MATED TO FATHER, FAT Chapter 48: HEAVY HEART

Chapter 48: HEAVY HEART

ALPHA CORVIN

THREE YEARS AGO

Twenty-five years.

That was how long I had been mated to Zoya, how long I had worn the bonds of duty like chains around my neck and pretended they were crowns.

When my father died and I assumed the role of Alpha it became paramount that I have a Luna by my side, someone to present to the pack as proof of stability and continuation. I chose the daughter of a noble man, my father’s most trusted Beta, a woman who had been groomed her entire life for the position.

Zoya.

They had always tried to pair us up but I resisted, held onto hope that somewhere out there my fated mate existed and would find me. But hope was a luxury Alphas could not afford and when duty called I answered.

I married her.

Zoya had always wanted to be Luna so when I finally gave in and made her my wife she became everything the role required. Perfect, obedient, understanding that her purpose was to serve me and the pack without question. She never complained, never demanded more than I could give, never asked why I kept distance between us even after decades of marriage.

She was a good Luna.

Just not my mate.

I entered the throne room that morning for some ceremonial bullshit I could not even remember now and that was when my eyes met hers.

She turned as if drawn by the same invisible force pulling at my chest, her red hair flying against the wind direction even though we were indoors. Divine. Beautiful was too weak a word. Enchanting came closer but still fell short of capturing what she was.

Fiery eyes unlike anything I had ever seen looked at me and I knew immediately she was a force, something wild and untamed that would burn everything I had built if I let her.

I moved closer without deciding to move, my hand reaching out to cup her cheek. She leaned into the touch and closed the gap between us, her lips coming dangerously close to mine.

My wolf stirred, pushed, urged, begged, demanded that I claim what was ours.

"What is your name?" I whispered, the words barely making it past my throat.

Her mouth dropped to hover over mine, her breath warm against my skin. My hands went to her waist and she caught them, guided them lower to rest at the top of her ass, pressing herself against me in a way that made rational thought impossible.

"If I tell you my name," she whispered in a voice that was pure intoxication, "you will have to claim me."

My wolf and I growled in unison, pulling her impossibly closer. "We have waited for you all our lives."

"My name is Freya."

The bond snapped into place like lightning and I—

"Alpha Corvin."

I jerked awake, my neck stiff from falling asleep with my head on the desk. The dream, memory, whatever the hell it was dissolved like smoke and I was back in my study surrounded by maps and reports about Victor.

Beta Marco stood in the doorway looking concerned. "Did you sleep here?"

"Of course I did," I responded, sitting up and rolling my shoulders to work out the knots. "Victor is back. I need to go through everything from the beginning, find where we missed things before so we don’t miss them again."

Marco stepped into the room. "About the meeting—"

"Are the others ready?" I cut him off, already knowing whatever he was about to say would irritate me.

"Ryker just challenged Commander Bruno to battle."

I stopped moving. "Is he crazy? Why would he do that?"

"Something about the Commander being disrespectful to Amaris," Marco supplied carefully.

I sighed and stood up, my back protesting the movement. "Ryker has always hated Bruno. He was just looking for an excuse." I paused, walking toward the door. "He doesn’t even like Amaris."

We moved through the hallways toward the courtyard and I could already hear the crowd gathering. "What is at stake?"

"Commander Bruno’s position," Marco answered. "And the fallen soldier punishment for Ryker."

I stopped walking.

The fallen soldier punishment was a death sentence dressed up as military justice. One minute of being shot at while naked and running, bullets coming from trained soldiers who never missed when it mattered.

No one survived it.

"Ryker," I muttered, resuming my pace.

The crowd parted as I approached the courtyard, everyone stepping back to make way for their Alpha. Ryker stood in the center already stripped down to training gear, his expression set in that stubborn way that meant he had made up his mind and would rather die than back down.

My eyes found Rowan standing off to the side and our gazes met. He shook his head slightly, a silent communication that he had already tried talking sense into his brother and failed.

Of course he had.

Ryker never listened to anyone, least of all me.

"Alpha Corvin!"

Amaris came running from somewhere in the crowd, tears streaming down her face as she grabbed my hands. "You have to stop them. He is going to get himself killed."

I looked down at her, at this girl who had been in my pack for less than a week and was already crying over my son like she had any right to that kind of emotion. "Compose yourself woman. You are the Luna to be. Why are you crying?"

Her amber eyes were red and swollen. "Do you not care that your son is about to die?"

She needed to understand that I was not the hero in this story, that I had stopped saving people a long time ago because everyone I tried to save ended up dead anyway.

Zoya had died despite my protection.

Freya had burned despite my love.

My sons hated me despite everything I had sacrificed.

So if Ryker wanted to throw his life away over some pointless display of dominance for a girl he claimed not to care about, then I would let him.

I had learned long ago that trying to save people who were determined to destroy themselves was a waste of energy I could not afford.

Amaris stood there staring at me like I was a monster and maybe I was, maybe that was all I had left to be after everything else had been burned away.

I gazed toward where Ryker and Bruno were preparing for the duel, my face a mask of indifference even though my chest twisted at the sight of my son about to walk into a fight that could end with him riddled with bullets.

But I did not stop it.

I never stopped anything anymore.

I just watched and waited for the next tragedy to unfold.

I pulled my hands away from hers and stepped back, creating distance between us.

"If Ryker wants to be stupid," I responded, my voice stoic and emotionless, "then he should die if he wants to die."