Chapter 6
Chapter Six
Darius
I don’t knock softly.
My fist slams against the heavy, oak door of my father’s study hard enough that the sound echoes down the hallway. I don’t wait for permission. Don’t give him time to tell me to come back later.
I shove the door open.
My father looks up from the file he’s reviewing, his expression shifting from concentration to surprise. “Darius. What—”
“How long are you planning to turn a blind eye to Lillian abusing Violet?” The words come out harsh. Venomous. I don’t bother tempering them.
Alaric goes still. His hand freezes on the papers he was reading. For a moment, the only sound is the ticking of the antique clock on his desk.
Then, he sets the file down carefully. “Close the door.”
“No.”
His eyes flash. “I said, close the door.”
I kick it shut behind me without turning around. The slam reverberates through the room.
My father leans back in his chair, studying me with that assessing look he uses when he’s trying to figure out what angle I’m playing. “Sit down.”
“I’ll stand.”
“Darius—”
“Answer my question.” I storm over, plant my hands on his desk, and lean forward. “I know you’ve known for years. I know you’ve seen the marks. The way Violet flinches. The excuses Lillian makes.” My voice drops lower, darker. “You’re the alpha. You could stop it with one word. Why haven’t you?”
An odd expression flickers across his face. Discomfort, maybe. Or guilt. But as soon as I see it, it’s gone.
He picks up the papers again, his movements deliberate. “How my mate disciplines her daughter is up to her.”
The word he uses makes my blood boil. “Disciplines?” I can hear the growl creeping into my voice. My wolf is too close to the surface, pacing and snarling. “Violet got her face clawed open tonight when Lillian told her to quit the job that you forced her into.”
My father’s hand stops on the page mid-turn. The muscle in his jaw ticks once. Twice. But that’s it. That’s his only reaction.
The silence stretches. He doesn’t look up. Doesn’t meet my eyes. Just keeps staring at that goddamn file like it contains the secrets of the universe.
My hands curl into fists on his desk. “I don’t understand why you brought them here if you never intended to protect Violet. You’re in charge of this pack. One command from you, and Lillian would have to stop. But you do nothing.”
No reply. Not even an acknowledgment that I’ve said anything.
A bitter laugh escapes me. “So much for you being a fair alpha.” I straighten, stepping back from his desk. “You can’t even be a fair stepfather.”
His eyes snap to mine. “You’re crossing a line.”
“Good.” I hold his gaze, letting him see the fury burning in mine. “The next time Lillian touches Violet, I’ll rip off her hand.”
I head toward the door.
“Darius.”
His voice cracks like a whip. The tone that makes lesser wolves drop to their knees. Command. Authority.
I pause, my hand on the door handle, but I don’t turn around.
“Why are you getting so involved with Violet?” His chair scrapes against the floor as he stands. “You’ve never cared before.”
The words are like a punch to my gut. Never cared? If he only knew. How I’ve been caring for six years. How every day she was gone made it feel like I was missing a limb. How coming to this house knowing she wasn’t here anymore nearly destroyed me.
A part of me wants to tell him everything. That Violet isn’t just my stepsister. That she’s my fated mate. That the bond I’ve been fighting for six years is killing me slowly, from the inside out. That I can’t stand by and watch her suffer anymore.
My fists clench so hard, my nails bite into my palms.
I can’t tell him. Can’t risk what would happen if the truth came out. The scandal. The judgment. The way it would destroy her reputation and mine. The way it would give the pack an excuse to ostracize her even more.
The way it might make my father choose between pack law and his own son.
“I was a fool before.” The words come out with great difficulty, each one dragged from somewhere deep. “But if I am going to be alpha one day, I cannot let people in my own household be mistreated. Strong or weak.”
I don’t wait for his response. I yank the door open and stride out, my footfalls echoing in the empty hallway.
My chest is tight. My wolf is urging me to go back, to make him understand, to force him to protect what’s mine.
But I can’t.
I head toward the residential wing, my feet carrying me there without my telling them to. When I reach Violet’s door, I stop.
The cake is still here.
Sitting exactly where I left it an hour ago. Untouched. The container hasn’t moved even an inch.
I heard her door open earlier. Heard the soft creak of hinges, the pause, the quiet click as she closed it again.
She saw the cake. She saw it and chose to stay hungry rather than accept anything from me.
The ache in my chest intensifies, jamming into my ribs like broken glass.
