Chapter 105

“Dad…” Brandon started.

But Vince turned full circle to stare at the two of them. “You both abused your rank to protect an unranked wolf when she was overstepping. We have ranks for a reason. There is a pecking order for a reason. Ranked wolves are to protect the unranked wolves. Unranked wolves are supposed to fall in line. They are the backbone of the pack, but they need to know their place!” Vince screamed. “You had a weak child, Morgan. You mated an unranked wolf and had an unranked pup. That is the chance you take when you mate outside of your rank." Vince turned back. "But you do NOT allow your unranked daughter to push around the ranked wolves. You throw the entire order of the pack out the window when you do that.”

“She is my pup,” Morgan tried again.

I growled, tired of his excuse. “And what?” I tossed out. “She is your daughter, but no one was trying to fight her. No one was abusing her, which, by the way, runs rampant in this cesspool of a pack.” Vince’s eyes tightened at my words, but he kept quiet. He thought it was still my wolf in charge, and he knew what I was saying was true. “She was kept apart from all of that, out of respect for your rank. It was only when she threw her status as the beta’s child or the alpha apparent’s girlfriend around to push wolves to do her bidding—her homework, stealing their money, their clothes, abusing other unranked wolves for pleasure—that others stood up to her. Even they found what she was doing disgusting. But she ran back to the two of you, and like pawns, you came running to fight, or abuse, your own rank to make the others fall in line.”

“Nix, it isn’t like that.” Brandon tried to come forward and growled again. “I...I did it, Father.” Brandon turned to his dad and nodded.

Shannon screamed beneath my feet. “Brandon, why?”

“Because she is right. We turned our pack into a circus placating you.” He tossed out and dropped to his knees in front of Vince. “I knew it at the time that it was wrong, but Shannon had convinced me that the girlfriend of the alpha apparent shouldn’t be seen as weak.”

“Brandon…” Shannon cried weakly, but I flexed my claws again.

“I would stay silent if I were you.” I dropped close to her. “I am close to killing you to cull the rot from this pack.” But even with my words, I knew it wouldn’t help. There was something fundamentally wrong with this pack. I looked up at Vince and felt a kick in my stomach. Vince had something to do with it, and I think that is what my father wanted me to figure out.

“Why would you do this?” Vince’s voice was low, and his eyes flickered to me. “After everything I told you, raising you, why?”

“Because I had needs, and she was the easiest to get it from,” Brandon cut his eyes back to me, and I saw the longing, but I felt the bile rise in my throat.

Shannon screeched, letting me know she heard it, and I felt a little bad about it. I mean, who wants to hear that the man they love was only with them because they were easiest to fuck? I could see the fire in Morgan’s eyes as the truth came out. The relationship he was banking on between Shannon and Brandon was just one of convenience for the alpha apparent, and not one based on love for his daughter.

Vince cut his eyes to Morgan. “And you?”

Morgan stared daggers at Brandon. “Shannon had always loved your son from the time she could walk. Every day she would talk about mating him, and I had hoped that they would be mates.” Morgan pulled his eyes away from Brandon and turned to me. “Shannon could never measure up to Amy in power level, but in looks, she was just as good, better even. So if throwing my rank around got her closer to your son, so be it. She could get the one thing she wanted most in the world.”

Chapter 105

“At what cost?” I asked. “They aren’t mates, yet your daughter betrayed her mate. Brandon betrayed his. You threw this pack into internal turmoil by your pathetic maneuvering, and for what? To have your sullied daughter tossed aside for a chance at a stronger wolf?” I chuffed out a laugh. “Look at the alpha apparent, salivating at Amy, all because of me and my power. And where is your daughter now? Tossed to the trash because he got what he needed from her.” I cut my eyes back to Brandon, who had paled. “I’ll make myself clear, for all here, neither Amy nor I are interested.”