Knotting His Rejected Breeder

"She’s who?" Alpha Liam questioned, his eyes widened a little. He stopped walking, his boots scraping against the stone floor of the corridor. The morning light coming through the high windows cast long shadows across his face, making the surprise in his expression even clearer.

"You heard me. She’s Alpha Fenris daughter. Now you see why she’s in this predicament?" Alpha Ramon replied. His voice was low and irritated, the words coming out sharper than he intended.

The air in the hallway felt heavier now, thick with the scent of breakfast being prepared somewhere nearby and the faint smoke from the festival fires that still lingered from the night before.

"We need to talk."

"Yeah, we need to," Ivy said, coming into the path they stood on. Her footsteps were quick and light, but there was a determined set to her shoulders. She had changed into a simple maid’s dress, but the way she carried herself made it clear she was more than that.

"Ivy? How’s the girl?" Alpha Liam asked first. His voice softened when he spoke to her, the concern genuine in his tone.

"Fine, thankfully. If you hadn’t gotten there on time, she probably would have passed out from fear. Thanks to someone." She glared at Ramon, her eyes sharp and accusing. The morning light caught her face, highlighting the tension in her jaw.

"I needed to do something fast!" He defended himself. His hands clenched at his sides, the frustration from the night still simmering under his skin. The corridor felt too narrow suddenly, the walls closing in with the weight of everyone’s judgment.

"Pray tell why you need to do anything. What did she do wrong that would make you even conceive the idea of taking her to the traitors post? Except it wasn’t your idea?" She lifted an accusatory brow. Her voice was steady, but there was fire behind it, the kind that came from years of watching and caring in silence.

"What are you trying to say?" He wheezed in annoyance. She was the second person suggesting that Lorena had something to do with his decision.

The only thing Lorena had influenced was his memory. For a while there, he had forgotten the point of kidnapping the girl in the first place. He tucked all his previous actions of relent to the fact she was his mate.

That bond was fighting against the very thing he needed to accomplish by her presence in the pack. But no more. Going forward, he was going to continuously remember. And with that remembrance, would come the most perfect execution of revenge the world had ever seen.

"I think—"

A servant turned into their path, and Ivy quickly bowed her head, pretending like she was being scolded. She still didn’t want anyone that wasn’t very close to the family to know of her relationship with Alpha Ramon. It would just make more people go down the rabbit hole of their family, and she didn’t want strangers questioning things they could never understand.

Anyway, she played the role of a servant perfectly. There wasn’t going to be any doubt from her side. She didn’t trust Ramon enough though. He had always hated the idea of hiding her. What people didn’t see was his desire to keep the people he loved close to him. Any deviation from this desire made him appear unbearable sometimes. But it was all love.

The servant stopped before them, and bowed.

"Alpha Ramon, Alpha Liam," he acknowledged both alphas.

"What do you want?" Ramon asked, unable to hide the irritation in his voice. He felt hounded by all of them, and it was beginning to make his muscles tense up. The servant’s uniform was neat, but the way he shifted on his feet showed he could feel the tension in the air.

"The alpha Daisy hasn’t left yet. She insists on seeing you first. She has asked that you meet her at the breakfast room. She would also like you to bring Sonia along, because she wants to speak to her."

He scoffed and rolled his eyes. He should have never allowed them to meet before. All she talked about now was talking to the girl, and making connections. It was beginning to irritate him even more than it initially did. The thought of Daisy pushing for more time with Sonia made his jaw tighten.

"Daisy? I should have known Daisy is around. I want to see her," Liam said cheerfully. His mood shifted quickly, a smile breaking across his face at the mention of her name.

"Please no," Ramon replied with a groan of protest. The last thing he needed was another complication this morning.

"Why? That’s my girl. If I leave without seeing her, she’ll find and chop off my head. I happen to love my head just fine, Ramon."

He sighed in resignation. Alpha Liam was his best friend. Sure they lived very far apart, but it was his family that had taken him as a kid. They grew up together, and always had each other’s back. When it was time to return and pick the pieces of what was left of Bloodmoon after Alpha Fenris attack, it was Liam who helped him. Whatever he wanted, he got. The only thing he drew the line at was his thirst for revenge. No one was going to influence that in a direction he didn’t already want to go.

"Tell her I’ll be there," he ordered the servant.

He bowed, and hurried out of their presence to deliver the order. His footsteps faded quickly down the corridor.

Ivy lifted her head when his footsteps had faded.

"I’m not going to stop you from carrying out your revenge plans. But I already told you I’ll try my best to protect the girl. You’re acting irrational. It’s not her fault you can’t resist her. Take it to the moon goddess who made her your mate. Stop punishing her for the sins of your own thoughts." She gave him a once over, and walked past them. Her dress swished softly as she moved, the simple fabric hiding the strength in her steps.

"Where are you headed?" Alpha Ramon asked, still recovering from the tongue lashing she had just given him. His voice came out rough, the frustration still thick in his throat.

"To get the girl some food. You’ve tortured her enough to last a week. Save whatever you have planned for another day," she said behind her shoulders as she disappeared out of sight. Her words hung in the air, sharp and cutting.

"Never seen Ivy that defensive. Hot!" Alpha Liam whistled. The sound was light, almost playful, cutting through the tension like a knife.

Ramon turned to him with his eyes shooting furious daggers. "You’re insufferable!"

"Says you who is punishing the sins of a father on a girl who happens to be your mate. Maybe Ivy is right. Maybe what you’re most upset about is her irresistibility. You hate how drawn you are to her despite your intentions to punish her. For that fact, you punish her anyway."

"Stop defending her!" He said between his teeth. His voice was not loud, but he stressed every syllable to show how damn serious he was. The muscles in his jaw worked hard as he tried to keep his temper in check.

"I’ll stop when you start thinking with your head, and not irrationally. For now, I’m going to see Daisy. You’re coming?" He lifted a brow, his expression calm but insistent.

"Do I have a choice?" He hissed, and rolled his eyes when Liam burst into a feat of laughter. The sound echoed down the corridor, light and easy, the complete opposite of how Ramon felt inside.

"Oh old friend, you need to chill."

"Whatever man."

They continued down the hall, and took the curve that led them to the path of the breakfast room. The stone floors felt cool under their boots, the morning light streaming through the windows and warming the air slightly. The building smelled of fresh bread and roasted meat from the kitchens, but Ramon’s stomach was too twisted with irritation to feel hungry.

"The building gets bigger," Liam observed out loud. His eyes scanned the high ceilings and detailed carvings on the walls.

"Yeah, it has to. I work too damn hard not to be able to expand."

"Fair point." He nodded, as they stopped in front of the breakfast room.

The guards beside the door bowed, and slid the door open for them to go through. The wood moved smoothly, revealing the large room inside.

The moment they stepped foot into the room, Liam was tackled to the ground.

"What the—" he smiled when he saw Daisy on him. Her arms wrapped around his neck, her body pressing close as she laughed.

"Hey handsome," she laughed. Her voice was bright and full of joy, cutting through the morning tension like sunlight.

For the umpteenth time that morning, Alpha Ramon rolled his eyes hard. The sound of their laughter filled the room, warm and easy, while he stood there feeling the weight of everything pressing down on him.