HUGH. I look across at her. My head is bursting with incessant throbbing. I have drunk far too much, but even then; it was not enough to drown out the suffering within my mind.
The turmoil of the past and present mix into one bubbling stew that is ready to explode. What exactly did I do for the world and the Goddess if she is up there to work against me time and time again? “Dad…”
She brings me from my train of thought, and I suck in a slow breath as I look at her. She is nothing like her mother. I am truly proud of her.
“There’s far too much to share, Zaia.” “I’m ready to hear it. You have been here for me father, let me be here for you.”
I sigh heavily. Never have I felt so tired of carrying these secrets. “The beginning,” I say as I tug free from her hold and stand up. “The beginning…”
I walk towards the window and stare out at the moon. Do I tell her? There is so much that this might change…
“Zaia… there is no turning back from here. If I tell you the truth, then-”
“I’m ready for it,” I say quietly. Am I wrong to tell her? But if something happens to me… she should know the reality.
“Very well then, I swear that everything I say is nothing but the truth. But I want you to remember that regardless of what I tell you, it should not affect the way you see things and… it remains between us.”
“Ok…” She sounds worried and I look up at the moon. It’s glowing brightly, almost soothing
It’s time to share the burden that has been on my mind for years. The mistakes I’ve made, the betrayal I was dealt, the sins I’ve committed… it is all becoming too much.
“I will go back to when it all began when everything was perfectly fine. When I was happy and content with my mother. I didn’t expect things to change overnight, but that’s just how life deals its blows… When you least expect it.” I begin, memories of the past begin to cloud my mind… Will it change things between us?
“You probably don’t know this, since I’m certain you would have mentioned it if your mother had told you… but… I had a brother, he was a few years older than me…”
She gasps, and I try to remain emotionless. “No, Mom’s never mentioned that.” She murmurs. “So, she didn’t.” I can’t help but smile bitterly.
Why does it still hurt? I nod slowly. “Well… his name was Adam, and he was all set to become the future Alpha.”
(FLASHBACK TWENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO)
Where are they? I walk through the silent house, it’s too quiet.
Didn’t Melanie say she was going to be spending the evening with friends? I was away on a business trip and was not set to return until Friday, but after sealing the deal early; I was able to catch a flight home two days earlier than planned.
I couldn’t wait to spend the evening with her and surprise her, she’ll be happy to see me.
It’s not even 10 pm yet. Where is she?
I pause in the archway to the lounge, spotting the two glasses of wine on the table and the half-empty bottle.
I wouldn’t call that a party. I sniff the air. I can only pick up Melanie’s and Adam’s scents.
Adam? Was he back in town? Maybe she changed her plans because he showed up. I take off my jacket and put my small suitcase down, loosening my tie.
It sure was a long flight, but I wanted to get back quickly. I head upstairs to find her. I’m halfway down the hall to our bedroom when I stop outside the guest room, which Adam usually uses when he stops by.
Despite being the firstborn, he hasn’t found his mate, nor had he taken a Luna of choice, preferring his bachelor lifestyle.
The door to the guestroom is open, and I pop my head inside but it’s empty.
I continue down the hall to my own bedroom when the sound of moans reaches my ears. My heart thuds as I slowly step closer, fear clawing at me as a heavy weight settles in the pit of my stomach. Maybe Adam’s brought someone back with him…
I inch close to my room; the moans getting louder and sickening. I recognise that voice. I’ve heard it far too many times…
Turn away Hugh, what you don’t see, you don’t know…
It won’t hurt Leave. But no, I have to know. The lamp is on, bathing the master bedroom in a warm glow, and the door stands slightly ajar.
The sight before me is one that I will never forget. Melanie is on all fours on our bed as none other than Adam, my brother, is pounding into her from behind.
I’m frozen for a moment as she begs him to fuck her harder like ‘last time’. I turn away as my entire world crashes down around me.
My mate is cheating on me. My brother betrayed me. Silently I make my way back downstairs, I grab my jacket and briefcase exiting the house silently….
(END OF FLASHBACK)
I spare her the details, telling her I saw her mother cheat on me with my brother. I was always the one doing the workload… the boring one… of course, they’d all prefer him. She gasps, but now that I’ve begun, I can’t stop.
“I returned the following day, and they both looked me in the eye as if nothing was wrong. I couldn’t bring myself to tell them I knew… and so I didn’t. I kept it in. I went through grief, regret, pain, betrayal… alone… As Melani pretended to love me, each day that passed only made the pain inside of me fester.”
I stop when she places a hand on my back, but I can’t look at her.
She’s my daughter… regardless…
“She told me she was pregnant… I wasn’t expecting that and after what happened I wanted to know if the child was even mine… and so with the help of a doctor, at one of her check-ups I had a small amount of amniotic fluid drawn from her without her knowing and then I had it tested against both mine and Adam’s DNA.”
