Chapter 7

Leah's POV

"Miss Leah, welcome back." A silver-haired butler, dressed up in a sleek black suit, bowed toward me. 

"Mr. Carson. I'm so glad to see you again!" I stretched out my arms toward my father's butler. 

Growing up, he was like a kind, caring uncle to me.

Mr. Carson took my hands and held me up in the air, giving me a twirl. 

I almost cried out in happy tears, because it made me feel that I was still that little girl, flapping my arms up and down with excitement and thrill. 

"Alpha is waiting for you. Do you need some refreshment, Miss Lewyn? You've lost so much weight. What have they done to you in the White Walkers Pack? Where's the other half of you?" Mr. Carson wiped the tears from his eyes. "I've already notified the kitchen to prepare your favorite meal. Do you still like cheese macaroni?" 

"She's no longer five, Carson. Tell the kitchen to cook her some real food. I'm thinking of lots of steaks, maybe a whole turkey." Lucian said. 

"Yes, Young Master Lucian. Steaks and turkey it is," the butler replied promptly. 

It seemed that two of them schemed to fatten me up by treating me like a food sack.

"And before that, you might ask the maids to do something with the..." Lucian stroked my forehead with his long, slender fingers, trying to wipe off the clotted blood smears on my face. 

Being a reclusive and reserved person, my elder brother was known for his ration for words as well as emotion in front of people. 

But on that day, I noticed that his fingers were slightly trembling with anger. 

"She can't meet Father like this. We don't want to upset him." He added.

"Very good, Young Master Lucian. Right away." The old butler nodded and walked away. 

I snuggled Lucian and looked up at him. 

"I'm fine, brother. I don't feel a thing. There's no scar..." 

"But that doesn't mean no harm done." Lucian gazed down into my eyes and said in a mechanical monotone voice. 

I recognized that voice. That was his angry voice. He would usually kill someone after he talked in that voice.

I wrapped my arms around his broad shoulders and said, "Lucian, I know you're worried about me, but please don't do anything outrageous to anyone. We had a deal, remember?"

"You conceal your identity, the one and only daughter of the Lycan King, become an omega, get married to that son of a bitch, and spend five years with him. After five years, if he still isn't able to fall in love with you, you will end this marriage and come back to our family." 

"So, this is me, coming back to our family." I tilted my head and said. 

"But he took you away from us for five years. Do you know how hard these five years have been for Father and me? We're worried about you, Leah. You are the jewel of the crown to us. And that bastard treats you like a piece of garbage. Do you know how painful and torturing it feels? How could you do something to people who care about you?"

Lucian's eyes were gleaming with dangerous anger. He was the one who most fiercely opposed my marriage five years ago. He made their points really clear by not attending my wedding. I had to walk down the aisle alone and became a laughing stick to my ex-mother-in-law Rosalie.

"You have no people." She used to taunt me. 

I shook my head, trying to get rid of her withered face from my mind. 

"Come on, Lucian." I held his arm in my hands like a little sloth hanging on a tree trunk. "That's the price that I have to pay to learn a lesson."

He lifted me up in one arm, so I could see him at eye level. 

Then, he sighed and stared at me with his wistful green eyes, "I wonder what that lesson might be." 

"From now on, I'll never ever make a decision against my elder brother's will." I wrapped my arms around his neck and said. 

"Good, because I'll never let it happen again." He said with a dash of happiness in his eyes.

The maids came and took me for a quick shower. Then, they wiped, rinsed, combed, sprayed, mending me up like a ragged doll. 

After putting on a satin gown, I looked at my reflection in the mirror. 

A skinny, brunette girl with a pale face and a French roll, looking like an intimidated fawn.

Lying on my old bed, surrounded by familiar luxurious furniture and decorations (Lucian kept it exactly the same after I was gone), I secretly wished that the past five years were just a nightmare that had never really happened to me. 

"We found this in your pocket, Miss. Where do you want to put it?" A maid showed me the sapphire pendant that I pulled off Josephine's neck. Even though only a few hours passed, it felt like something happened in my last life.

"Throw it in the garbage bin," I replied in a cold voice. "I don't want to see it anymore."

"Are you sure, Miss? It looks beautiful." The maid looked sentimental. 

I sighed. 

"Put it in the bottom drawer of my jewelry cabinet, then. I don't want to see it recently. It makes me want to strangle someone." I said.

"No strangles at my house." A voice appeared out of the door. 

I looked up and saw my father, Alpha Lyall of the Defiant Pack, the Lycan King, walking into my room.

Almost instantly, a hush fell over the crowd. Everyone in the room stopped what they were doing, turned to face him, and bowed their heads in respect. 

My father was a man who commanded attention without even trying. People gravitated toward him like moths to a flame. 

Tall and broad-shouldered, he exuded strength and confidence with every step he took. His hair, once thick and black, was not streaked with grey, adding to his distinguished appearance. Despite his age, his face was chiseled and handsome, with sharp cheekbones, a straight nose, and piercing olive-green eyes that seemed to see right through a person. He wore a tailored suit that fit him perfectly, emphasizing his broad chest and narrow waist. His posture was perfect, with his shoulders pulled back and his chin held high.

He was the Alpha of all Alphas. 

He was a Lycan King.

"Father!" I rolled down from my bed and bowed in front of him. 

He stretched out his arms and gave me a big bear hug before I could get back on my feet. 

"I was at a meeting. Lucian came and said he wanted to talk to me. It's rare because ever since I let you go and marry that son of a bitch, your brother has never talked to me. I kind of understand now why he was so mad at me, because, oh, gush, how could I ever let you go at that time?" 

"Father, I miss you so much!" I cried out. "I'm so sorry for everything! I've made a mistake..." 

My father held up my face in his palms and said, "You're my one and only daughter, Leah. A daughter should never feel sorry for anything in front of her father. The one who's supposed to be sorry is that son of a bitch. He doesn't deserve you, Leah. You deserve to be with someone who cherishes you as much as me and your brother do."

"Father, he rejected me! I didn't manage to get his love! Lucian is right!" With tears running down my cheeks, I buried my face in his chest.

My father held me up gently and said, "He rejected you. So what? Life goes on. Leah, my love. You've always been a good daughter and sister. You disobeyed your elder brother only once in your life, and it was in the name of love, which is totally comprehensible according to me. That's why I decided to let go of you. After all, not everyone is a block like Lucian."

I chucked in tears. 

My father continued, "Do you remember what I told you on the day you left our family? I said no matter what happened, you could always come back to your family. It's never too late to return to your family, Leah. I mean, if you don't mind living with a cranky old father and a taciturn old brother. You had lived with us for 20 years until that bastard took you away. We took very good care of you in the past, and we will take better care of you in the future. Don't forget that you're the Lycan King's daughter, sweetheart. That means you're rich and powerful. And by rich and powerful, I mean filthy rich and super powerful."

"Thank you, Father! Thank you for taking me back!" Tears blurred my vision again. 

My father didn't say any more words. He just held me in his powerful arms, letting me cry a river over his shoulder.