Riff’s POV
“You are home early,” my father said when I walked into his office.
He was looking at the newspaper and acting as if he had not heard about the war that almost broke out.
“Are you seriously going to act like everything is okay when you know damn well that we had intruders in the pack?” I asked.
When a few seconds went by without a response, I hit my palm on his desk.
“Dad, I’m talking to you!” I yelled at the top of my voice.
He carefully folded the newspaper and put it on the desk, then looked at me coldly.
“What exactly did you expect me to do when I’m no longer the acting Beta? Did you want me to rush there and risk my very life when you are there?” he asked, seriously pissing me off.
“How about doing just that for not only your son and daughter but your pack! Gosh, what happened to you? The Beta you were back then was my role model. I dreamed every day of how I would protect everyone and support the Alpha just like you,” I said loudly.
“You were my hero, Dad,” I whispered.
“Well, I am so sorry to disappoint you, son, but times do change,” he answered and then stood up.
“I always asked you if something happened between you and the Alpha in the past for you to hate him this much, and you’ve always told me to never ask that again. Back then, I never understood why, but now I think I do know why,” I said as he looked at me.
“Was it because the Luna ran away with Sky’s twin brother?” I asked as his gaze turned murderous.
So that was the case. He really hated his own Alpha because of that.
My father and Clyde were the best of friends. Everyone in the pack knew their story, and the elders who spoke about them admired their unbroken bond from back then.
But then something happened that made them drift apart. My father chose to stay in town, far away from the pack house, and never involved himself in matters of the pack, even when he was needed.
It’s as if he had a choice to leave the pack forever; he would. But then he knew and understood better. Leaving the pack for a very long time would mean that he would never return. There was no way Sky or his father would ever allow him to come back, and his pack’s link would be broken.
In short, he would lose his family and turn rogue. Also, I would be forced to treat him like one.
“Where did you hear that?” he asked seriously.
“Father, that’s not the question you are supposed to ask me. You are supposed to ask me if I have
met Sky’s identical brother,” I answered as he frowned.
“You met him?” he asked in a low tone.
“Of course I did; he was part of the intruders that came into our pack,” I answered.
“Was he with her?” he asked loudly.
He looked nervous, and he was acting as if he was trying hard to stay still.
“If you mean the Luna, then no. But the Alpha did ask him about her, and finally, I learned that she is alive and her name is Berta,” I answered as he smiled widely.
“I see, so she survived,” he whispered, then sat down and moved his hand to cover his face.
“Of course she did; Lorin could never let her suffer alone,” he said, then laughed.
“They were gorgeous, amazing, and had this strong will that no one could ever break or shake. That’s what I truly admired about them. Actually, that’s what many of our warriors admired about them too,” he said, making me uncomfortable.
This was the first time I was hearing my father praise a she-wolf in my life. He said nothing about my sister, and there was never a time he truly said something romantic or praiseworthy about my late mother, who was his mate!
It was as if he had feelings for the Luna.
“Berta, Berta,” he whispered softly, then laughed loudly, startling me.
I was looking at him seriously, trying to see if he was losing his mind or not because he was acting like a madman.
“Dad, by chance, were you in love with the Luna?” I asked in a low tone.
He stopped laughing and dropped his hand to look at me.
“What did you ask me?” he asked.
“I asked if you had feelings for the Luna,” I answered, and then instantly regretted it when he stood up and pushed the desk to the side with a loud growl.
I took a step back, my heart beating loudly.
He loved me and my sister; that I knew, but there were times like this when I had to question whether he really did.
“Did you just say something to me, pup?” he asked as I swallowed hard.
“No, sir,” I answered in a cracked voice when his wolf pulled through.
Dad’s wolf was not only strong but also violent whenever he was upset. There were times I would take a beating instead of my sister, fearing he would hurt her badly.
When we were young, one day he hit her, and she fainted, unable to wake up for hours. I was scared out of my mind, and I vowed that day to take her beatings whenever she did something wrong.
Whenever I took her beatings, I saw no love or remorse in his eyes. But after the punishment, he would hold me in his arms and sincerely show me care and love. It’s as if he was losing his mind at the same time.
“I apologize for saying something that was out of line, but I came here to hear the story of what made the Luna leave because I am very concerned about my Alpha,” I said seriously.
“Go back, pup. You won’t hear a thing from me. After the incident that happened years ago, I promised myself never to talk about it,” he answered, then moved to the liquor cupboard and grabbed a whiskey bottle.
“Sky is a full-grown Alpha who doesn’t need his mother anymore. I suggest you convince him not to look for her or inquire more about her,” he said as I frowned deeply.
“Thanks for nothing,” I whispered, then walked out.
Why couldn’t I press him harder? Not only about the Luna but also about how he felt towards my mother?
Was it because of the fear I felt? I had no idea. All I knew was that I couldn’t.