8

Scarlett

The nausea had persisted for days. As I stood in front of Father’s study doors. My stomach churned—not just from the pregnancy. I struggled to control the sickness and steady my breathing. My hand trembled as I mustered the last of my courage to knock.

“Enter.”

With a final shaky breath, I pushed open the door. There he was, seated behind his desk, engrossed in the documents before him, not bothering to glance up.

“Well?” he said, not lifting his gaze. “I assume you have something important to tell me, given how you’ve been skulking about the house these past weeks.”

His words struck me. It was as if he knew why I was here. I struggled to speak. “Alpha... I...” The words trembled on my lips as I broke the news. “I’m pregnant.”

The scratching of his pen stopped abruptly. He carefully placed it down and fixed his gaze on me. Instead of the expected anger or disappointment, a calculating gleam shone in his steel-gray eyes.

“So, it’s true,” he said, his voice cold and trimmed. There was no anger—no hint of emotion at all. Just a measured calculation. “So my Luna wasn’t lying when she noticed how you were acting in the house.”

“I’m sorry,” I whispered.

“Interesting," he said as he leaned back, steepling his fingers. His eyes narrowed as he studied me, treating me like a problem to be solved. “And the father?”

My mouth opened, but no sound came out. The memory of that night—of meeting my mate, the brief bliss before the rejection—flooded back, suffocating me.

“He…” I stammered.

Father’s brow lifted ever so slightly. “He what?”

“He left,” I managed to choke out, my voice quivering. I couldn’t bring myself to fully reveal. I couldn’t bear to admit that I had found my mate, only for him to cast me aside after that one night.

Father’s face showed a hint of amusement for the first time. A cold, sharp smile curved his lips. “Perfect.”

My blood ran cold. “Perfect?”

“There’s an alpha,” he said, dismissing the situation like a mere inconvenience. “One in need of an alliance and willing to overlook… complications. You’ll leave tomorrow.”

The room spun. “You can’t mean—”

“Oh, but I do,” he replied, his voice almost mocking as he fixed me with that merciless stare of his. “You’ve finally managed to make yourself valuable to this pack. One last service before you’re someone else’s problem.”

My hands instinctively moved to my stomach, cradling the tiny life within. “You’re selling me, Father? Why? Even knowing that I’m with a child?”

His eyes turned colder. “So?” he scoffed. “What has that got to do with me? You’ve done this to yourself,” he continued. “And now you’ll do this for the pack.”

I had expected him to be harsh, even cruel, but this? My body trembled. How could he treat me like this? I am pregnant, and I had hoped he would at least inquire about how.

“What does the pack have to do with me?” I screamed, letting my anger control me. “I’m pregnant, and I will marry no one.”

“Haha,” he laughed, a hollow, joyless sound. “Do you think you have a choice?”

“I do, Father,” I replied. “I am your daughter.”

He straightened, rising slowly from his chair. As he approached, I instinctively took a step back. “Dad,” I muttered, the word slipping out like a plea.

“It’s Alpha to you,” he growled, but I didn’t flinch. I couldn’t.

“I’m securing a future. This pack is my everything.” He paused. “You’re my daughter, like you claim. You’re part of this pack, and you should contribute to its growth.”

“Hahaha. I should contribute to the pack because I’m your daughter?” I shot back.

Without hesitation, he responded. “Yes.”

“Have you ever treated me like a human, Alpha?” I sneered. “Do I look like your beloved daughter, Nina?”

“Shut up, bastard,” he snarled, his hand striking across my face with brutal force. My cheek burned, but the pain was nothing compared to the words that followed. “What does Nina have to do with this? You’re a fool if you think I’d marry her to that alpha.”

My eyes widened. That alpha.

“You…” I began, but the words failed me.

“You’re pregnant, and you’ve tarnished your worth.”

“I will inform the father of this baby. He is also an alpha,” I stated desperately. I could see in his eyes that he was serious. He could sell me, and from the look of things, the alpha he planned to marry me off to was a tyrant.

“An alpha?” he echoed, his voice laced with doubt.

“Yes,” I nodded quickly. “He is an alpha.”

“Which pack?” he asked, and I was left dumbfounded. I hadn’t asked. All I knew was that he was an alpha.

He watched me like a predator. “Cat got your tongue?”

“I—I don’t know,” I stammered, feeling the ground slip from beneath me.

“Hahaha, you’re such a fool, a waste,” he mocked, shoving me away. “Do you even know his name?”

“Yes,” I breathed. “Finn.”

“Finn,” he echoed the name before returning to his seat. He was silent for a while, and I stood there waiting for him to speak. I was still standing when someone knocked on the door.

“Come in.”

The door creaked open, and Beta Dave stepped inside, bowing respectfully.

“Dave,” Father began. “Do you know of any alpha who goes by the name Finn?”

Beta Dave stayed silent, and panic set in. Was everything a lie? Did Finn perhaps know who I was before approaching me? Did he see me at the ball, acting like Nina’s maid? Thoughts swarmed my mind as the panic deepened.

“No, Alpha,” Dave finally replied. His words made my knees weak.

“Are you sure?” Father asked.

“Yes, Alpha. There is no alpha with that name,” Dave confirmed.

“Very well. You may go,” Father dismissed him.

After Dave left, Father turned his cold gaze back to me. “Bastard. Are you having fun toying with me?”

“No… I…” I was shaking now. “He told me himself.”

“You’ve never done anything right,” he spat. “Sleeping with a guy you knew nothing about?”

“He is my mate,” I dropped the bombshell.

“You…” Father’s eyes flashed with anger.

“I can find him,” I uttered desperately. “I’ll find him, I promise. You don’t have to worry.”

“Do I look like someone who worries?” he fired back, his eyes burning into me. “You’re stupid for thinking I do.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Save that,” he muttered. “Since he’s your mate, why are you here?”

I knew he couldn’t wait to push me out. And truth be told, I couldn’t wait to leave this hell.

“He rejected me,” I admitted.

The room suddenly turned cold. He was taken aback before quickly composing himself.

“Of course he did,” he sneered. “He saw how useless you are. No alpha in his right mind would accept an omega like you as his luna.” I bit my lip as I listened; each word felt like a knife piercing my heart. “You’re worthless.”

“I’ll find him,” I pleaded, trying to hold back the tears. “He’ll accept me if he knows I’m pregnant.”

“You don’t have to do that, dear daughter,” he mocked, his tone dripping with false endearment. “Even if you gave birth to that bastard, no one would accept you. Not with that stained blood of yours.”

“You know I was never an omega,” I snapped. I had tried to be a good girl, but he was acting like a criminal. A devil.

“So?” he retorted. “But now you are an omega.”

“You should marry Nina off—she’s also your daughter.”

“Nina deserves a good husband,” he responded, a smirk on his face.

“While I deserve what?” I demanded.

“You deserve whatever comes your way. Now leave.”

“Father, please. I’m—”

“Brace yourself. You’ll be marrying Alpha Dickson.”

“What?” My eyes widened in horror. I knew of that alpha—of the terrible things he did to his pack members, and the harem of mistresses he kept in his palace.

“I won’t.” I fell on my knees, my voice trembling with raw desperation. “Please, Father. He’ll kill me. He’ll torture me to death.”

Father’s lips curled into a cruel smile. “Weren’t you begging for death the last time?” he asked, his voice devoid of empathy. “Alpha Dickson is the perfect one to grant you that.”