Chapter 13: The Chains That Bind
1344 Words
Carter's POV
I had never been the kind of man who ignored his instincts.
An Alpha couldn’t afford to.
And right now, every instinct I had was screaming that something was off.
It had been gnawing at me ever since I heard Jake’s words. Ever since I’d seen the way Ruby pulled away from him when she thought no one was looking.She tried to hide it, but I’d caught the hesitation in her steps when he approached. The forced smile. The way her shoulders stiffened under his gaze, just for a second before she smoothed it over like nothing had happened.
I knew that kind of reaction. I’d seen it before.
It wasn’t fear,not yet.
But it was something close.
Something didn’t add up.
Ever since my wolf, Kale, had bristled at the very mention of his name.
He’s hiding something, Kale growled. Find out what it is.
And I was trying.
But Jake was careful. Too careful.
He was the kind of man who knew how to blend in, how to slip through the cracks unnoticed. He never said too much, never said too little. His movements were fluid, his reactions calculated, as if every word and every step were measured to perfection. He gave just enough to be trusted, just enough to be liked: but never enough to be known.
After training, I lingered near the warriors, listening, watching. Jake was well-liked, respected. He spoke with ease, moved with confidence, laughed like he belonged.
But that was the problem.
He belonged too easily.
Too seamlessly.
It wasn’t just that he fit in: it was the fact that no one questioned it. There were no sideways glances, no hushed whispers about where he had come from or what he had left behind. No one wondered how a man with no history had slipped into our ranks like he’d always been here.
And that was what unsettled me the most.
There were no cracks in the mask.
No gaps in his story.
No mistakes I could exploit.
It was like he had erased his past, wiped the slate clean, and rewritten himself into our pack’s history as if he had always been a part of it.
Kale let out a low snarl. We’re missing something.
I knew it too.
But before I could push further, before I could slip into another conversation and pry at the seams, a voice cut through the air: sharp, commanding, undeniable.
“Carter.”
I stilled.
Then slowly turned.
My Father, Cyrus,stood at the edge of the training grounds, his arms crossed, his expression unreadable.
But I knew better.
I could see the tension in his jaw, the way his silver eyes burned with warning.
This wasn’t just a conversation.
This was a summoning.
A command.
Kale bristled.
I exhaled sharply, wiping the sweat from my brow. “Father.”
He didn’t speak, just turned and walked toward the packhouse.
Expecting me to follow.
Expecting me to obey.
And, like always, I did.
His office was exactly as I remembered: dark wood, towering bookshelves, the heavy scent of old parchment and authority.
My Father stood by the window, hands clasped behind his back, watching the pack move below.
He didn’t turn when he spoke.
“I hear you’ve been asking questions.”
I kept my expression neutral. “Shouldn’t an Alpha always be well-informed?”
His eyes flicked to mine, cold and sharp. “Don’t play games with me, Carter.”
I clenched my jaw.
Silence stretched between us, thick, suffocating.
Then my father sighed, turning to face me fully. “You’re my heir. My son. And yet, you continue to act like a child who doesn’t understand his place.”
Kale’s fur bristled. Watch yourself.
I forced myself to stay still, to keep my expression blank. “And what exactly have I done this time?”
My father's gaze hardened. “You’re chasing after a girl who was never meant for you.”
A sharp bolt of anger snapped through me.
I exhaled slowly. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Don’t insult me.” His voice was calm, but there was an edge to it: a quiet, simmering disappointment that made my stomach tighten.
“You think I don’t see it?” He took a slow step forward, his gaze burning into mine. “You think I don’t know what you’ve been doing?”
I stayed silent.
His lips curled slightly. “Jake is a Beta Warrior. His mate will be Ruby. That is the way of things.”
A bitter taste filled my mouth. “You mean that’s what you decided.”
My Father's expression darkened. “That’s what’s best for the pack.”
Kale let out a sharp snarl. Best for him, you mean.
I clenched my fists. “Ruby doesn’t love him.”
My father's laugh was cold. “Love?” He shook his head. “An Alpha doesn’t concern himself with such foolish things.”
I stiffened.
His eyes pierced into me. “You think your mother and I were fated mates?”
My stomach turned.
Because I had never asked.
Never even considered it.
My father exhaled, shaking his head. “We weren’t. And yet, we built something stronger than love. Something built on duty. On responsibility. On power.”
Kale growled, his claws scraping against my mind. That’s not what Mom would have said.
I knew that too.
Because my mother had been the only warmth in my childhood.
She had been soft where he was hard, kind where he was cold.
She had never told me to be strong.
She had just been there when I wasn’t.
And then she was gone.
And everything after that had been this.
Expectation. Duty. Sacrifice.
My Father studied me carefully. “You think I don’t know what you want?”
I clenched my jaw. “And what is that?”
He smiled slightly, but there was nothing warm about it. “You want to save her.”
A sharp, painful silence filled the room.
My heart pounded.
Because he wasn’t wrong.
I did.
I wanted to tear Jake apart, to rip him from her life and erase every touch, every word, every f*****g moment he had stolen from her.
But My father wasn’t finished.
His voice lowered, the next words coming out slow, deliberate.
“You think you’re protecting her. But all you’re doing is humiliating yourself.”
Something inside me snapped.
Kale snarled.
My fists clenched so tight my nails cut into my palms.
My father's voice was calm, final. “Stay away from her, Carter. Don’t embarrass this family by chasing after an Omega.”
Kale lunged in my mind. She is not just an Omega.
I stepped forward before I could stop myself. “And if I don’t?”
My father didn’t move.
Didn’t flinch.
But his eyes darkened.
“You will.”
The words weren’t just a command.
They were a threat.
And I understood, in that moment, exactly what he meant.
If I defied him: if I chased after Ruby, if I claimed her,he would make me pay for it.
And he wouldn’t just punish me.
He would punish her.
Kale let out a slow, seething growl.
He thinks he can control us. Like he controls everything else.
I stared at my father.
The man who had raised me.
The man who had shaped me.
The man I had spent my entire life trying to please.
And I hated him.
I hated that he was right.
I hated that he had power over me.
I hated that I had let him.
My father exhaled, stepping back toward his desk. “This conversation is over.”
I clenched my fists.
Because it wasn’t.
Not for me.
Not for Kale.
Not for Ruby.
I turned without another word, leaving the office, my pulse pounding in my ears.
Kale’s voice was low, furious.
This ends tonight.
I didn’t know what that meant.
Didn’t know what I would do.
But I knew this
I wasn’t walking away.
Not anymore.
- Writer
