Chapter 2
My father, Alpha Ulises Ray, was infatuated with Kensley Gonzales.
To be honest, my mother, Xiomara Russell, didn’t hate Kensley either.
“I’m not the kind of Luna who can’t tolerate others,” my mother said bitterly, her voice trembling with a mix of anger and sorrow. “Kensley is talented, witty, and knows how to enjoy life. If she had joined our pack as my sister, I would have been more than happy.
“But he—Ulises—he took advantage of her, ruined her reputation, and now he won’t even give her a proper title. Instead, he turns around and blames me for it!”
My mother sobbed in front of Luna Kensley Gonzales, her words laced with venom as she tore into my father’s character. Yet, not once did she speak ill of Kensley herself.
Luna Kensley, her forehead wrapped in a bandage, slammed her pendant onto the table in frustration. She pointed at me, her voice sharp with disapproval.
“You could’ve just dragged your father into an alley and beaten him senseless. That would’ve been better than parading his shame all over the city!
“Now his disgrace is out in the open, and your reputation is in tatters.
“The Franklin Pack was already hesitant about this mate bond. I’ve been singing your praises, trying to convince them to give you a chance. And what do you do? Hand them ammunition to destroy you. Are you trying to make them regret this even more?”
My father, Alpha Ulises Ray, was a respected leader with a strong aura, a werewolf who had proven his loyalty to the Lycan King during the pack wars. But despite his status, the old, established packs still looked down on him. The Franklin Pack, with its centuries of history, sneered at his origins.
“What does it matter if he’s an Alpha?” they’d say. “A few generations back, he was just a rogue, a wanderer with no pack to call his own.”
It was harsh, but not entirely untrue. My grandfather’s grandfather had indeed been a rogue, struggling to survive before finding his place in the pack.
But disdain aside, the political landscape demanded alliances. The Lycan King needed the support of the old packs, and the old packs needed to show their loyalty to the new order.
I, as the daughter of a trusted Alpha, was the perfect candidate for this alliance.
Luna Kensley had painted me as the ideal mate—strong, intelligent, and loyal. But the Franklin Pack had never believed it. To them, I was just a Delta, a warrior who’d spent too much time in the field, lacking the grace and refinement they valued.
That night, when I snuck into the Franklin Pack’s territory, I had hoped to catch a glimpse of Keaton Franklin, their future Alpha. Instead, I overheard his mother, Xiomara Russell, weeping in her mate’s arms.
“Why does it have to be Keaton?” she cried, her voice breaking. “The thought of him being tied to that—that rough, uncultured Delta—it’s tearing me apart.
“My Keaton is brilliant, refined, destined for greatness. How could he be shackled to someone like her?”
Keaton knelt before his parents, his voice steady but tinged with resignation. “I am the future Alpha of this pack. If I can’t bear this for the sake of our pack’s future, how can I lead?
“When she joins our pack, we’ll keep her confined. If she’s uneducated or uncouth, we’ll train her. If she’s unbearable, we’ll treat her as nothing more than a servant. But I’ll endure it.”
Still, I could see the flicker of disappointment in his eyes, the dream of a true mate bond slipping away.
And now, with my father’s scandal exposed, I’d given them even more reason to despise me.
I couldn’t help but smirk. Oh, the Franklin Pack was going to lose their minds over this.
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