“He’s just joking.” Mike laughed loudly. “Uncuff her.”
“Yeah, of course.” Brock pulled the key from his pocket and jerkily moved to undo the chains. “We wanted to make sure she didn’t do something stupid.”
“Sure.” I couldn’t help but goad him. It was all I had. “That’s why you did it.”
He glared at me with so much hate. However, I preferred that over the times when he looked at me like I was a means to get what he wanted.
With my wrists released, the sensation of sharp needles stabbing my arms overtook me. I winced but channeled the pain inward, not wanting to give these sick sons of bitches the satisfaction.
“Is her room ready?” Brock asked and grabbed my arm, making sure I stayed by him. “If so, I’ll take her there.”
Tyler answered instead of Mike. “It’s ready, but I would like to have the honors if you don’t mind. I have a few things I want to talk to my daughter about.”
Hearing him call me his daughter made my stomach churn.
Brock released me obediently. “Of course.”
Tyler stood and motioned for me to follow. For a second, I considered not obeying, but I needed to show them complacency to have a chance of getting out of here.
I followed him into a hallway and to the first door on the right. I entered an all-white room. The white king-sized bed sat against the far back wall with all-white sheets and a white iced chandelier hanging above it. Even the floor was porcelain. The only color in the entire room was a light gray rug under the bed. There was a large oval mirror in the corner, framed in white, and white curtains along the windows.
Windows.
I rushed over to them. I’d thought I was only one floor up, but it had to be at least three. Maybe the garage was inclined. It wouldn’t be easy to get down from here.
The door shut behind me, and I turned to find Tyler’s face turning red.
He marched toward me, his jaw clenched. “Do you know how much you’ve embarrassed me?”
Yes, this was all about him. I wasn’t surprised. “It wasn’t my intent.”
“Fuck intent,” he spat in my face. “You’re my daughter, and you will obey me.”
I didn’t respond. I had nothing to add to that.
“You’ve got nothing to say for yourself?” Tyler ground his teeth.
“Not really.” I refused to cower, but I made sure I didn’t come off as threatening. “It was something I had to do.”
“Something you had to do?” he parroted. He yanked me against his chest. “Well, it’s over now. In a week, you will mate with Brock and finally be useful to me.”
“I will not.” I would refuse. That would never happen. Donovan was it for me.
“Like hell you won’t.” Tyler smacked me hard on the cheek. My head jerked, and my neck popped. He growled, “I’ve raised your pathetic ass for eighteen years. This is how you will make it up to me. This is why I kept you, unlike the others.”
Fine, if this was how he wanted to do this, I could be cruel too. “I’m not your daughter, so by mating me off to Brock, you’ll gain nothing.” There, let him be caught off guard for once.
An evil smile spread across his face. “As if I didn’t know that.” He laughed, and my blood ran cold.
“What?” If he knew that, then why had he kept me?
“When I saw your pink fae hair, I knew.” Tyler stepped toward me. A darkness surrounded him. He was colder than I’d thought. He didn’t have a heart. “I blamed the witch because a fae-wolf hybrid should produce a male heir worthy to lead … a force to be reckoned with. An heir who can not only elevate me leading all the supernaturals on Earth but the fae realm as well.”
“Did my mother die?” I wanted to see if he smelled differently by telling me the truth.
“Oh, I planned to kill her.” Tyler sucked in a breath. “I dreamed of stabbing her, but she ran away before I could. I must say, I had a feeling she was up to something and hoped she’d run away to the fae realm so I could find a way in. They say we can’t enter there, but I have my doubts.”
“You allowed her to escape and kept me?” All this time, he’d purposely kept me away from my family. “When I’m not even your blood?” And this proved he smelled the same whether he told the truth or a lie. He could hide his true intentions from everyone.
“Of course. I needed you.” He shrugged like it was no big deal. “It worked out for the best. I got to live knowing your mother was out there, thinking you were dead. It made it all worthwhile.”
“You bastard.” I’d never felt so much hate in my life. “You deserve to burn in Hell.”
“Maybe, but I’ll rule there same as here.” He tilted his head, staring at me. “How did you figure out you weren’t mine?”
“When the fae began attacking me.” Maybe if I scared him, he would let me leave. “They’re trying to kill me and anyone near me.”
“Ah, so they found you.” He pursed his lips. “That’s why you were with that fae girl at school. We noticed her the other day, and they said you were outside her room.”
“If I stay here, you could die.” The only person he cared about was himself, so maybe this would work.
Tyler didn’t flinch. “I’ll take the risk. From what I’ve been told, there’s a nearby black magic witch who can spell the house and prevent them from coming in.”
My heart dropped. The fae wouldn’t come near dark magic. “I’ll tell everyone I’m not yours.”
“And you think they’ll believe you?” He laughed hard, tears coming out of the corners of his eyes. “I killed the witch who cursed you with that hair color.”
“She was innocent, wasn’t she?” My heart dropped. “The witch didn’t do it to Roxy, did she?”
“Oh, she did, but because I made her.” He grinned. “She didn’t expect me to lock her up, but I couldn’t risk her telling others that I’d wreaked havoc on that family. Her father was rallying people to rebut me as alpha, so I had to take matters into my own hands. A wolf with strange hair is no good for anyone. When you were born with pink hair, it gave me the perfect excuse to kill her without anyone giving me flak. I righted the wrongs of the witch for our pack, making me more of a leader in the pack’s eyes, despite your strangeness.”
My whole world had shattered in one sitting. He’d known all along and manipulated everyone, and still, he’d somehow come out on top.
“In a way.” He patted my arm. “Avenging you and killing the witch was what saved me and got me where I am today.” He lifted a hand. “Okay, so that isn’t what I did, but it’s what everyone thinks.”
“You won’t get away with it,” I said breathlessly.
“I disagree.” He waved his hands around the room. “I already have, and by mating you off to Brock, I’ll have the money and backing I need to take over the entire country. And then, when you give birth, I’ll use the child as well.”
“I will never be a pawn.” I needed him to see how much I despised him.
“You’ve always been a pawn.” He turned his back to me and headed to the door. “Sadie, why don’t you lie down and get some rest? You look tired.” He glanced over his shoulder. “We don’t need you looking bad for Brock.” He walked out the door and shut it, leaving me alone in the awful room.
I wanted to crumble … to fall … to cry. But I pushed that down, refusing to stumble. I would stand tall and be the alpha my pack deserved. Tyler was going down. I’d rip his empire away from him. And when he begged me to stop and have mercy, I’d make sure he took his last breath.
Footsteps sounded out in the hallway, heading in this direction. They weren’t heavy enough to be Tyler. Maybe someone was just walking by.
When the doorknob jiggled and the overwhelmingly thick scent of musk hit me, I knew who it was.
God, I couldn’t get a break.
The door opened, revealing Brock, Tommy, and another guy. What the hell did they want?
“Looks like you and Tyler caught up.” Brock didn’t bother trying to sound concerned. “Is everything okay?”