Chapter 34
The room seemed to grow quieter, the hum of conversation fading as people nearby turned their attention to our conversation. The once lively atmosphere was now charged with tension, and t could feel eyes on us, waiting for the inevitable confrontation. It was as if the entire gathering had come to a standstill, the air thick with unspoken words.
Lorik’s grip on my hand tightened, his fingers pressing into my skin. He must have sensed my apprehension, and this was his way of shielding me from what was to come. Andrew’s cruelty was legendary, and Lorik didn’t want his father’s venom to strike me again. But what he didn’t realize was that I was no longer as vulnerable as I once was.
“I love Shirley,” Lorik said suddenly, his voice smooth and firm. “We won’t be separated.”
My heart fluttered at the words, a mix of emotions swirling within me. For three years, I had longed to hear Lorik say he loved me. But now, the words felt hollow, like a shield he was raising against his father, not a confession of genuine feeling. He was using me, and the realization stung more than I expected.
Andrew’s icy gaze settled on me for a moment before flicking back to his son. “Love?” he sneered. “Don’t concern yourself with such trivialities.”
“Father, there’s something else you should know,” Lorik interjected, his voice tinged with a vulnerability I rarely heard. “Mother… she’s very ill.”
Andrew’s response was immediate and cold. “Don’t concern yourself with such trivial matters,” he said dismissively. “You should focus on what really matters–aligning yourself with those who benefit our pack.”
His eyes, hard and unfeeling, betrayed not a flicker of concern. His lips curled into a sneer that wa almost grotesque in its callousness. I was stunned by his lack of empathy, but the blow must have hit- Lorik harder. I could feel the tension in his body, the way his muscles tensed as if he were trying to hold himself together.
Lorik’s fists clenched so tightly that the veins in his arms bulged, turning his skin an angry red. His mother’s pain meant nothing to Andrew, the woman who had stood by his side for years, sacrificing everything for him, was now just a ‘trivial matter.”
*What do
What do your children and loved ones mean to you?” Lorik’s voice rose, shaking with barely contained fury. “Are we all just convenient tools to be used and discarded?”
Andrew’s eyes glittered with something dark and dangerous, but neither Lorik nor I cared anymore.
After 1er Go My Alpha He Knelt in Regret
We had been silent for too long, letting him dictate our lives and the entire Silvermoon pack Not
Andrew’s voice dropped to a low, menacing tone. “Don’t think you’re on solid ground, boy,” he said, his words laced with threat. “I can always replace you with your brother.”
I watched Lorik’s reaction closely. His jaw clenched, and a muscle ticked in his cheek. I knew the mention of his brother was a deep cut, one that reopened old wounds. Caroline had once told me that Andrew was ruthless, a cold blooded man who saw his children–Lonk, his brothers, even Lorcia–as pawns on his chessboard. But to hear him say it so openly, so coldly, must have been a devastating blow to Lorik.
Sharik, Lorik’s brother, had once been the proud heir to Silvermoon. But after a battle injury left him able to fully recover, Andrew had cast him aside, unceremoniously exiling him to survive as a rogue wolf. And then there was Narik
I had never met Narik. He still attended werewolf school and rarely returned to the Silvermoon pack. I had heard whispers, though, of an ordeal Andrew had arranged when Narik was just a child–an ordeal that nearly cost him his life. They were blood brothers, yet strangers by circumstance, each bearing the scars of their father’s ambition.
Lorik had gone through the same pain as his brothers, nearly abandoned after a battle to protect Silvermoon left his legs so damaged that he couldn’t stand. If Andrew hadn’t been desperate for an heir at that time, Lorik might have shared Sharik’s fate. But no one had expected Lorik to get back on
his feet, to become the powerful Alpha he was now.
What they didn’t know was that it was me who had healed Lorik’s legs. If they knew I possessed
such power, what would they do to me? The thought both frightened and excited me. But now wasn’t
the time to dwell on that.
“No,” Lorik said firmly, his voice growing stronger with each word. “I’m Silvermoon’s Alpha now.
You can’t take that from me.”
Andrew’s laugh was harsh and dismissive. “Don’t talk big here, Lorik. Nothing you say means
anything to anyone.”
“Tather, everyone in this room knows my worth, and you should too,” Lorik shot back, his voice tinged with a mix of pain and defiance.
I could see the anguish in his eyes, the deep hurt that threatened to consume him. We were allies in this
fight against Andrew, and I knew I had to support Lorik now. My fingers tightened on his hand, a silent message to stay calm, to not let his anger overwhelm him.
Andrew sneered, sensing the tension between us. “Lorik, you’re just an immature, hedonistic child. I
After
- Knelt in Regret
saw that new car in the garage, a multi–million dollar limited edition global sports car. You squandered Silvermoon’s money on that. What did I teach you? You’re simply not good enough as
sa
Alpha.”
For a moment, I froze, and then a slow smile spread across my face. “Are you talking about the treasure blue sports car plastered with diamonds?” I asked, my tone light, almost teasing. “That’s my
car.”
The room fell silent, all eyes on me. Andrew’s expression morphed from disbelief to fury. “No,” he spat, “how could you possibly afford a car that expensive? Lorik must have bought it for you! You’re a materialistic woman who doesn’t deserve to be Luna of Silvermoon!”
