Chapter 5
My father's Alpha command crashed over the entire estate like a tidal wave.
Every wolf within a mile radius dropped to their knees — not by choice, but because their bodies physically could not resist the command of the Alpha King.
Damien hit the ground so hard his knees cracked against the frozen stone. His face contorted in confusion and terror.
"What — what's happening—"
Serena collapsed beside him, her carefully composed expression shattered. "I can't — I can't move—"
Three hundred wedding guests were on their knees in the snow. Waiters, musicians, bridesmaids — every single person forced into submission by the most powerful Alpha aura in existence.
My father crossed the distance in seconds. His warriors parted like water.
When he saw me — lying in the snow, blue-lipped, covered in ice, two wolfsbane injection marks visible on my neck — the sound that came from him wasn't human.
It was the roar of a beast who had found his child broken.
"MEDIC! NOW!"
A team of healers materialized around me. Warm hands, heated blankets, the sharp sting of antidote injections. Someone was checking my pulse, my pupils, my breathing.
"Wolfsbane concentration at critical levels, Alpha King. Two separate administrations. She's hypothermic. Heart rate is 35 BPM and dropping—"
"Save her." My father's voice was absolute. "Or everyone here dies tonight."
The healers worked with desperate speed.
My father knelt beside me, cradling my head in his massive hands. Up close, I could see his eyes were burning red — the sign of a wolf on the verge of losing control.
"Baby girl," he whispered. "I'm here. Daddy's here."
"D-Dad—" I could barely speak.
"Don't talk. Save your strength." He pressed his forehead to mine. "I'm going to fix this. And then I'm going to make them pay."
He stood. When he turned to face the crowd, the temperature seemed to drop another ten degrees.
"Who did this to my daughter?"
Silence. Three hundred wolves on their knees, too terrified to speak, too terrified to move.
Damien's face was cycling through emotions so fast it was almost comical — confusion, denial, dawning horror, absolute terror.
"Your... daughter?" he croaked. "That's impossible. She's Aria Reed. She's nobody—"
My father's gaze locked onto him.
Damien's sentence died in his throat.
"Say that again." My father's voice was deadly quiet. "Tell me my daughter is nobody. I dare you."
Damien's mouth opened and closed. No sound came out.
One of my father's generals stepped forward with a tablet. "Alpha King, we've identified all individuals present. The male who appears to be the host is Damien Ashford, son of Beta Marcus Ashford of the Silver Ridge Pack."
My father looked at Damien like he was examining something he'd scraped off his shoe.
"This is the one?" he asked me.
I managed the smallest nod.
"And the female?"
I looked at Serena, who was trembling violently, her white dress soaked through with snow.
"S-sir—" Serena stammered, attempting a smile. "There's been a terrible misunderstanding. Aria and I are sisters. I would never—"
"Stepsister," my father corrected coldly. "You share no blood with my daughter. You are nothing to her."
Serena's face went grey.
"I'll ask once." My father addressed the crowd. "Who administered wolfsbane to my daughter? Who left her in the snow? Who—" his voice cracked with barely restrained rage, "—injected her a second time?"
His warriors had already pulled security footage. The evidence was irrefutable.
My father watched the footage on the tablet. His generals watched his face.
I watched the last remaining color drain from Serena's skin as she realized there were cameras. There had always been cameras.
My father handed the tablet back to his general.
When he spoke, his voice was perfectly calm. That was somehow more terrifying than the roaring.
"Arrest them all. Every single person who watched my daughter suffer and did nothing."
Screams erupted. Guests tried to run. The warriors caught them before they made it three steps.
"WAIT!" Damien screamed. "I didn't know! I DIDN'T KNOW SHE WAS YOUR DAUGHTER!"
My father paused.
He walked slowly toward Damien, each step deliberate.
He crouched down to Damien's level.
"Tell me," he said softly. "If she wasn't my daughter. If she was truly nobody. Would that have made this acceptable?"
Damien opened his mouth.
"Because to me," my father continued, "that makes it worse. It means you'd do this to any woman who had no one to protect her."
He stood.
"Take him to the cells. Maximum security. No trial for six months."
Damien screamed. Begged. His voice cracked as warriors dragged him away.
Serena tried to crawl away on her knees.
My father's boot landed in front of her face.
"And you," he said, looking down at her. "You're the one who injected my daughter."
Serena looked up, tears and snot streaming. "I'm sorry — I'm so sorry — please — it was just for my thesis—"
"Your thesis."
My father laughed.
