ARTEMIS' POV
I closely follow Jasper to wherever my father has summoned me, a sense of dread accompanying each step.
With every move, I question why he's here, trying to decipher any possible reason for his sudden appearance-as if the answer will suddenly reveal itself.
I have a hunch, though.
In fact, it's the most likely reason.
Just days ago, after becoming involved with Sera and convincing Kamila to give up, I sent my father a letter. It showed the depth of my commitment to severing the bond with Kamila. Brief and vague, yes, but clear upon a second reading.
Yet, I never actually expected him to read it. After years of sending unacknowledged notes letters, it's surprising he chose now to engage.
How unfortunate.
I regret informing him, especially given his strange interest in my relationship with Kamila-an interest that far outweighs his desire for strong relations with the Wildhearts. They are, after all, among the world's most strategic and brutal packs, but an alliance isn't needed; we've always been on good terms.
I've pondered on it for years and ignored it, eventually deciding that he's just obsessed with the least important thing in my life, which is typical for him.
I want to get this meeting over with at once and get back to Sera - desperately. Being so far away from her scent, from the warmth of her skin, has me feeling a great amount of discomfort.
I crave her every second of my day more than I have anything at all-even spending time with Kamila back when our mate bond was at its peak.
My yearning for her is all-consuming and perhaps to an extent that should scare me - the fact that I'd do anything for her, the fact that she has my heart on the palm of her fragile human hands.
This unfamiliar emotion reaffirms my singular need for Sera. No one and nothing else compares. My feelings for her fill my chest and outweighs everything in my life and on my mind.
I'm completely and utterly smitten, irrevocably taken by a woman who isn't even my mate or a wolf - but a sharp-witted, delicate human girl.
This is a thing of headlines, capable of boggling the mind of any, or every werewolf. No one ever defies the power of the mate bond, yet here I am.
I almost laugh.
In the very core of me, I know this is what it would feel like if my mate bond with Kamila wasn't so defective. And though I might not be completely sure or even understand the odd stream of events that Sera seems to be having, I'm not letting blackened eyes, strange voices, or hell, even a stab wound hold me back from having her.
We'd figure it out - together.
My thoughts are consumed by her as I walk, nearly on autopilot, until we halt outside the Administrator's office. Jasper steps aside, signaling toward the door.
"Good luck, man," he offers, his face solemn.
I nod in acknowledgment.
He might not know just how messed up my relationship is with this man, but he understands. After countless fights and arguments and how much I hate hearing about him, he knows it's messed up.
I enter the spacious office and close the door behind me. My eyes immediately find my father, who's taken up residence behind the desk-now the highest-ranking wolf on the continent.
His feet are propped up on the table, and he leans back in his chair, a satisfied smile gracing his lips.
The moment I stand still, he looks up at me and sits up.
"Ah, son, you finally made it. I was beginning to think you were ignoring my summon, given how long you took to get here," he says, acting quite convincingly.
He pretends to care, to be a father, with that curt smile on his lips.
It's as awkward as every other fatherly gesture he's ever managed to muster before giving up halfway because I was too 'difficult of a child to bond with.'
"What are you doing here?" I ask, going straight to the point.
There's no need to exchange fake pleasantries or beat around the bush. The sooner we're done with this, the better.
He frowns, disliking my tone and the way I brush him off. He holds my gaze for a second, then looks away, choosing not to say what's at the tip of his tongue.
"Like I said, my project is a success. Thanks to Seraphina, I can prove to the council that integrating with human society isn't completely hopeless, given a reasonable amount of time. And with her help, doing that will be much easier," he explains.
I don't buy it.
"It's hard to believe you'd be so moved by a project you abandoned months ago without a single contact," I say.
He never showed interest in her development after the first few weeks since Mr. Jermaine's visit. Never asked if she was still alive after dropping her like a piece of meat in a den of wolves.
His frown deepens as I unravel his façade, bit by bit.
"What's your point?"
"It's about the letter, isn't it? Your son is about to ruin your precious agreement with the Wildheart pack, and you can't deal with it," I throw my accusations right into his face.
