Michael’s POV
How can this be?
How did I fail to notice all these things that happened twenty-two years ago?
As I listen to my dad’s words, I had a mental flashback and I realized that everything he said checked out.
I never knew what was going on but I know what had led to his impromptu combat with Brandon Wellington. I was trying to avoid mom and her usual meddling attitude, then I heard some warriors run in and report to my dad that my uncle and his family had been brutally murdered by the rogues.
I rushed out to question dad about it and he admitted to me that the rogues have struck again. I saw him rushing out in anger and I knew that he was going to where my uncle and his family were killed so I ran out and followed him out.
That was why I ended up on the battlefield with my father on the day that Brandon Wellington was killed. He tried so hard to send me back home but I just wouldn’t budge. He never carries me along when he is dealing with the rogues, he kept everyone in the dark because he doesn’t want us to live our lives in fear of them. He was only trying to protect us from the evil reality.
All these years, I have always wondered why my father’s hatred for the rogues doubled ten times over after the death of Brandon Wellington. It was because of the guilt in his heart for killing an innocent man. He has never forgiven himself for making a wrong call all those years ago.
The people were expecting tales of the rogues to be extinguished after the death of their leader, but it never did, instead, we continued to hear tales of their attacks on innocent people. Dad had intensified his efforts in ending the rogue attacks, he had set up a committee of Alphas and they always come up with different plans to end the rogue attacks. He had made us all to believe that he only wants to put an end to the rogues but the truth is that he simply wanted to smoke out the devious traitor, Alpha Smith.
I failed him, I failed my people, should have done my investigations!
I was too frustrated to think straight. I had not found my mate for so long and when I finally found her, I found out she is the girl my father had forced me to reject twenty years ago. I just wanted to do everything in my power to keep her by my side. All the evidence had proven that my father is the villain here and u didn’t bother to find out if the evidence was true or maybe it was faked.
Bella had also told me that her father had tried to make peace with the king but the king had refused to listen to anyone. How was I supposed to know that someone had been manipulating the whole story from the very beginning. Why didn’t I trust my own father?
All this would have been avoided if only I investigated properly, I could have asked questions, I should have trusted my father with the truth. Where the hell is Arabella? I hope she didn’t fall into the hands of that traitor’s men, I hope she didn’t get hurt.
I have to tell her that her father was not the bad guy, I need to find her before she gets hurt. She needs to know that we all made a mistake. I guess Phoenix could only see the future and not the past, Phoenix needs more training so she can master her powers perfectly well.
Dad was still telling me the truth about Alpha Smith. Dad was telling me how he got to find out about Arabella and I. It turns out that while I thought we were all working to bring down my father, Alpha Smith was using me as a bargaining chip to get favors from my father.
Dad told me that four months ago, he got a call from Alpha Smith which was white surprising to him, considering the fact that he has been searching for him for many years now and he always manages to escape from dad’s warriors.
Alpha Smith called to share some good news with my father or so he made it looks like. He told the king that he had finally found the great white wolf, bragging to my father that the great white wolf is mated to the prince and together, they would finally unseat him and rule as King and Queen.
The king had doubted his words because he knows that Smith is a cunning, sneaky bastard. He wouldn’t have paid any heed to Alpha Smith’s words but then he got a call from me and I announced to him that I have found my mate. He decided to look into it properly so he doesn’t get fooled by Smith again.
That was when he reached out to the best friend of Arabella. He had her brought to him in the palace and he interrogated her about her friend. Debbie had been pissed with Bella at that time so she opened up without much hesitation and she spilled out all the information that Arabella had told her about her family.
I never knew that Bella had also told her about her great powers but apparently she knew about it and she told everything to the king. He found out from Debbie that Arabella is the daughter of Brandon Wellington and he also got to know that our bonds were never broken twenty years ago, He realized that fate brought us back together and now Alpha Smith is trying to twist the story into a conspiracy theory, trying to use it as a bargaining chip to get what he wants.
The King decided to play the same game that Smith had played twenty-two years ago. He planted some spies around the rogue camp, then he agreed to all of Smith’s requests, causing him to believe that the King is now focused on capturing the prince and the great white wolf, that way he would not be able to see what’s coming to him.
Dad made him believe that he was helping him to capture Arabella and I, he even promised to write off his bad deeds and reinstate him as a noble Alpha, just like he was before he turned evil. He had no idea that he was being tricked by the king of all wolves.
“Why didn’t you tell me, dad, why the fuck am I in chains if you already know that I was only trying to do the right thing? I was following the clues goddammit!!” I yelled in frustration after dad finished telling me how stupid I have been.
“Because you were stupid and you tried to betray me. Let’s say I was wrong son, let’s assume I did all those evil things, would you have condemned me without hearing my side of the story?
Is that how you plan to rule your people?
You never even gave me a chance to defend myself. For that reason alone, you’ll have to stay right here until I decide what to do with you?
Don’t worry son, you won’t be alone in here, traitorous friends Brian and Derek would be right here with you along with their mates,
Oh, and lest I forget, your buddy Alpha Smith would be right there in that containment, you can both sit and plan your next attack plans if you choose.” he mocked me in a sarcastic tone as he turned to leave our cell.
“Dad.. Please, Wait.. My mate, Arabella, where is she?” I asked in a pleading tone. He is actually right. I judged and condemned my father without investigating properly. I didn’t even ask him about it, how could I be so stupid?
Alpha Smith must have gotten quite good at shielding his thought, I never picked up any clue, not even from his warriors in his pack. I guess Bella would have picked up a hint or a clue if only she had met him personally, but that never happened, and now we are in deep shit with the king. How could I have been so stupid!
“Dad please, Arabella is not a bad person, it was all my fault. She literally begged me to stay back but I didn’t listen. Don’t punish her dad, it’s not her fault, she doesn’t deserve this.” I kept pleading to my dad who stood by the door and supervised as the warriors dragged Alpha Smith into a containment and turned on a switch on the wall, making his containment to light up.
“Unfortunately son, I have no idea where Arabella is. Someone leaked vital information about our security systems to the rogues and the rogues managed to sneak in here undetected.
Do you perhaps know who that someone is?
You fool!!
While we were trying to capture you guys and the rogue leaders, the rogues that you helped to sneak into my kingdom and they stole your mate away… Son.
That’s what you get for getting into bed with traitors.
Rumors have it that the rogues want to try and drain her powers. For your sake son, I hope she is safe and alive when we find her because I would hate to see you bear the guilt of killing innocent people, it would hunt you for the rest of your lives.” he spat out in pain and anger , then he turned around and left..
As I stood there in a daze, looking so scared and frustrated, all I could say to myself was,
“What the hell have I done??”