Denderick’s POV
I sat in my study, staring blankly at the papers scattered across my desk. My mind wasn’t on the documents in front of me. It hadn’t been for days. No, all I could think about was Aria. This was day four, and there was still no sign of her.
I curled my fingers into fists. I knew Logan had her. He was the only one capable of something this twisted. His obsession with control, with claiming what wasn’t his, was no secret. But this time, he had gone too far.
The warriors I sent out to search had come back with nothing. Every lead, every whisper from our scouts, led to a dead end. But I didn’t need proof. I knew. Logan was behind this, and I had already begun making plans to bring him down. He wouldn’t get away with it. Not this time.
A sudden commotion outside snapped me out of my thoughts. I heard shouting-angry voices echoing through the courtyard. I stood up, my muscles tensing. What now?
Before I could reach the door, it flew open, crashing against the wall with a loud bang. Alpha Marcus stormed in, his face twisted in fury, and right beside him was the last person I wanted to see.
Giselle.
I groaned inwardly. Of all people, why did it have to be her and her father? The two of them spelled trouble for me, and right now, I had no patience left for their nonsense.
“Denderick!” Marcus bellowed, his voice booming through the room. “What is the meaning of this?! How dare you throw my daughter out of your packhouse!”
I crossed my arms, narrowing my eyes at him. “You know exactly why, Marcus.”
Giselle stood there, her face pale, eyes wide, trying to look innocent as always. But I wasn’t buying it. Not after what she’d done.
“I don’t care what you think she did,” Marcus spat. “Giselle is my daughter, and you have no right to cast her out like that. If anything, we’re doing you a favor by having her live with you!”
I leaned forward, bracing myself against the desk. “Your daughter sent a mercenary to kill Aria, and instead, that mercenary killed Mia, her sister. Did she tell you that?”
There was a moment of silence. I scoffed. “I see Giselle conveniently left that detail out.”
Marcus turned sharply to face Giselle, his eyebrows knitting together in confusion. “Is that true?” His voice was low, but there was no real shock in it.
Giselle shifted on her feet, crossing her arms defensively. “I didn’t mean to kill Mia,” she mumbled, her voice bitter. “I was aiming for Aria.”
I felt a cold wave of disgust wash over me. Of course, that was her answer. She didn’t care that her sister was dead. She was only mad that Aria had survived. Typical.
For a brief second, I thought Marcus would lash out at her, berate her, or show even the slightest bit of remorse for Mia’s death. But I was wrong. Instead, Marcus turned back to me, his face hardening even further.
“And that’s your excuse for throwing my daughter out?!” he shouted, stepping closer to me. “Because of a mistake? A misunderstanding?”
“A mistake?” I repeated, my voice low, controlled. “Your second daughter is dead, Marcus. Dead because of Giselle’s actions. And that is why she was sent packing.”
“You think you’re so righteous, don’t you?” Marcus sneered. “You think you’re above everyone else, casting judgment. But this isn’t over, Denderick. Not by a long shot.”
I met his gaze, unfazed by his bluster. “It’s over for Giselle. She’ll face the consequences of her actions, whether you like it or not.”
Marcus’s usually bright blue eyes suddenly darkened, and I could see the rage boiling beneath the surface. “I’ll go to the Council of Alphas with this. They’ll hear about your so-called ‘justice.’ You can’t just throw my daughter out like some common criminal!”
I shrugged, my hands dropping to my sides. “Go ahead. The Council has already been informed about Mia’s murder. Giselle will be called in for questioning soon. I doubt they’ll be on your side, Marcus.”
The color drained from Giselle’s face. She turned to me, her eyes wide with desperation. “No, you can’t-”
“I already did,” I cut her off. “The Council will decide your fate.”
Suddenly, Giselle dropped to her knees, her hands clutching the hem of my trousers. “Please, Alpha Denderick! You can’t do this to me! I didn’t mean for any of this to happen! You have to understand, I just… I just wanted to protect you from Aria! She’s dangerous. Dangerous, I tell you!”
“If there is anyone dangerous, Giselle, it’s you!” I stared down at her, unmoved by her plea. It wasn’t that I didn’t believe in forgiveness or second chances, but Giselle wasn’t asking for forgiveness. She wasn’t even remorseful. She was just scared of the consequences-scared of losing her comfortable life.
“You sent your daughter out into the wild.” I continued. “Mia was broken and alone when she came to me. I gave her peace. I gave her a real home and a real life, which is something she has never had with the both of you. And yet somehow, you managed to wrench that peace from her hands. Do you know how wicked what you did is, killing your sister and daughter?”
“I don’t think you understand what you’ve done, Giselle,” I said coldly, turning to Giselle. “This isn’t even about Aria being dangerous. This is about you sending a mercenary to kill an innocent woman. Your sister, Mia, is dead because of you.”
With precision, I stepped closer to her, my eyes locking into her tear-filled ones. I snarled in her face, making every word of my threat as clear as possible. “And I swear on the Moon, if anything happens to Aria because of your actions, you and your father will both bear the consequences.”
Giselle’s grip tightened on my pants, her voice growing more frantic. “Please! I’m begging you! I’ll make it right! I’ll do anything-just don’t let the Council take me away!”
I glanced at Marcus, who was watching his daughter grovel on the floor with a hint of annoyance in his eyes. He didn’t care. He had never cared about Mia. All that mattered to him was Giselle.
I had known Marcus was cruel, but I never imagined he could be this heartless.
“I won’t protect you, Giselle,” I continued. “You brought this on yourself. And whatever the Council decides, you will face it.”
Giselle sobbed, pressing her face to the floor, but her tears didn’t move me. I had seen too much-endured too much. She wasn’t the victim here.
“Get up,” Marcus snapped, grabbing her arm and pulling her roughly to her feet. “We’re leaving.”
Giselle stumbled to her feet, wiping her face with her sleeve. “But, Father-”
“I said we’re leaving!” Marcus barked, his voice sharp.
Giselle whimpered but obeyed, her head hanging low as she stood beside her father. Marcus glared at me, his eyes filled with malice.
“You’ll regret this, Denderick,” he growled. “You think you can defy me? You think you can go to the Council and ruin my family? I’ll make sure they change their mind. You cannot ruin my family.”
“You already ruined your family by what you did to Mia.” I retorted.
“Go to hell!” He spat in my face.
I didn’t respond. There was nothing more to say. Marcus could make all the threats he wanted, but the truth was on my side. And I had no intention of backing down.