The Betrayed Alpha’s Daughter

Deal

LACHLAN'S POV

I watched the woman in front of me keenly. At first, I wasn't sure if she was really the daughter of Alpha Darius. Since I started my search for her, I had encountered a lot of fakes and I couldn't afford to believe anyone.

My doubt became stronger when she came to my pack and began lashing out at me in anger. I could feel the intensity of her anger, and at some point, I was confused about what I had done to her.

Yes, we had an intimate night together, which could be the reason for her rage but it was consensual and shouldn’t bring about this much rage. But her rage… it felt different, almost like I could taste it.

But just as she was thrashing about and cursing me out, my eyes landed on the nape of her neck and a wave of shock jolted through me.

I remembered seeing the birthmark when we were making out, but my mind had been too preoccupied to process it clearly. But now, I realized I had seen a similar birthmark on Darius on the same spot, and coupled with the necklace, I could no longer deny the fact that she definitely is his daughter.

Regret flooded through me at the realization. I recalled the words and promises I made to Darius concerning his daughter. He had told me to treat his daughter like a younger sister when I finally met her.

“Protect her with your life because she’ll become your little sister,”

I heard Alpha Darius' voice in my head like a siren's whispers.

Back then, the thought of having a sister somewhere excited me, and I looked forward to seeing her. I remember asking him countlessly when I was going to see her, but he kept saying it wasn’t time yet.

Worry etched on my face as I watched her stare at the picture in what may seem like a trance. A feeling of anguish settled in the pit of my stomach as I clenched my fist in frustration.

Last night with her had brought down the walls I had built around myself. The walls I had built due to the pains I experienced in my past caused by someone whom I trusted more than myself.

My past mate.

I had cherished her with my life, made promises and fulfilled every last one of them, but the moment a higher price was given for her to betray me, she gladly did without a second thought, without thinking about the plans we had shared, the mating bond we shared, and everything we had gone through to make sure she was safe.

Her words of disdain had stung my ears as she confessed that despite being mated, she had used me to gain power and she wanted more.

I had never felt such betrayal in my entire life, so when I had secured my authority, I put her and her silly friends in jail.

There and then, I swore never to trust a woman or be with one. But everything changed when I met Lucille at the event hosted in her pack.

I remembered how gloomy she had looked when she came in and how excited she was when we began talking and I immediately knew I needed to have a taste of her.

But now realizing she is Darius’s daughter filled me with so much regret because I knew how excited my little man gets when we lock eyes.

My gaze suddenly landed on those pink, sultry lips, and I gulped hard, unbuttoning the top of my shirt. My mind flashed back to last night, our bodies grinding against each other as we claimed each other's lips and a wave of heat rushed through me.

Lucille cleared her throat noisily, bringing me out of my thoughts. “Okay,” she slowly replied, her eyes roaming the room.

Clicking my teeth in annoyance, an annoyance mostly directed towards me, I shifted my gaze from her lips.

“I'm going to give this a chance, but…” She paused, gazing suspiciously at me. “I still don't trust you.”

A scoff escaped my lips as I crossed my legs and dug my hand into my pockets.

Shrugging her shoulders as if it proved her point, she continued. “I don't trust you, you might want to betray me, and just so you know, you stand no chance against me,” She snickered cynically.

Tightening my jaw, I began, “Trust? I do not trust either and just so you know, I've got nothing to lose or gain. I am working with you because of the respect and promises I made to your father while he was alive. He trained me and also was a father to me, so this is my way of thanking him and honoring him,” I said calmly, staring hollowly at the dim light across the room as I thought of the man who fought for me when the council of elders wanted to take my pack from me.

Alpha Darius fought battles and made sure my name was cleared. He didn't stop till he was sure I was sitting on my throne.

“That still changes nothing, but I'm still in,” Lucille replied, thinning her lips.

I could feel the aura around her, it was so strong that it fought with mine for domination.

