Chapter 14
1093 Words
Milton nods, understanding the gravity of her warning. "I deserve that," he admits. "But it won't be necessary, because this isn't a trick. My wolf has always known you were mine, Clover. I was just too stubborn, too proud to listen."
The forest around them seems to hold its breath, ancient trees bearing witness to this moment of truth between them. Somewhere in the distance, a wolf howls, perhaps one of the pack, perhaps something older and wilder, blessing what was always meant to be.
‘I have to try something, stepfather will expect her home.’ Peter thought, knowing it was wrong, but his heart wanted her for himself, and this bond was stopping him from having her.
Peter stepped out of the shadows, “Clover's father and mother are looking for you to come home. You’ve made a fool of yourself tonight; the whole pack is talking.”
Milton's head whips around, rage flaring in his eyes as they lock on Peter. The intrusion shatters the fragile moment of connection he'd been building with Clover. His wolf surges forward with a protective fury that catches even Milton by surprise.
"Leave. Now." The command vibrates with alpha power, making the very air around them tremble.
Peter stands his ground, though his wolf cowers internally, recognising the dominance display for what it is. "Theodore sent me to find his daughter," he lies, gambling that Milton's distrust of the Beta will work in his favour. "You know how he gets."
Clover steps fully out of the hollow willow now, her face hardening as she looks between the two men. The vulnerability she'd allowed Milton to glimpse vanishes behind a familiar mask of indifference. "Of course he did," she says flatly. "Always worried about appearances."
Milton doesn't take his eyes off Peter, reading the deception in his friend's stance. The betrayal cuts deep, but doesn't surprise him. His wolf has been sensing Peter's hidden feelings for Clover for years, even when Milton himself refused to acknowledge them.
"You're lying," Milton says, his voice dangerously soft. "Theodore is still with my father, trying to salvage his political plans. No one sent you here."
“Are you so sure, Milton? He had a feeling she’d run off; it's what she does. Always has. Remember, I had been called to his office this morning, we never discussed what he wanted me for, so how would you know what he told me to do?”
Milton's eyes narrow, his wolf snapping with fury beneath his skin. The accusation hangs in the air between them, a challenge that demands a response. He takes a measured step forward, positioning himself subtly between Clover and Peter.
"I know Theodore better than you think," Milton says, his voice deceptively calm. "And I know when my oldest friend is lying to my face."
Clover watches this exchange with growing unease, her newfound wolf senses picking up the dangerous undercurrents. The testosterone-laden tension crackles between the men like lightning before a storm. Her hand instinctively reaches for the willow's rough bark, seeking the comfort of her sanctuary.
"Stop it, both of you," she says, her voice stronger than she feels. "I'm not some prize to be fought over."
Peter's face flushes with a mixture of anger and shame. He hadn't expected Milton to see through his deception so easily. His wolf cowers at the challenge from the more dominant male, but his human pride refuses to back down completely.
"Fine," Peter admits, raising his hands in a gesture of surrender that doesn't reach his eyes. "Theodore didn't send me. I came because I was worried about you, Clover."
“What? Since when? Or was it from when you turned up at my mother’s grave today? The very place you damaged everything that was left there the day our parents mated after their wedding.”
Peter flinches at Clover's accusation, her words striking deeper than any physical blow. The memory of that day, of his childish cruelty at her mother's grave, flashes vividly in his mind. Shame burns through him, but pride won't let him retreat.
"I was a stupid kid," he admits, voice rough with emotion he rarely displays. "But I'm not that person anymore."
“Ah, since when? Your father told you that you were never allowed near her grave again, and yet today you were. Or was it what you over heard you know what who cares, regardless with me not staying to take the Beta post it falls to you after all its what everyone has wanted. I’m going back to my room, but not for father, just to be left alone, and I mean it.”
Milton's heart lurches at her words. The finality in her tone, the resignation, it's all too familiar. He's heard it before, in the rare moments when she'd stood her ground against his cruelty, only to be knocked down again. But this time feels different. This time, he can't let her walk away.
"Clover, wait," he says, reaching for her before thinking better of it and letting his hand fall. "Please."
Peter watches the exchange with growing desperation. His plan is unravelling, and with it any chance he might have had to intervene. He sees the way Milton looks at her now, like a man waking from a long, terrible dream to find treasure has been within his reach all along. It's a look that confirms what Peter has feared since the moment in the ceremonial circle: Milton's rejection of Clover was never truly about her, but about his own refusal to accept what fate had chosen.
"You can't seriously be considering this," Peter says to Clover, gesturing toward Milton. "After everything he's done? Everything he's said about you?"
Clover's amber eyes flash with irritation as she turns to Peter. "You have no right to question anything I do. Neither of you does."
Her wolf, Sage, growls in agreement, pressing against her consciousness with protective fury. The animal is tired of retreating, of hiding. She wants to stand and fight, for respect, for recognition, for the mate bond that thrums between her and Milton's wolf despite their human halves' complicated history.
In the Alpha's office, Theodore paces with growing agitation. The ceremony ended hours ago, and still no sign of his daughter or the Alpha Heir. Whatever is happening in the forest tonight will reshape pack dynamics for generations to come, and he's powerless to control it.
"She won't accept him," Theodore says, more to convince himself than the others present. "Not after years of his contempt."
- Writer
