Chapter 14
“Your Majesty,” Rolf called the moment he stepped into his office and found Derek and Kira seated in the armchairs in front of his desk, while Declan, Kai, and Connor stood solidly behind them. Alpha Rolf’s heart skipped the instant his eyes landed on Kira, and she quickly looked away from him, but he masked his nervousness almost immediately and chose to play ignorant, even though he knew deep down that his deceit might already be unravelling. “What has brought you to my humble pack today p>
“Humble indeed, Rolf,” Derek replied, his voice low and edged with danger. He leaned back slightly. “It’s a pity your humility didn’t extend to your paperwork,” he added, then glanced at Kai, who stepped forward and laid several documents neatly on Rolf’s desk.
Kira kept her posture straight and her face carefully blank, but her fingers tightened subtly around the arm of the chair when her father’s gaze flicked to her again, sharp and searching.
“You presented the King with a bride who was not your heir,” Declan began evenly. “You concealed her true identity, her age, and the systematic poisoning that has kept her wolf suppressed for years. You violated the terms of the alliance treaty in three distinct ways: misrepresentation of bloodline, endangerment of the contracted party, and deliberate deception regarding pack succession. This isn’t just a breach of contract, it’s a declaration of war p>
“Your Majesty,” Rolf said, his voice a little too controlled as his eyes moved from Declan back to Derek, and he forced a small, confused frown. “I don’t know what she told you, but this is not a breach of contract, and what systematic poisoning are you even talking about p>
Derek studied Rolf’s face closely, because the older man looked genuinely baffled, and for a moment, Derek wondered whether Rolf truly had no idea about Kira’s suppressed wolf or whether he was simply a masterful liar.
“You’ve been feeding her aconite extract and fadevine to keep her wolf suppressed,” Kai stated bluntly.
“And why would I do that?” Rolf asked, his eyes darting to Kira. “Is that the lie you fed him p>
“Rolf,” Derek said at last, gesturing lazily toward the documents on the desk, “the medical reports are right there for you to read p>
Rolf hesitated before finally picking up the file Kai had dropped and began to skim through the reports. Derek watched him carefully and listened to his heartbeat, expecting it to spike, but to his surprise, it didn’t. It remained steady enough to suggest that Rolf might actually be telling the truth.
“This is new to me,” Rolf said after going through the reports, his brow furrowing as he looked up. “Why would I want to suppress my daughter’s wolf? She is… she is my heir p>
“I am not your heir,” Kira cut in. “I’m barely even your daughter p>
That was when Derek finally caught the spike in Alpha Rolf’s heartbeat.
Rolf shot Kira a furious glare, and his fingers tightened slightly around the papers. “I don’t know what she’s told you, Your Majesty, but p>
“But what?” Kira shot back before he could finish.
“Shut. Up,” Rolf growled at her, then turned back to Derek and forced a strained smile. “Your Majesty p>
“Do you admit that this woman is your only daughter, then?” Derek asked, sounding bored as he examined his fingernails.
Rolf nodded stiffly. “Of course, Your Majesty. She is brash, uncouth, and sometimes stupid, but she is my daughter, and I’ve learned to accept her that way p>
Derek let out a low, cold chuckle. “Interesting p>
At that moment, the door burst open, and one of Derek’s gammas dragged the real Chloe inside with a knife pressed to her throat, while another followed behind, holding Luna Lydia hostage. Both women were sobbing uncontrollably as they were shoved into the room, and Alpha Rolf’s jaw dropped in pure shock. He had sent Chloe out of the pack and wiped every trace of her existence from the databases the moment Derek announced his intention to take his heir as a bride.
He had known Derek would eventually discover the truth, especially after seeing the whip marks on Kira’s body, and while he didn’t regret flogging that stubborn girl, he did regret the way it had damaged his carefully crafted plan. Lydia had nearly torn his head off for it, and Alpha Rolf had decided to cling to the lie that he had only one daughter if Derek ever came back. He knew the King respected the law despite his brutality, and without proof, Derek couldn’t touch him, because rumours and accusations alone wouldn’t be enough.
