Chapter 83: Anger
Councilman Vye walked home with his jaw tight and and his mouth clenched all the way as he walked home. Every step of his radiated his anger.
The moment he crossed the threshold of his house, the first thing he did was call for his daughter as he shouted, "Ramona!"
He watched as she raced down the stairs, still dressed in the dress from the celebration and stood before him, trembling," Yes, Father?"
He stared at her sternly and frowned. She was already twenty-two and losing her youthful beauty. While she was the most beautiful girl in the Stormhold Pack, that Omega who had followed the Prince’s was not half as bad looking. If she had a little more meat on her bones, the slave omega would actually be more beautiful... which was not good...especially if... No. He shook off the thought and turned to Ramona, gesturing, "Sit."
He nodded approvingly when she sat without question, and he sat down beside her. Trying to keep his voice as gentle as possible, he asked, "Where have you progressed with His Majesty? You accompanied him at his home almost all of last month, did you not?"
Ramona stiffened. Her fingers clenched together in her lap and she lowered her gaze, trying to avoid her father’s stare.
Every time she returned from the Alpha’s estate, he asked her this same question. Every time, she gave him the same answer.
Because Alpha Lance... he was different. He did not claim her the way her father expected. He kissed her, yes. He touched her, yes. But nothing more. He had not consummated their bond.
Her father called it shameful, a humiliation that her fated mate seemed not to desire her. She’d thought so too. She had seen it every time, how new mates would enter mating heat.
Yet Prince Lance had spoken gently to her, and assured her that he wanted to wait. He had told her that because she was destined to belong to all three of them, the bond could only be sealed when she accepted them all together. Until then, he would not force her, even if desired her more than anything.
She knew her father wanted her to seduce them separately and force the bond as soon as possible... but her fear of Prince Kael was too strong. So, she was content with the way things were for now. For a moment, she felt guilty towards her father but then, she shook her head. No. Their arrangements were between her and her mates. Her father need not worry.
Silently, she darted a glance at her father, her lips pressed together, and gave the smallest shake of her head. She knew what his reaction would be. She knew the disappointment that would shadow his face, and then the lecture about how it was necessary for her to establish her relationship soon or how it would weaken and destroy their pack. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, prepared for the lecture.
But, in the next moment, a loud voice made her jump. Horrified at the loud sound of something breaking, she opened her eyes and could barely make a sound at the sight before her.
Her father had slammed down upon the table with such force that the wood groaned and had already split beneath the blow, cracks spidering across its surface.
Ramona jumped and she could feel her body trembling.. Her father’s rage was no small thing. She remembered all the beatings she had endured over time. The only reason she had been spared the last four years was because of her status as His Majesty’s future mate.
Lowering her head, she kept her eyes fixed on her lap, her breath caught in her throat. She dared not move, dared not speak. Shivering, she sat in silence, wondering if her father would revert to his old ways and take a stick to beat her...
Unexpectedly, he looked at her calmly and then patted her head. She flinched but kept still. "F... Father..."
Raymon Vye’s hand lingered on her head for a moment before he pulled it away and Ramona breathed a sigh of relief.
"Listen to me, Ramona," he said, the man said, as he stared at his daughter intently, "Time is not a luxury we have. Every day that passes without the bond being sealed is a day wasted, a day our enemies can use against us. You will not sit idle and pretend this can wait. You will do it-and you will do it fast."
Ramona bit down on her lip, her head still bowed, but her chest rose and fell in uneven breaths.
She wanted to protest, to say that things were not so simple, that Alpha Lance had promised to wait for her, that she was not ready for what her father demanded. But her voice refused to come.
"You hear me?" She nodded at the sudden raising of his voice and nodded as he continued, "You must seduce them. One by one, if you must. Use your beauty. Use your wit. Use whatever it takes to make them bend to you. The bond must be sealed immediately."
Ramona’s fingers twisted together in her lap, nails digging into her skin. She kept her head bowed, but her heart pounded painfully in her chest. Seduce them? All three? She could barely stand the thought of Kael’s presence, let alone giving herself to him.
Raymon studied her silently for a long moment, his eyes narrowing.
"You will begin with Prince Kael."
Ramona’s head shot up before she could stop herself, her eyes wide in horror. "Father-"
Her voice cracked, the rest of her words died on her tongue even before they formed.
But her father caught the look on her face, and his own hardened as he gave her a deep stare and warned," Make sure you do things right this time. And if you fail, then mate or no mate, I will make you pay. Understood?"