STARLETTE
“Sorry about your clothes.” I quickly told Lucius before giving Iris full control, my bones breaking, shredding his clothes into pieces. I ran into the woods and followed Maximus’s voice, who wouldn’t stop yelling my name, a hint of fear lacing his voice. I reached him in no time, and the relief that immediately masked his features when he saw me was palpable.
“You scared me!” he exclaimed, placing a hand on his forehead and sighing. “Where have you been?”
I was surprised to see that he was the only one searching for me, and a whole search party had not been deployed as I had expected. This was the moment I should have shifted back, but apparently, I had nothing to wear. I howled at him, hoping he would understand and get me something to wear.
“Do you want to run with Nile?”
What? No!
“Yes!” Iris objected in my head.
“Have you forgotten our justified anger towards them?” I reminded her.
“We are angry at Maximus, not Nile, remember?”
“They are the same.”
“Nile is better.” She countered.
“You aren’t running with Nile, period!”
“Fine!” She conceded.
“I guess that’s a no.” He said when he didn’t receive a response. “I asked Tom to bring some clothes for you. He should be here any-” he trailed off as Tom appeared. “I guess he’s here already.”
Tom handed Maximus the clothes and nodded in my direction before quickly disappearing from sight.
I transformed and hurriedly put on the clothes provided. Without bothering to answer any of the questions Maximus asked me now that I could talk, I promptly started walking away from him.
“Lucius!” The rage that sipped through his voice caused me to shudder and halt. He rounded me, sniffing the scent that came off me, disgust evident in his face.
“Explain!” He growled, his eyes dark with anger.
“I uhm…” I swallowed the lump in my throat. “I bumped into him and gave him a hug to thank him for saving me. That’s all.”
My skin crawled at my own lie. But it was a white lie, I told myself. Hell would be unleashed if I told him the actual truth, and I couldn’t let that happen.
Doubt clouded his eyes. “Are you sure?”
I swallowed and nodded. “Yes.”
I quickly marched away from him before he could ask catastrophic questions-questions that would be difficult to answer truthfully. He followed behind me silently, still clearly furious that I smelled like Lucius.
When we reached the packhouse, he grabbed my arm and pulled me back. “I forgot to tell you, the Alpha of the Star Claw Pack is here.”
“My father?!” I exclaimed, horror filling my eyes.
He nodded.
“What is he doing here?”
“I summoned him. We made a disturbing discovery that the prisoner who escaped-one of the invisibles-was from the Star Claw Pack.”
“What?” I blinked repeatedly, my expression one of shock. The information wasn’t new to me, but how did he know? Panic soon replaced that shock as I wondered if my father was in trouble, or even I was in trouble.
Maximus nodded, then went ahead to explain further. “Fortunately, the pack artist had already made a sketch of the prisoner before he escaped. We made many copies of that sketch and sent soldiers to show it to people across all the packs to see if anyone recognised him. Someone from the Star Claw Pack did. They informed us that he was an offender who had also escaped from their pack, and the Alpha had been searching for him. But I still had to invite the Alpha for further questioning.”
“Have you finished questioning him?” I asked.
He nodded. The anger from just a few minutes ago had surprisingly dissipated, replaced by a gentler expression.
He wrapped his arm around my waist; although surprised by his unexpected gesture, I didn’t protest. Instead, I cooperated, walking alongside him with his hand still on my waist. Arousal bloomed within me, sparks jolting through my body at his touch. Though I was still mad at him, I didn’t want his hand to leave my waist. If anything, I wanted every part of my body to be graced with his touch.
As we entered the packhouse, my father came into view, and I stilled. Memories of years of abuse flashed through my mind. I wanted to hate him but I couldn’t. Though the anger that filled me was immeasurable.
“Hmm.” My father snorted, the disdain he had always looked at me with still present in his eyes.
“Good day, Alpha.” I curtsied.
“I am not your, Alpha.” He sneered, and I froze. He still had the same effect he had always had on me. I was beyond traumatized. I hated this.
Maximus’s eyes narrowed as he darted his gaze between us. This was obviously not the father-daughter interaction he expected.
“About that,” Maximus cleared his throat. “I would like you to sever her ties with your pack before you leave here, so that she can properly become a member of this one.”
Without hesitation, my father complied. “I, the Alpha of the Star Claw Pack, gladly denounce Starlette Cromwell as a member of the Star Claw Pack and as a result, sever all ties between her and the pack.”
The hurt that engulfed me was intense. My father, the one who was supposed to love me the most in this universe, ejected me from his pack without any form of hesitation or regret. I already knew the depth of his hate for me, but a small part of me had still hoped for his redemption.
All eyes were on me, waiting for me to play my part. But it was not as easy for me as it was for my father. This was a connection that I had had my entire life, so severing it felt like losing a part of myself. Even though this connection had only ever brought me pain, the decision was difficult. But I had to do it; it was inevitable. I had to let go of all ties, along with the pain and misery it had caused.
I took a deep breath before looking my father in the eyes, hoping the courageous stance I took would mask how much I was shattering inside.
“I, Starlette Cromwell, accept.”
A hot string of pain immediately pulled on my chest. I clutched my chest with my hand as I sank to the floor, wincing in agony. It hurt, it hurt so much. My father, on the other hand, just winced a little but stood tall.
Maximus crouched beside me, gently patting my back.
When the pain finally subsided, I hoisted my head and looked at my father with my tear-filled eyes. What did I do to deserve so much hate? I wanted to ask him, but I already knew the response I would get. “You killed my wife, my Luna, my Mate, when she gave birth to you.” He repeated it so much I had mastered every word.
At some point, I had begun to believe that I wasn’t worthy of being alive because that was what he had always projected.
“Now you can become a proper member of this pack.” Maximus told me, his voice gentle.
“Why do you want to even make her a member of your pack, a royal pack?” The disdain in my father’s voice was unmistakable.
“Because she is to become the Luna of the Royal Crest Pack.” Maximus announced with the warmest voice. My lashes fluttered repeatedly as I shot my gaze at him. Luna?