me do, huh?! Cherish the pup that murdered my wife?!” my father bellowed. “It’s bad enough she was a freak before Brona’s death! She turned into some kind of monster after the attack! She had to be controlled.”
“You ought to be ashamed!” Luna Maty contested. “Brona loved both girls equally. You’re a disgrace to her memory! Shade is just as much a piece of your mate as Sunny is! She should’ve been loved for who she is, not turned into some tool for you to use when and how it suited you!”
“I did what I had to do!” he shouted. “I protected my pack! I punished the wolf responsible for the death of my mate! And in doing so, I ensured that nothing happened to the daughter who was worth saving!”
I gaped at him, knowing that I should be numb to his words, but they hurt. Each cut me deeper than any injury I’d ever gotten while trying to protect him and his pack.
“I’m an alpha!” he roared, getting to his feet. “I made a hard choice. It wasn’t like anyone else stepped up. If you had wanted her so bad, Maty, you could’ve come and gotten her. But you didn’t. I kept her fed, clothed, and sheltered. I gave her a purpose. A way to atone for what she did.”
“Don’t even start with me,” Luna Maty scoffed. “You told us she was dead. What reason did I have to question you? Had I known she was alive, I would’ve come and gotten her without hesitation! And she has nothing to atone for! She was seven years old, Butch! Seven!”
I glanced around the table. Sunny was watching this all unfold with wide eyes while Alpha Leal looked on, his brow only slightly raised in surprise. Caelan glared at my father, content to give his mother a chance to unload her frustrations on the alpha of Thunder Moon.
“You know as well as I do that Brona would’ve never blamed Shade if the tables had been turned. If it had been you out there. She would’ve nurtured and loved both her children and accepted what happened for what it was. A terrible accident,” Luna Maty concluded.
“Yeah, well Brona isn’t here,” my father snarled, scowling at me. “Because of her. That thing is no daughter of mine. Shade Mallory died fourteen years ago with my mate.”
“You sicken me,” Luna Maty spat.
“I will not be spoken to like this in my own home!” my father roared. “I thought Harvest Moon had more values than to side with a freak of nature like her.”
“I would caution you not to speak to my mate so rudely,” Alpha Leal said, his usually even tone warming slightly. “You are the one in the wrong here, Butch.”
“You’re a disgrace as an alpha and a father,” Caelan interjected, unable to hold back any longer.
He was shaking as he rose to his feet and faced my father.
I could tell by the fire burning in his gaze that it was taking every ounce of control he had to keep from tearing my father’s throat out. I laid my hand on his arm, trying to calm him. I worried what might happen if his fragile grasp on his wolf were to break.
I could feel him instantly begin to relax as I stood, reveling in the way my presence affected him.
I grabbed his hand and wove our fingers together, his touch empowering me while mine soothed him.
I suddenly felt bolder than I’d ever felt in my entire life.
Enough is enough. I’ve been devastated by my father’s rejection one too many times. I won’t allow him to hurt me any longer. He doesn’t deserve that power.
“My whole life, you’ve made me feel like I was nothing,” I began as I stared him down the same disdainful way he’d done to me so many times before.
“Even when Mom was still alive, you called me a freak and treated me like an outcast. And now when everyone knows the truth, you would still rather reject me than admit who I am to you.”
My father looked like he was about to say something, but I didn’t give him a chance. Nothing he could have said would’ve made me forgive him.
“You sent me to that awful training center to be turned into a weapon because that’s what you needed,” I replied, my voice straining as I tried to keep my emotions from spilling over.
“I never wanted to fight, but you promised that if I did, one day I’d be forgiven, but that was another lie, wasn’t it? ”
Caelan squeezed my hand, giving me strength through our bond.
“You claim you had to protect everyone from me,” I continued. “But I’ve never put anyone in this pack in danger. I have, however, put myself at risk so many times, trying to protect them, trying to protect you and Sunny. And for what? To be told I don’t exist. That I don’t matter.”
He didn’t look away. Didn’t bother to look ashamed for what he did. He just glared at me as I went on.