Chapter 25
Alistair
The moment my father and I are out of earshot of the other council members, he grabs my arm and drags me down the staircase to the next lowest floor.
His anger radiates in waves, each one coming on stronger than the next, until we reach an empty classroom and he unleashes his fury.
The door slams shut, and he rises to his full height as he turns toward me.
I back into a desk, making it far too easy for him to trap me.
It’s like I’m six years old again, as afraid of his power as I am in awe of it.
“You!” my father hisses, baring down on me. “You knew what she was, didn’t you?”
I’m speechless for the half second it takes my brain to catch up to my pounding heart.
“She is my true mate,” I answer honestly.
“Of course I found out that she’s a hybrid.
” The alleged dangers of hybridity aside, I came to terms with her shifter form as easily as I breathe air.
She can’t change what she is any more than I can change my feelings for her, as unforgiving as they both are.
I only wish I knew if my attraction goes beyond our bond as fated mates or if I’m only so keen to be a part of her life because of an ancient tradition I have no power to control.
“I will not have you mating with a half-breed!”
“She is half wolf!”
“And a complete abomination!” My father’s eyes flash as his wolf threatens to rise.
“There is a reason why hybrids are outlawed. Any children they have do not possess the full qualities of their dominant shifter form, if they are even capable of shifting at all. Let me guess: does it take her longer to shift than normal? What is her default animal form like? Smaller than a wolf? Does she even have fangs?” His lip curls, revealing his own set of razor-sharp teeth.
“Without knowing her lineage, we can only guess what she’s mixed with.
A human or witch parent will only shorten her lifespan and dilute her natural wolf instincts.
Another breed of shifter, regardless of the type, means that she will be the weakest member of any wolf pack she joins and put them all at risk.
There is no home for her, Alistair, not in the wilds, not in this pack, and least of all not with you. ”
I have a hard time reconciling what he’s saying with what I’ve experienced since meeting Sienna.
I’ve seen her in combat; she moves fluidly across the battlefield, and her smaller stature assures that she’s agile and quick.
She may not be able to compete with a full-blooded wolf shifter’s strength, but you don’t always need strength to dominate an opponent.
Besides, wolves hunt in packs. She would never be alone once she joins one.
My frustration grows with my father’s refusal to consider the alternatives to Sienna’s hybridity. There could be benefits that outweigh the alleged downfalls.
“The gods would not pair me with someone unworthy.” Warmth fills my chest and a certainty snares my spine, making me stand taller than ever before. “Ever since I was a child, you’ve preached the sanctity of a fated bond. You can’t tell me that she is unworthy simply because she is different.”
“She is dangerous.” Grabbing my jaw, my father digs his fingertips into my heated flesh, the burn Sienna gave me last night still struggling to heal. “Must you burn alive before you believe it?”
I push back, unwilling to hear my father’s opinion when it so clearly isn’t shared by the vast majority. “I’ve been judging her because of what you taught me. The other elders want her! Why can’t you?”
I know I’ve made a mistake before the question leaves my mouth.
“Have you so easily forgotten what she’s done to this family?
” My father’s fingernails dig into my wound and reignite the pain tenfold.
“She killed your brother. The heir to our bloodline. An alpha wolf.” He clenches his jaw tightly.
“Your mother cried for an entire year. Do her tears mean nothing to you? Would you have me let your brother’s killer roam free? Your mother’s tormentor?”
“No, I—of course not.” I rack my brain to think of an alternate solution.
“There must be another way. We can keep her on pack grounds. Hold a trial.” Even as I say the words, I know that a trial would be futile.
Anyone convicted of killing an Alpha heir won’t stand a chance against a tribunal of angry shifters.
My father shakes his head. “I’m disappointed in you, Alistair.
You are blinded by this woman’s trickery.
” Releasing me, he takes a single step back.
“Any bond you think you have with her is false. If she can wield fire, she can cast spells to manipulate your heart. You are not to blame for believing her lies; I should have better educated you.”
I ignore my aching neck to grip the edge of the desk. “She isn’t manipulating me. I feel our bond as clearly as I know my own wolf.”
“How can you be sure that your emotions are your own?”
Closing my eyes, I listen to the beat of my heart. Moments with Sienna roll through my mind, and I pay attention to my emotions. Anger. Lust. Sorrow. Everything that I should be feeling—or everything that a wild wolf fighting their fated bond would feel. Where do her emotions end and mine begin?
Our latest conversation rolls through my mind like a storm cloud. “She said something to me,” I murmur, unable to meet my father’s eyes. My gut churns as I replay my encounter with Sienna on the rotunda balcony. “About Viserys.”
“So she admits her guilt.”
“No, she . . . she says that he was sent to kill her.” I take a small breath. “What exactly did you order Viserys to do when he found her?”
I know what Viserys himself told me before he left and what the reports say after his death was confirmed.
Our pack heir went into the wilds to rescue a young shifter lost in one of the valleys bordering our territory.
But did something happen for Viserys to change his mind?
Was she too wild to save? Did she attack him?
My father, the reigning Dire pack Alpha for the last century, remains unflinching in the face of my uncertainty. “What I ordered Viserys to do died with him.” Placing his hand on my shoulder, he exhales. “We do not disturb the dead by asking questions that are best left buried.”