I kick it shut behind me without turning around. The slam reverberates through the room.
My father leans back in his chair, studying me with that assessinglook he uses when he’s trying to figure out what angle I’m playing. “Sit down.”
“I’ll stand.”
“Darius—”
“Answer my question.” I storm over, plant my hands on his desk, and lean forward. “I know you’ve known for years. I know you’ve seen the marks. The way Violet flinches. The excuses Lillian makes.” My voice drops lower, darker. “You’re the alpha. You could stop it with one word. Why haven’t you?”
An odd expression flickers across his face. Discomfort, maybe. Or guilt. But as soon as I see it, it’s gone.
He picks up the papers again, his movements deliberate. “How my mate disciplines her daughter is up to her.”
The word he uses makes my blood boil. “Disciplines?” I can hear the growl creeping into my voice. My wolf is too close to the surface, pacing and snarling. “Violet got her face clawed open tonight when Lillian told her to quit the job that you forced her into.”
My father’s hand stops on the page mid-turn. The muscle in his jaw ticks once. Twice. But that’s it. That’s his only reaction.
The silence stretches. He doesn’t look up. Doesn’t meet my eyes. Just keeps staring at that goddamn file like it contains the secrets of the universe.
My hands curl into fists on his desk. “I don’t understand why you brought them here if you never intended to protect Violet. You’re in charge of this pack. One command from you, and Lillian would have to stop. But you do nothing.”
No reply. Not even an acknowledgment that I’ve said anything.
A bitter laugh escapes me. “So much for you being a fair alpha.” I straighten, stepping back from his desk. “You can’t even be a fair stepfather.”
His eyes snap to mine. “You’re crossing a line.”
“Good.” I hold his gaze, letting him see the fury burning in mine. “The next time Lillian touches Violet, I’ll rip off her hand.”
I head toward the door.
“Darius.”
His voice cracks like a whip. The tone that makes lesser wolves drop to their knees. Command. Authority.
I pause, my hand on the door handle, but I don’t turn around.
“Why are you getting so involved with Violet?” His chair scrapes against the floor as he stands. “You’ve never cared before.”
The words are like a punch to my gut. Never cared? If he only knew. How I’ve been caring for six years. How every day she was gone made it feel like I was missing a limb. How coming to this house knowing she wasn’t here anymore nearly destroyed me.
A part of me wants to tell him everything. That Violet isn’t just my stepsister. That she’s my fated mate. That the bond I’ve been fighting for six years is killing me slowly, from the inside out. That I can’t stand by and watch her suffer anymore.
My fists clench so hard, my nails bite into my palms.
I can’t tell him. Can’t risk what would happen if the truth came out. The scandal. The judgment. The way it would destroy her reputation and mine. The way it would give the pack an excuse to ostracize her even more.
The way it might make my father choose between pack law and his own son.
“I was a fool before.” The words come out with great difficulty, each one dragged from somewhere deep. “But if I am going to be alpha one day, I cannot let people in my own household be mistreated. Strong or weak.”
I don’t wait for his response. I yank the door open and stride out, my footfalls echoing in the empty hallway.
My chest is tight. My wolf is urging me to go back, to make him understand, to force him to protect what’s mine.
But I can’t.
I head toward the residential wing, my feet carrying me there without my telling them to. When I reach Violet’s door, I stop.