Rolf shot up from his seat, his mouth opening and closing without a sound.
Derek casually toyed with the Newton’s Cradle on Rolf’s desk, and something close to a smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. “If you were a smart man, you wouldn’t have erased Chloe Thornclaw from all databases,” he said calmly. “You would have erased Kira instead p>
Rolf had panicked when Derek sent word of his arrival, so he didn’t think much about erasing Kira’s identity. “Your Majesty, I can p>
Derek raised one hand, and the room fell into instant silence. “As of ten minutes ago, all Moonfang exports through Lycan-controlled ports have been subjected to a seventy-five per cent tariff,” he said evenly. “Your mining operations in the northern territories that rely on Lycan infrastructure have been terminated, and the energy grid agreements that supply sixty per cent of your pack’s power will be renegotiated at triple the current rate p>
Rolf’s face drained of colour, but Derek wasn’t done.
“You will remit an annual tribute equivalent to twenty per cent of Moonfang’s gross revenue, payable in resources or currency, whichever I find more convenient in a given year,” Derek continued. “Failure to comply will result in escalating measures until your pack is economically isolated p>
“This is too much, Your Majesty!” Alpha Rolf cried.
“The price of a lie is high,” Derek replied coolly. “You’re lucky I’m only asking for gold p>
Derek’s gaze flicked briefly to Kira before returning to Rolf. “You’ll find the full terms in the revised contract p>
Rolf looked like he had been struck as Connor stepped forward to hand him the revised document. His hands shook as he reached for the pen.
“I want to know about my mother,” Kira suddenly blurted.
Rolf froze, and his eyes snapped up to her, but Kira held his gaze and refused to shrink under it.
“I would like to speak to him privately, Your Grace,” she said firmly.
Derek studied her for a moment, his expression unreadable, before giving a single nod. “Five minutes,” he said. “The guards stay outside with those two,” he added, pointing to Chloe and Luna Lydia. He rose and motioned for Declan, Kai, and Connor to follow, then paused at the door and looked back at Kira. “Do not waste my time p>
Once the room emptied and the door closed, Rolf turned on her with eyes blazing with hatred. “You traitorous little bitch,” he snarled. “What have you done? Did you drag the King here to destroy me? You betrayed your pack, your father, and your Alpha at the first chance you got p>
“You’re not my Alpha,” Kira said, lifting her chin and refusing to cower the way she always had before, because she knew he wouldn’t dare lay a hand on her under the King’s protection. “And you’re not my father either. You lost that right the day you whipped me within an inch of my life. You would still have had my loyalty if you’d loved me even a little p>
“Love you?” Alpha Rolf scoffed. “I would rather love a rabid stray dog than waste a breath on the cursed whelp who stole my true love from me p>
The words sliced deep, and Kira bit down on her lip until she nearly tasted blood, but she forced back her tears and inhaled sharply. “Then you shouldn’t have planted me in her womb p>
“What I should have done was kill you before you even formed p>
“Just so you know, Alpha Rolf,” Kira said, her voice shaking but fierce, “you’re a coward who couldn’t face his own mistakes and chose to punish an innocent child instead. My mother would hate you. A man who replaced her within months of her death. A man who despised the only life she brought into this world. She would turn in her grave, she would detest you, and you never deserved her p>
Rolf’s fist shot out with a furious growl.
“The King is my husband now,” Kira said, her heart hammering as she stood her ground. “Touch me and find out what he’ll do p>
Rolf’s hand froze mid-air, and they stared each other down, neither willing to back away.
“Your whore of a mother was the one who didn’t deserve me,” he said at last. “And I’m not surprised. You’re truly her daughter. Betrayal runs in your blood p>
Kira froze, staring at him in stunned disbelief.