Lavenia's POV
"Dad, don't listen to him. He's an outsider and has no right to make demands," I said to Dad after hearing the conditions Rayden had set.
He wants to fight the warriors of the Night Howl Pack? Give me a break.
I've never even heard of the pack he comes from echoing throughout Evereth, and yet he dares to issue a challenge that seems arrogant and dismissive of our pack.
Whoever he is, and even if he turns out to be the father of my pup, I'll never agree to his idea.
"Lav… do you know him?" Dad asked. I fell silent. I glanced at Rayden, who was still waiting for us to 'negotiate.'
He looked patient, but no one knew what was going on in his fucking head.
"Who is he, anyway? Just an ordinary alpha like the ones we can find anywhere, right? Even Night Howl is bigger than his pack. Where is the pack?" I blurted out, but Dad just sighed heavily.
"He's one of the strongest and most influential alphas from one of the strongest packs in Evereth. The South Pack," Dad replied. I was stunned, but I didn't want them to know I was cowering right now.
"I-if he's that influential, why don't you agree to him replacing Damien to be my husband?" I said again, this time in a whisper.
"Because I don't want you to get involved with the leader of the most dangerous black organization, Lav. I want us to live in peace. Especially since you're pregnant."
"But going along with this crazy man's wishes isn't the right thing to do either, Dad. I don't need a bodyguard. Period."
I stepped away from Dad and approached Rayden, who immediately smiled upon seeing me.
"So what do you say, Gorgeous? Have you made a decision? About your dad, I mean. As for you, whatever your answer, I'll still protect you," he said.
"I don't need a bodyguard or a protector. So we won't accept your challenge."
"When?" a voice said, making me freeze and turn around, finding Dad loudly responding to Rayden's challenge.
"Dad? No."
"Calm down, Lav. This concerns the pack's honor and me as the alpha," Dad replied, then turned toward Rayden. "You decide when and where."
"I don't want you to think I'm cheating, so let's have a sparring match at the Night Howls Pack grounds."
"When?"
"Tonight."
"Deal."
"Dad—"
"Lav, that's enough. If you wanna talk, come to my office. Don't interrupt the alphas' conversation."
I clenched my fists, glancing back and forth between Rayden and Dad. The two of them stared at each other for a while, like they're going to tear each other apart. Rayden then put on his sunglasses.
"In that case, see you tonight." He turned to me. "You're coming with me."
"No one is allowed to touch my daughter until it's proven that you're worthy of being her bodyguard," Dad said firmly.
Rayden raised his hand, then stepped back. "I hope you'll come tonight," he said before getting into the car, which slowly drove away from the mansion's driveway.
Dad glared at me, then motioned for me to follow him to his office.
"What are you doing, Dad? Why did you accept his challenge?" I snapped when we arrived in the room. "I'm not a tool to prove your worth."
"A tool? You must take responsibility for your recklessness, Lavenia Howls. If you hadn't acted so recklessly by sleeping with four men, none of this would have happened."
My father's words hit me hard. But all I could do was clench my fists and tighten my jaw. Defying him was tantamount to suicide.
"Who I sleep with has nothing to do with the pack's honor. I'm not the only one doing this. You're upset because I slept with a man other than Damien."
"Lavenia!" Dad growled in his authoritative alpha voice, silencing me. "You're grounded—you're not allowed to leave your room."
"What!? Dad, I'm not a child anymore."
"No, but your behavior is worse than a child's," he said softly, though I knew there was pent-up anger there.
Dad said nothing more. He just sighed softly, then began to speak. "I promised your mother I'd take care of you, Lav. With what's happened to you, I'm not sure she would be pleased."
He looked down, and it felt like my chest was being squeezed tightly.
"Go to your room and reflect on your actions."
I turned and stormed off. Even though he was right, what he did to me felt unfair. I'm not a fifteen-year-old teenager anymore. I'm twenty-two, and I know what I'm doing.
I arrived in my room and flopped onto the bed. My gaze fell on the cat doll Rayden had given me. I stared at it with a look of annoyance.
"This is all your fault!" I snapped.
"Lav… has your father's behavior driven you mad?" asked Snow, who had been silent for so long; her words now a battle raging inside my head.
I didn't answer, but simply stared at the cat doll; my thoughts wandering off to who knows where. The doll, of course, just stared back at me without reacting. If it said anything, I'd just throw it away.
"Can't you sense who our mate is, Snow?" I asked, half-muttering. "You must know, right? But you don't want to tell me anything."
"Strangely… I can't sense the mate sign from any of those four alphas, even though we're carrying the pup of one of them. Not even Damien's. That trash... there's no way he's our mate."
Yeah, right. If Damien ends up being my mate, I'll go see the Moon Goddess and complain to her directly.
"What can we do, Lav?" Snow asked then.
"What?"
"There's a sparring match tonight to narrow down your bodyguards, but your father is punishing us. How are we supposed to see Rayden's performance?"
I frowned. Instantly, an image of Snow's expression popped into my head.
"Do you like him?" I asked.
"I like all four of those alphas. They're strong candidates to defeat Damien."
I sighed softly. "I know. But Dad doesn't like them. I don't know why. Even though he knows who Rayden is—one of the most influential men, he said. So why reject him?"
I lay down, unconsciously having fallen asleep, and when I woke up, the sky looked yellow. How could I have slept like I was under a Sleeping Beauty curse? And the sparring… has it started yet?
I grabbed my phone and texted Damien, who I figured must be on the field right now.
[Has it started yet?]
His reply made me want to kill him.
[Shaw: Are you worried about your secret lover? He's bound to lose, and I've already arranged who'll be your bodyguard.]
Damien sent a photo, and when I saw who he'd sent, my hair stood on end without me even realizing it.
What's wrong with Dad? How could he let a criminal into the pack?
Rayden... even though I don't agree with his crazy idea, for once I hope he wins. The problem of how to talk him out of following through on his words is a matter for later. Right now... I have to support him no matter what.