Chapter 8

Adrian's POV

The days that followed felt like pure torture. Ares, my wolf, was purposely ridiculing me. I could hardly focus on anything, my appetite was gone... my thoughts were everywhere and nowhere. It was wearing me out, all thanks to Dad.

"I have to put an end to this," I thought.

"Finally," Ares said in a mocking tone which I ignored. Lately, I preferred shorter conversations; they were less draining.

Drumming my fingers against my table, I moved my feet aimlessly, my body already becoming restless from my indecisive state. Slowly, an all too familiar emotion began to spread across my chest, causing my breaths to become heavier as I clenched my fist.

"Damn it!" I cursed, banging my hands against the table.

"Don't tell me you're going to blame your mishap on your father," Ares said. "I'll advise you not to do anything reckless, Adrian." Gone was his mocking voice; now he sounded serious, but I didn't care. I had bigger fish to fry.

"In case you've forgotten, I'm at stake of losing a lot of money just because my dad is still trying to control me," I reminded him.

"You're partially at fault in this too," he said in a stern voice he didn't often use. For a moment, I was speechless, but I recovered quickly.

"Violet is an adult and should be held responsible for her actions too," I said defensively. My thoughts soon drifted back to my sleepless nights and painstaking months of careful planning, making my frustration more painful and my frown deepen.

"An action you had a hand in, you mean?" He sneered, and I found myself getting angrier. It wasn't my fault things didn't turn out the way Dad would have "loved" them to. I ignored him; I was too angry to say anything.

"I hope you don't end up regretting whatever silly idea you're cooking up," he said warningly.

"Try to stop me," I scoffed, grabbing my keys from the table before I shut the link.

It was high time I faced my father.

Turning off my ignition, I slammed the door and marched to the house, pressing a button. The shrill ring from the doorbell announced my presence while I waited for the door to be opened. It didn't take a second when I was welcomed with a bow and short greeting from the butler, Jefferson.

With a swift nod, I passed him and headed to the stairs. Turning to the left, I was about to pass through a corridor that led to my father's room when his Beta, Bryan, approached me.

"Good morning, Alpha Adrian," he said in a polite, formal voice that only irked me more.

"Where's my dad?" I asked impatiently, pinching the bridge of my nose as my eyes scanned the room, a bored expression on my face.

"He's in, but the Alpha doesn't want to receive any visitors today," said Bryan.

"And do I look like a visitor?" I let out a mirthless laugh before my face returned to its frown.

"Look here," I said in a low voice, my eyes staring directly into his, making him uncomfortable and causing him to look away. "Do you want to keep your precious job and keep working in the park house, and probably want your son to fill in your shoes someday, or would you prefer a demotion alongside your family?" I asked, slightly amused by his struggle to compose himself.

He moved aside.

Good, I thought. Turning the door handle, I stepped into my father's library where he sat, his attention deep into whatever he was reading. We both knew he knew I'd come in.

"I want to speak with you, Dad," I said in the calmest voice I could muster.

"About something new, I assume," he said without looking away from his book.

"No," I rolled my eyes and cleared my throat.

"Then what?" he asked, his eyes meeting mine before he shut his book. He had a bored expression as he took off his glasses, his hands folded across his chest.

His countenance was enough to make my blood boil again. He knew I’d be back; that was why he told Bryan he didn’t want visitors. He knew what I came for, and that was why he asked if it was about something new. Did he really think I wasn’t going to oppose him simply because he always got his way? The thought that he still viewed me like one of his puppets made me lose my cool.

"You’re going against everything you’ve taught me about putting your wants second and the pack’s first. Being an Alpha yourself, I can’t say it’s a right decision you’ve made, canceling a big project because of your selfish interest!" I raised my voice and was pleased to see his face form into a small frown.

To think he could just draw back a project only infuriated me. It was my loss, my investment, my money, and I had worked so hard, several nights of sleepless nights to drive the Wolfe Empire to where it was today.

"Whatever happens to the pack would be your fault, trust me. I gave you one simple task to perform and you couldn’t even do it well," he said in a low voice, but I could see his patience was thinning out.

"Bullshit!" I hissed, surprising both of us as he stared at me wide-eyed, his dark brown eyes getting darker as his jaw ticked.

"If you end this project, the pack is going to lose its wealth. Besides, how does Violet leaving affect the pack?" I continued, voicing out my opinion on my father’s absurd idea.

"I gave you a single task. The Moon Goddess gave you Violet as a mate for a reason, and for your own selfish reason you decided to do away with a woman who has always had your interest at heart, who loved you. And as absurd as it sounds, she was your true love—"

"True love, huh?" I scoffed, shaking my head in disagreement. "If we’re talking about true love, then we should be mentioning Emily and not Violet. And you know what I mean," I accused him, my finger pointing at him.

"I didn’t realize you were this foolish. Stubborn, yes, but not a fool. If you’ve wasted your breath over spilt milk and you are as devoted to the pack as you claim, you know what to do," he said, opening his book again. "Close the door after you," he added.

I couldn’t miss the expression on his face—disappointment. It was what he used to manipulate me into doing what he wanted. Turning away, I blocked his image from my mind. I wasn’t going to let him decide for me anymore.

*****

Violet's POV

The knock on the door brought me up on my feet. Looking into the peephole, I could see Mason’s face.

Placing my hands on my chest, I let out my breath before turning the door knob.

"Hey," he smiled brightly as soon as he saw me.

"Mason?" I found myself blushing like a schoolgirl.

"I was taking a walk and decided to drop by," Mason said, explaining his appearance, and I nodded.

"Oh," was my reply of disappointment. "Oh my God, where are my manners, please come in." I slapped my forehead and moved away from the door.

His smile deepened. "It’s okay, I won’t be staying for long anyways. The pack is hosting its ball in a few days, and since you’re a caterer, I wondered if it wouldn’t be great if you catered for us?"

"The entire park?" I wondered aloud. This wasn’t sounding nice.

"Yes, the entire park," he said casually, shrugging his shoulders as he looked around admiringly.

"I-I don’t think…" I began but closed my mouth.

"Are you okay?" he asked, a glint of mischief in his eyes.

"Yeah," I said calmly. "Look, I’m flattered that you think I’m a big shot in the catering stuff, but I’ve not cooked for a large crowd. Are you sure you don’t need someone more experienced?" I asked, hoping he would take the hint and drop his offer.

"Someone more experienced?" he asked in mock amusement, slightly squinting at me as he cocked his head to stare at me.

"Yeah, I don’t have the manpower, you see," I added quickly.

"Oh, I’ll help you with that. Consider it a friendly favor," he insisted, a thoughtful look on his face as he nodded.

"And what if you don’t like the taste?" I shot back, the tips of my lips tilting upwards into a small grin.

"I’ll be the judge of that," he chuckled. Giving me one last glance, we bid each other farewell before he winked at me and headed in the opposite direction.

Closing the door, I rolled my eyes and slumped into a chair. Part of me wished I could tell him off, tell him I was pregnant, and not just with any baby but an Alpha’s, and that I couldn’t flirt with him. He was handsome, but I just couldn’t. That was just too much at the moment.