"I hardly took your little note seriously. There's no way you'd expect me to believe you actually want to cut ties with your mate, of all things, Artemis. You're not a child anymore; I shouldn't have to tell you not to do things like this."
"That's exactly my point. I'm not a child anymore, and I know what I want for myself. We will perform the severing ceremony at a later date, and then-"
"And then nothing," he cuts me off before I can continue.
Because we've been together for so long, the rejection rites are a lot more fragile. The severing ceremony would rip out every bit of the bond holding us together and erase it completely.
It would be a permanent end for both of us.
"I don't know how you managed to convince that poor girl into making this foolish request, but I won't stand for it. I won't let you tarnish years of perfect planning against the prophe-" He pauses mid-word, catching himself from saying something he shouldn't have.
"Against what?" I ask, barely catching the last part.
He shrugs his shoulders, looking away.
"It's nothing," he responds, clearly hiding something from me-the actual reason why this is a big deal for him.
"It's not nothing," I argue, and he loses it.
His composure crumbles, and he slams his fist hard into the wooden table, cracking it in half right in front of me.
"Enough!" His eyes blaze at me, furiously flashing a bit of his wolf's aura that pushes through his mental restraint.
I bite back my words, feeling the weight of his aura pushing me back.
"You are nothing but a child. You don't know anything about the sacrifices you have to make for your kingdom, for the people you love. Every day your mother suffers for you, and you squander all that uselessly, wasting your life with reckless choices, disrespecting your title and your mate."
"Don't bring her into this," I feel my own anger begin to burn at the mention of my mother, the only silent disagreement we've never been able to air out between ourselves. "You've always hated me because of what happened to her, haven't you?"
"You make it impossible to consider you an adult when you don't think or consider the sacrifices that were made for you to live so frivolously."
I shake my head, biting my lip, squeezing my fist and digging my fingers deeper into my flesh to maintain my composure, to stand here and not lash out as always. That's what he wants from me-to prove that I can't have a conversation without throwing a tantrum.
I take deep breaths, reminding myself not to give in.
I can face him. I can put my foot down and refuse until he has no choice but to negotiate. I can win this-for Sera.
I can do anything for her, even if it means finally standing up to this man.
"Regardless of what you have to say about me and my past conduct, it's something Kamila and I have decided on. You can't force two wolves to be together if they don't want to be. It stands against everything the mating bond is about," I assert.
He scoffs, rolling his eyes at what he considers my ridiculousness.
"What convinces me even more that you're not fully thinking this through is that you have no idea what it means for that girl either."
"She'll be fine," I argue. It's Kamila we're talking about, after all.
Her father may be a literal demon, but she's under my protection. My ultimate gesture of atonement will be saving her from the monster with whom she shares her DNA.
"That's what you think. You think someone of her caliber, from that family, would be okay stepping down from a position that's rightfully hers? One that's been secured for years?" He pauses to rub at his temples, attempting to calm himself.
Stress etches deeper lines into his features. I notice more white hairs on his head, areas of his face and knuckles appearing less fleshed-out than the last time I physically saw him.
"Why can't you be more calm and level-headed, like Lucian?" The words slip out, and he momentarily flashes regret once he realizes he's voiced his thoughts.
It's not the first time he's hinted at it-just the first time he's said it so blatantly. I've known it for years, yet the sting, the hurt, remains sharp. Agonizing. Cutting.
"I'm sure you'd love that-having him as your son," I spit back bitterly, holding his gaze.
He doesn't respond directly, instead spinning around in his chair until he's facing the other way, hiding his face from me.
"No son of mine will be rejecting his mate in a severing ritual. Not one that hopes to inherit my throne after my reign, regardless of who birthed you," he threatens. I imagine he says it with stern, cold, unfeeling eyes.
It hits home-worse than all the terrible things he's said throughout my formative years, ever since it happened to Mom and his resentment began to sprawl like vines suffocating his heart.
There's no changing his mind on this matter.
I will always be that stain on his reputation that he just can't seem to wash off.