Alpha Kane's POV:
I returned to Alpha Samuel's office just as he was about to leave. His hand hovered over the door handle, and he looked up, clearly surprised to see standing there.
"Alpha Kane, I thought you had already left," he said, his voice carrying a hint of confusion. "Is there anything you've forgotten?"
I didn't answer his question directly. Instead, I narrowed my eyes slightly, taking in the subtle signs of tension in his stance. "You seem to be in a hurry," I comnted, my tone casual but pointed. His smile faltered for a brief second before he composed himself.
"Aah, yeah," he responded, chuckling softly as if to ease his nerves. "I was heading back to my place since it's my daughter's birthday today."
Just like I thought, I mused silently. She had just turned eighteen, which explained why I was finally able to scent her. My mate.
"Well," I began, folding my arms across my chest, watching him carefully, "speaking of your daughter, that's exactly what I ca to talk to you about."
As soon as the words left my mouth, the lightness in his expression vanished, replaced by a subtle tension that rippled through his entire body. His smile tightened, and his gaze sharpened.
He stiffened, clearly on edge. "My daughter?" he repeated, his voice wary now. "What about her, Alpha Kane?"
There it was—his imdiate defensiveness, almost like he knew what was coming, but didn't want to believe it. His instincts were telling him sothing was amiss, and from the way his shoulders squared, he was bracing for whatever ca next.
I smirked inwardly, fully aware of the power dynamic in the room. The air felt charged, and I could practically taste the tension. This conversation was about to get interesting.
"I'm going to take her with when I leave, and apparently, I think I'll be staying over for a few days." My voice was calm, almost casual, but the effect was imdiate. Alpha Samuel's face drained of color, his knees nearly buckling as if the weight of my words was too much for him.
"Please..." he stamred, his tone edging toward desperation. "Anyone but my daughter, Alpha Kane. Please, I beg you."
I watched as he stood there, pleading for his daughter's sake, clearly misunderstanding my intentions. In his mind, I was simply exerting my dominance, claiming her as part of the contract, ready to take whatever I pleased from him and his pack. Not that it was beyond —technically, the contract allowed to request anything I wanted, and Samuel would be obligated to deliver. But this wasn't just so trivial demand.
I could have started by telling him the truth—that his daughter was my mate—but where was the fun in that? Besides, rattling him a bit made the situation more entertaining.
Still, I could see his genuine panic, and while I had no qualms about playing with people's emotions, he was my mate's father. I figured I could ease his worries a little before he passed out in front of .
"Are you going to stand between and my mate?" I asked, raising an eyebrow, my tone shifting ever so slightly to challenge him.
The words hit him like a physical blow, and he paled even more, if that was possible. "M-Mate?" he stuttered, his shock clear. The disbelief in his voice made the situation all the more amusing.
"Yes, apparently, your daughter is my mate," I explained, watching closely as his face twisted with confusion, his mind racing to make sense of it all. I was half-worried he might drop dead on the spot, and then I'd have to explain to Elena how her father keeled over in my presence. Not the best way to start things off with my mate.
"But that's impossible!" Samuel blurted, his eyes wide, his voice shaky. "My daughter's mate is... Derick."
His words sparked sothing dangerous inside . The na alone was enough to send a surge of fury through my veins, igniting a possessive rage I hadn't felt in a long ti. How in the hell does my mate already have a mate?
"Derick?" I growled, my voice low and nacing, fists clenching as the murderous urge coursed through . My wolf was already snarling, demanding blood. Who the hell is this Derick, and why does he think he has any claim over what's mine?
Samuel seed to realize his mistake as soon as the words left his mouth. His eyes widened even more as he took a small step back, clearly sensing the shift in the air, the danger now crackling between us.
"You better start explaining," I said, my voice a dark warning. "Before I lose what little patience I have left."
"Okay, Alpha Kane... calm down." Samuel raised his hands in a gesture of peace, his voice trembling, trying to defuse the ticking bomb that was my temper. "Derick was... well, we all thought he was her mate."
I glared at him, my wolf barely contained, pacing restlessly within . "You thought?" I growled through clenched teeth, the possessive rage boiling just beneath the surface. I didn't like the sound of this—of another man even being ntioned in the sa sentence as my mate.
Samuel gulped, visibly nervous. "Yes, we all assud," he rushed out, "even Derick did. They've known each other since they were kids. Everyone thought they were destined to be mates. Your mate... Elena... she even believed it. That's why she's been... waiting."
"Waiting?" I repeated, the word tasting bitter on my tongue. My heart pounded furiously at the thought of my mate holding herself back, waiting for so other man to claim her. I was not the kind of man to share, nor would I ever.
"She refused to let things get... physical until her eighteenth birthday, to confirm their bond. Today was supposed to be the day they'd find out for sure," Samuel explained, wringing his hands nervously.
"Supposed to be?" My voice was deadly quiet, but the aning behind it was clear. Samuel was treading on very dangerous ground, and we both knew it.
"Yes... but obviously, it's not Derick," Samuel said quickly, glancing at to see if his explanation had cald even slightly. "You're her true mate, Alpha Kane."
The knowledge that Derick had been in the picture at all made my blood boil, but hearing Samuel's confirmation that I was her mate allowed a mont of satisfaction. She wasn't his, and she never would be. But still, the thought of that fool even thinking he had a claim on her made my wolf want to tear sothing—or soone—apart.
"Where is he now?" I asked, my voice sharper than I intended, but I didn't care. I needed to know where this so-called 'mate' of hers was.
Samuel shifted uncomfortably, clearly aware of the direction this was going. "Derick is still around. He's a good man, Kane," he added cautiously, as if that would sohow make less inclined to rip him apart. "He's the Beta's son, and—"
"I don't care who he is," I interrupted, my voice low and dangerous. "No one touches what's mine."
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