What the hell bwas /bhe beven /bdoing here?

I blinked in confusion and looked around to see that I was indeed in my room. bYes/b, everyone was here with meb, /band while I could understand his bBeta /band Gamma, Cassian and Drake being here, him? What was he doing here when he clearly hated my very existence?

But most of all… why had he saved me from those roguesb? /b

I might bhave /bbeen a step away from bdeath /bat that moment, but I had recognized him from his bscent /balmost instantly. It was different from the others- unique. It pulled me in, in a way no one else ever had. But that was only bbecause /bhe was my mate and nothing more.

I had actually expected him to leave me to die. The fact that he saved me was even more surprising than seeing him bhere/bb. /b

“Nyssa, child. How are you feeling? Are you okay?” My father’s voice pulled me out of my daze, and I turned to find him staring at me with teary eyes. His hand reached for the bandage wrapped around my head as he took in a deep breath and said,

“That must have really been painful.” He forced a smile. “I’m really sorry for noting on time.”

My heart bloomed in my chest at the sight of his sad expression, and I couldn’t help but smile, only to whine in pain as the movement tugged at my bruised face. I silently cursed the rogue for making my face this sore.

“It’s not your fault, Father,” I said softly, reaching out to hold his hand. “It’s not your fault that I couldn’t defend myself and got beaten instead, so don’t me yourself. What matters is that everyone seems to be safe.”

He stared at me for a few seconds before inhaling deeply and finally nodding in agreement.

“Y–yes, you are right, child. How do you feel?” he asked me, and I gave his hand a soft squeeze as I responded.

“I’m okay, just a dull pain,” I answered, and he smiled before turning to look at the healer who stood silently beside me.

“Can you check her once more and prescribe some medicine for her? She doesn’t have a wolf now, so she takes longer to heal than others.”

I blinked in confusion at his words, then realized I never got the chance to tell him about my white wolf. I hadn’t said anything because I thought I was going to die anyway. But now… now that I wasn’t sure what was going on in Darius’s head, I wasn’t sure if I should bring it up or not.

b“/bbYes/bb, /bI understand, Alpha,” the healer said with a respectful bow. “Though this time seems different. The miss appears to have healed faster than usual. In fact, she’s healed faster than most of the werewolves I’ve seen,” the old healer added.

My bfather’s /beyes widened in surprise, but then he smiled softly, probably thinking the healer was simply exaggerating.

“I bsee/b. Well then, that’s good. But you should still give her something to help her feel better,” he said.

To be honest, I didn’t think I needed medicine. I wasn’t really hurting anymore, just a slight ache in my body but I knew that if I said nothing, he’d keep worrying. I was just about to tell him about my white wolf.

Before bI /bcould speak, Darius, who had been silent all this while, suddenly cut me off, his voice low and firm.

“In two days, I’ll be taking the girl with me to my pack. I assume that’s eptable to you, Ethan?”

It felt as bif /bthe world hade bto /ba sudden halt. I bstared /bbat /bhim in disbelief.

What…

And it seemed I wasn’t the only one surprised. My father shot up from his seat, eyes wide as he stared at Darius. When no one responded, Darius raised a brow and repeated himself, this time more pointedly.

“Would that be okay with you, Ethan?”

His cold gaze narrowed, and I watched as my father immediately dropped to his knees, bowing his head in respect.

“O–of course, my king. It’s perfectly fine with me. D–does this mean… you bept /bmy daughter bas /byour mate?” he asked, lifting his head to look up at Darius with a hopeful smile.

Darius’s frown deepened at the question, but he averted his gaze from my father and rose from his seat, hands tucked into his pockets as he replied coolly, “I do not ept your daughter as my mate. But if I cannot reject her, then she stays with me. In btwo /bdays, she will return with me, unless you would prefer to have her buried here, rejected by me.”

I inhaled sharply at the threat. I could see my father’s hands clench at Darius’s words, but instead of reacting to the provocation, he simply bowed his head and said, “I understand, Alpha. Thank you for your generosity.”

Darius took his gaze off my father as though he wasn’t a man who ruled a pack, as though he wasn’t an Alpha. But then again, Alpha or not, you are nothing in the eyes of the cursed Lycan King.

His eyes met mine, and for a brief moment, it felt as if the world had frozen until he looked away, turned around, and walked off without sparing me another nce.

Cassian and Drake, who had been in the room, immediately bowed and shot me an apologetic smile before following after Dariusb. /b

As soon as they left, the room fell into silence. Caleb and Benjamin walked up to my father, helping him up from the ground.

I was about to speak, but froze when I saw my father’s expression shift toward me. His eyes were cold and serious as Calen gestured for the healer and Serena to leave.

I swallowed hard, my heart pounding fast against my chest as he walked to the seat in front of me and sat down, his expression really serious and something told me I already knew what he was about to say.

No, I couldn’t go to that cursed pack!

Not when Kieran and Aria were here, not with the rogue attack that happened yesterday.

“No,” I quickly said before he could speak. “I am not leaving-”

“You are leaving to the king’s nack Nyssa and there is nothing you can do about it” He stated firmly