“No…” Zaia whispers, sounding horrified.
“Don’t worry, you are my daughter…” I say quietly. Her heart is thumping, and I grip the window ledge. “Knowing I was the father, I decided to try to give it another chance, our fake relationship.” My voice breaks and I stop.
“I’m so sorry,” she whispers, I turn to her, guilt filling me. I’m causing her additional stress. As her father, I should be the pillar of strength for her.
“You are my daughter. Never apologise for something you had no hand in.” I say quietly, touching her cheek. She looks down, and she reminds me of the child that was constantly pulled between us. I have failed one child already.
“Then what happened? Where is he now?” she asks, her eyes glittering with tears. “Adam.” I sigh before turning back to the moon.
“I thought the bond of fated mates would be beautiful, that she’d soon see the er in her ways and return to me. That this pregnancy would bring us closer. I made sure to give her attention and love. Yet… they didn’t stop their relationship. I kept an eye on them, and it continued.”
“How could she… and then calling Annette…” She huffs and I can sense her disappointment.
“Melanie was in her last trimester when Adam was telling me about a woman who he is seeing but luckily she’s in a relationship so he doesn’t need to worry about committing… How her mate is an idiot who didn’t notice what was right beneath his nose.
That’s when I lost it. In my rage, I killed him.” I say closing my eyes, remembering pulling out that gun and shooting him square in the chest.
“Oh, my goddess…” Zaia murmurs, shocked. He died with that smirk on his face…
“And that’s when Annette came into the picture.” My eyes glimmer with rage as I remember her words from back then.
“What, so you two weren’t together by then?” she asks, confused. “But she was pregnant at the same time as Mom.”
I turn and look at her sharply. “I don’t think you understand, Zaia. I have never been with another woman since I met your mother. I never cheated on her.” I say quietly. Her eyes widen as she stares at me, and I frown.
“Annette gave me an ultimatum, accept her and her child, make her Luna, and she will never tell anyone what I did. I killed the future Alpha… that could have cost me life in prison or death. So, I accepted. I was already angry at your mother and wanted to hurt her the way she hurt me; I fabricated the story that I had an affair. I thought she’d tell me the truth. Seeing her so devastated over Adam’s death only strengthened my resolution that this was the perfect revenge.”
I walk to the chair and sit down again, feeling tired. Slumping forward in the seat, I stare at the hardwood floor.
“In my rage, I made more than one mistake and let her blackmail me. After that, anytime I didn’t do what Annette wanted, she would threaten me with exposing my truth. And so, I did as she asked – every time, even
distancing myself from you. She never knew about what happened between Adam and Melanie, I kept that a secret, wanting to take it to the grave… After Dad passed away, I was made Alpha and I continued with my life, trying to let go of the past.”
There… it’s all on the table. She kneels on the floor in front of me, sitting with her legs tucked under her, her hands in her lap. Tears stream down her cheek as she looks back at me.
I didn’t tell her for fear she’d deem me a weak father, but she was the strength that helped me carry on. “You… you were always in the right and all those hurtful things I said to you…” she whispers.
I look at her. “There’s no satisfaction in proving someone wrong or right… I committed a crime by killing him too… I should have owned up to it but I didn’t want to throw away my life,”
“And until this day, Mom doesn’t know? She’s always acted like she’s innocent after what she did…” she says. There’s confusion in her eyes as she looks up at me. I sit back, feeling the weight of carrying that secret ease slightly.
“Of course, Adam was gone. She knew, or so she thought anyway, that no one else knew her dirty secret. We were still fated, and she thought I cheated on her. Seeing her feel betrayed was satisfying.” I scoff humourlessly.
“I was often tempted to ask her why… but with Adam dead, I didn’t want anything pointing in my direction. His death was written off as an accident and no proof was ever found. Something that devastated our parents.”
There is still a part of me that is attached to her… a part that yearns for her, but that is just this wretched bond. “I’m sorry, Dad,” Zaia whispers, looking up at me. “I’m so sorry.”
I don’t respond, knowing if I did, it would only hurt more. We remain in silence and it’s comforting as she rests her head on my knee.
“But… Annalise… she’s not your daughter then?” she asks after a few moments, raising her head. I shake my head slowly in confirmation as she ponders over it.
“I’ve never slept with Annette. That woman is with me only for the status and image of being a woman in a position of power.” “But Annalise does look a little like me ..” she says.
I smile bitterly; ah… the icing on the cake.
“Of course she does. She also looks like her mother. You can call it some form of twisted solace, but when I learned of Annette’s identity, I realised that it was indeed karma. After all, Melanie may not know it, but Annette is her half-sister.” A/N: Please keep the comments on social media free from spoilers! To my reader Melanie! I’m so sorry that this chapter fell on your birthday! Forgive me for doing your name dirty and happy birthday! XD