“This is for the best,” I mutter to the empty hallway.
I’m supposed to stay away from her. That has been the plan for the past six years. Keep my distance. Build walls. Protect her from this impossible bond by denying it exists.
But she’s the one doing that now, while I keep failing at it.
Across from her room, I sit on the floor and lean back against the wall. My eyes stay locked on that closed door. On the barrier between us that feels more insurmountable than any physical distance.
In my mind, I can still see her eyes, red-rimmed and swollen from crying. The blood streaking down her jaw. The exhaustion in every line of her body.
The way she pushed me away even as her body responded to my touch.
“I know it’s all a lie. And I won’t be made a fool of.”
Her words echo in my head.
If I could take her away from here, I would. Hide her somewhere no one could hurt her. Somewhere her mother’s cruelty couldn’t reach. Somewhere she could just be, without constantly having to defend herself.
If I weren’t the Alpha’s heir, if I were anybody else, I would take her and run. Find some remote corner of the world where pack politics and social taboos don’t matter. Where we could explore this bond without fear or shame.
But I’m not anybody else.
I’m Darius Moonvale. Second-in-command. Future alpha.
The barrier between us is more than just this wall. It’s duty. Responsibility. The weight of an entire pack’s expectations sitting on my shoulders. The knowledge that claiming her would destroy both our lives in ways even I can’t fully comprehend.
My wolf snarls, rejecting every logical argument.
She’s ours. She needs us. We should be protecting her, not sitting here like a coward.
“I know,” I whisper to the empty hallway. But knowing doesn’t change anything.
I sit here for half an hour, maybe longer. The house settles around me, creaking and sighing. Somewhere downstairs, I hear James making his final rounds.
I push myself to my feet, then stand there staring at that closed door one more time. At the cake. At the wall between us.
I can’t stay here.
I pull out my phone as I walk away, my thumb scrolling through contacts until I find the one I need. I press dial and bring the phone to my ear.
It rings once. Twice. Then, my call is answered.
“You up for a drink?”
The bass thrums through the walls of the private lounge, a steady pulse that matches the pounding in my head. Outside this room, the club is packed. Bodies pressed together on the dance floor, music loud enough to drown out all thoughts, the kind of chaos that makes it easy to disappear.
In here, though, it’s only Ethan and me. A server hovers just outside the door, ready to fetch whatever we need without asking questions. The lounge is all dark leather and dim lighting, designed for privacy. The kind of place where the Alpha’s heir can fall apart without witnesses.
Ethan Rosario sprawls across from me, nursing his second drink while I work on my fifth. We’ve known each other since we were kids. His family has served mine for generations, but somewhere along the way, duty turned into friendship. He is more of a brother to me than Zion ever was.
“If you’re so devastated,” he says, watching me drain the glass and immediately reach for the bottle again, “just go to her. She’ll understand.”
I scowl at him. “She’ll understand? And what about the pack?” The whiskey burns going down, but I welcome it. “My father will never stand for it. She’s my stepsister. He’d rather I not claim my fated mate than shame the family.”
Ethan sighs, leaning back against the leather couch. “It’s not like he doesn’t have another heir. Even if he strips you of your position, there’s still your brother.”
A bitter laugh escapes me. “Yes, because the pack is so welcoming of illegitimate children.” I pour myself another drink, the amber liquid sloshing in the glass. “My father knows no one will ever accept Zion. Not as alpha. Not as anything.”
“I think you’re making a mistake.” Ethan’s voice is quiet but firm. “I’ve never seen you this miserable.”
I don’t respond. Just stare at the whiskey like it holds the answers I don’t have.
He leans forward. “What is she like now? Still the same shy girl?”
“No.” The words come without hesitation. “She’s different. Stronger.” My hand tightens around the glass, and I shake my head. “But she looks at me with disgust.”
Ethan clicks his tongue before sipping his drink. “That’ll teach you not to badmouth your mate.”
I glare at him. “My intentions were good.”
“I know that.” He rolls his eyes. “But she doesn’t.”
I drain my glass and pour myself another shot. The bottle is getting lighter. Good.
I swirl the liquid, watching it catch the dim light. “I never tried to look into what school she went to, but she has picked up combat skills. Self-defense techniques I didn’t teach her.” I take another drink. “She doesn’t need my protection anymore. And she doesn’t want it, either.”
“Does that bother you?”
The question hangs in the air between us.