I motioned for the guard at the corner to come over. “Go to my office and get the documents on my Desk.”

“Yes your highness,” he replied, bowing slightly before leaving.

“So? When are you going to let me go? Or are you scared of my wrath?” Lucille questioned, snickering as she showed her claws.

“Oh really?” I let out a scoff of mockery. “I need you to understand that the only reason you are still alive is because of your father and nothing else.”

“You are a weakling who couldn’t even defeat the guards stationed at the gate and you want to fight an alpha? Who feeds your delusions?”

Her face contorted into a scowl at my words and she rolled her eyes backward, not uttering a word but I could have sworn I heard her curse under her breath.

An uncomfortable silence ensued in the room and soon only the sound of her foot tapping against the floor filled the room.

Unable to wait for the guard to return, I spoke up, breaking the silence. “I am sure the person who attacked your pack recently is the same set of people that blackmailed Alpha Darius,” I uttered.

“Yes, they are. I have evidence of their strange markings back home,” Lucille mumbled, scrunching her face into a frown.

I must say, she was strong-willed and definitely didn't need anyone's protection to survive.

“Before coming here, all evidence pointed towards your company since you provided arms to them,” Lucille explained, and I shut my eyes briefly, trying to control my rage.

“They are doing the same thing they did when Darius was alive, trying to sabotage my company and take over a couple of packs while at it but I swear to the moon goddess, I would rather die than see my company fall for the second time,” I bellowed, hitting the table hard in anger.

“So what's the plan?” She asked, her voice low, filled with desperation.

Stroking my beard, I replied. “First, we have to act oblivious to the fact that you know that I am not the one who killed your Father.”

“I am not ready to put my pack members at risk for this plan, and I want to be sure you're aware of what is on the line,” I asked, staring at her through the corner of my eyes.

“Yes, I do,” She affirmed, and I took a few steps toward her, each stride trying to hide my uneasiness.

I didn't trust her, I knew her zeal to find her father's killer might drive her to do anything. And giving her this information might jeopardize a lot, but I had to take the risk. I needed to be sure I could trust her enough.

“I need you to be active in politics in your pack house. You're the potential Alpha of Moonclaw pack, you need power to survive,” I stated, leaving no room for objections.

In that moment, the guard finally came back and handed me the file. Flipping each page over, I searched for a particular name and placed it in front of her.

“This particular person keeps purchasing heavy arms and weaponry from my company literally every week, like he is preparing for war, and the strange thing is that he drops different pack locations for each delivery. I tried tracing the number, but I found out he uses a burner phone to communicate with my company.”

“But one thing that stood out for me when we had a conversation was his accent. Due to the fact that I have been in your pack countless times and I’m quite familiar with your region’s accent, it wasn’t hard to tell he was from your region. And I believe this person has a hand in your father's case or at least knows the people who orchestrated the whole thing.”

“It's indeed strange,” Lucille mumbled as she stared at the delivery location and name.

“I'd do my research on this matter. Also, I haven't been involved in politics; my uncle has been ruling since I'm not yet eligible. But I'd start from somewhere,” she concluded, and I saw an unexplainable flicker in her eyes.

“If you ever betray me,” I started, my voice cold, with my gaze piercing through her. “I'm faithful to your father and not you, so I wouldn't hesitate to do something you'd regret for the rest of your life,” I threatened, my gaze conveying my intentions.

“Deal,” She chimed in, nodding slowly.

We sealed the deal with a handshake, and as her fingers lingered against mine, an unexplainable warmth spread through me. My wolf — Rye howled excitedly in my head and pranced about trying to communicate with me but I shut him out immediately.

A moment of silence reigned between us as we gazed at each other with neither of us daring to let go of the other person’s hands. Beads of sweat trickled down her forehead and I felt my throat tighten painfully. Swallowing the dry lump that had formed in my throat, one desperate thought filled me.

“I needed to be as far away from her as possible.”