It was the most terrifying sound I'd ever heard.
Every wolf within a mile radius dropped to their knees — not by choice, but because their bodies physically could not resist the command of the Alpha King.
Damien hit the ground so hard his knees cracked against the frozen stone. His face contorted in confusion and terror.
"What — what's happening—"
Serena collapsed beside him, her carefully composed expression shattered. "I can't — I can't move—"
Three hundred wedding guests were on their knees in the snow. Waiters, musicians, bridesmaids — every single person forced into submission by the most powerful Alpha aura in existence.
My father crossed the distance in seconds. His warriors parted like water.
When he saw me — lying in the snow, blue-lipped, covered in ice, two wolfsbane injection marks visible on my neck — the sound that came from him wasn't human.
It was the roar of a beast who had found his child broken.
"MEDIC! NOW!"
A team of healers materialized around me. Warm hands, heated blankets, the sharp sting of antidote injections. Someone was checking my pulse, my pupils, my breathing.
"Wolfsbane concentration at critical levels, Alpha King. Two separate administrations. She's hypothermic. Heart rate is 35 BPM and dropping—"
"Save her." My father's voice was absolute. "Or everyone here dies tonight."
The healers worked with desperate speed.
My father knelt beside me, cradling my head in his massive hands. Up close, I could see his eyes were burning red — the sign of a wolf on the verge of losing control.
"Baby girl," he whispered. "I'm here. Daddy's here."
"D-Dad—" I could barely speak.
"Don't talk. Save your strength." He pressed his forehead to mine. "I'm going to fix this. And then I'm going to make them pay."
He stood. When he turned to face the crowd, the temperature seemed to drop another ten degrees.
"Who did this to my daughter?"
Silence. Three hundred wolves on their knees, too terrified to speak, too terrified to move.
Damien's face was cycling through emotions so fast it was almost comical — confusion, denial, dawning horror, absolute terror.
"Your... daughter?" he croaked. "That's impossible. She's Aria Reed. She's nobody—"
My father's gaze locked onto him.
Damien's sentence died in his throat.
"Say that again." My father's voice was deadly quiet. "Tell me my daughter is nobody. I dare you."
Damien's mouth opened and closed. No sound came out.
One of my father's generals stepped forward with a tablet. "Alpha King, we've identified all individuals present. The male who appears to be the host is Damien Ashford, son of Beta Marcus Ashford of the Silver Ridge Pack."
My father looked at Damien like he was examining something he'd scraped off his shoe.
"This is the one?" he asked me.
I managed the smallest nod.
"And the female?"
I looked at Serena, who was trembling violently, her white dress soaked through with snow.
"S-sir—" Serena stammered, attempting a smile. "There's been a terrible misunderstanding. Aria and I are sisters. I would never—"
"Stepsister," my father corrected coldly. "You share no blood with my daughter. You are nothing to her."
Serena's face went grey.
"I'll ask once." My father addressed the crowd. "Who administered wolfsbane to my daughter? Who left her in the snow? Who—" his voice cracked with barely restrained rage, "—injected her a second time?"
His warriors had already pulled security footage. The evidence was irrefutable.
My father watched the footage on the tablet. His generals watched his face.
I watched the last remaining color drain from Serena's skin as she realized there were cameras. There had always been cameras.
My father handed the tablet back to his general.
When he spoke, his voice was perfectly calm. That was somehow more terrifying than the roaring.
"Arrest them all. Every single person who watched my daughter suffer and did nothing."
Screams erupted. Guests tried to run. The warriors caught them before they made it three steps.
"WAIT!" Damien screamed. "I didn't know! I DIDN'T KNOW SHE WAS YOUR DAUGHTER!"
My father paused.
He walked slowly toward Damien, each step deliberate.
He crouched down to Damien's level.
"Tell me," he said softly. "If she wasn't my daughter. If she was truly nobody. Would that have made this acceptable?"
Damien opened his mouth.
"Because to me," my father continued, "that makes it worse. It means you'd do this to any woman who had no one to protect her."
He stood.
"Take him to the cells. Maximum security. No trial for six months."
Damien screamed. Begged. His voice cracked as warriors dragged him away.
Serena tried to crawl away on her knees.
My father's boot landed in front of her face.
"And you," he said, looking down at her. "You're the one who injected my daughter."
Serena looked up, tears and snot streaming. "I'm sorry — I'm so sorry — please — it was just for my thesis—"
"Your thesis."
My father laughed.
It was the most terrifying sound I'd ever heard.