Chapter 1

“I, Alpha Alessandro D’Almerita, reject you, wolf huntress Valerie Morozov, as my mate and Luna.” He said, glaring at the woman, his mate, as she lay bare on the bed that they shared the other night.

“I, Valerie Morozov, accept your rejection, Alpha Alessandro D’Almerita.”

************************

Rejected, torn, pregnant, and angry.

But when a wolf turns up in her infirmary, injured, beaten, and shot, Valerie is surprised that it is no other than the Alpha, her family’s sworn enemy, who rejected her.

None other than Alpha Alessandro…

Chapter 1

Valerie:

“Where the fuck?” I asked, frowning in confusion as I rubbed the sleep from my eyes.

“Good morning,” he said, entering the room. His blue eyes met my green orbs and I couldn’t help but frown in confusion as I tried to remember where I was or how I got here.

“I was drunk, wasn’t I?” I asked, and the man smiled, putting a cup of coffee on the bedside table beside me. I looked down at it for a second before turning to face him. My heart raced and I couldn’t help but frown as my blood boiled. I grabbed the cup, and the man chuckled before wrapping his hand around my wrist.

“Not so fast, huntress.” He said, and I let the cup go, knowing that I would be harming myself if I choose to do anything too rushed. He took a step back, and I covered my body with the blanket as he kept his eyes on mine. “Or should I say, mate?”

“There is no…”

“Believe it or not, as much as feeding my wolf’s hunger was tempting as I felt you, this was the last thing that I wanted to find myself dealing with.” He said, making my eyes darken. I tried to find my blade, and he smirked, pulling it out of the back of his pocket to show it to me. “Looking for this?”

“You fucking…”

“I am not going to hurt you, believe me, I would have if I wanted to.” He said, smirking as he threw the blade to me. I grabbed it midair, and he nodded, seeming impressed before taking a step forward to sit on the edge of the bed beside me. I couldn’t be the mate of a monster, my family’s enemy. “But it seems to me that the two of us are not going to meet in a middle line, would we?”

“You screwed…”

“You enjoyed it, well, the two of us did.” He said, smirking at me. The picture of him on top of me, leaning in as I wrapped my arms around his neck with a smile on my face played in my head, and I had to force myself to close my legs so as to not have the scent of my arousal hit his nostrils. “But now it is time for your rejection.”

“Rejection?”

“Surely, you don’t expect me to be with a huntress whose family’s aim is to kill me, my family, and my whole kind, do you?” He asked, his eyes meeting mine for a second. The fact that I knew that he was my family’s enemy was one thing, my reason was another, but what the man didn’t understand was that I didn’t share the same vocation, unless I needed to.

“You are a bloody bastard. You could have rejected me last night, why choose to sleep with me before doing so?” I asked, shaking my head in question and he smirked.

“I told you, I had to feed my wolf’s hunger off, and you being drunk made it a lot easier.” He said, making my chest ache. I held the blanket to my chest as I fought back my tears at his harsh words, and he stood from the edge of the bed.

“I, Alpha Alessandro D’Almerita, reject you, wolf huntress Valerie Morozov, as my mate and Luna.” He said, glaring at me, not even blinking as he said it before he turned to the door. My chest burned, and I knew that he didn’t expect me to accept the rejection as easily, but I wasn’t going to allow him to walk out victorious.

“Alessandro.” I said, calling the man, watching as he froze, looking at me over his shoulder as he did.

“I, Valerie Morozov, accept your rejection, Alpha Alessandro D’Almerita.”

Chapter 2

Alessandro:

“I am fine, baby, I just had a few things to work on and had to sleep in the hotel.” I said, assuring my girlfriend through the phone. The fact that she was the one who called and woke me up was something that took me by surprise, and I was thankful for the fact that the huntress didn’t wake up when the phone rang. Otherwise, I might have had to deal with more shit than I could handle from Daniella, my woman, and that wasn’t something that I wanted.

“You could have at least called me, Alessandro. I stayed up almost all night waiting for you.” She said, and I purred, knowing that she liked it when I did that.

“I know, baby girl, I was just a little too busy.” I said, and she hummed. “I’ll see you when I get home, yeah?”

“As if you have another choice.” She said, making me chuckle. I knew that I was going to need to take a shower before I saw her. The last thing that I needed was to have her catching a different female scent on me. It was a risk that I was not willing to take and I knew that I had to be cautious about how I was to be acting with her for a while. Knowing her, I knew that she most likely might end up sending someone behind me to check where I was going. And though I didn’t like it when she did it, I knew not to argue with her as I took care of things myself.

“I’ll see you in a bit, baby.”

“Bye,” she said, and I hung up. I walked toward my suite, and I couldn’t help but frown as I caught sight of Valerie walking out of the hotel. She had a jacket wrapped around her body, mine, and I shook my head at that fact. Well, I had to admit, she was wearing a short dress, and if she were to be taking any public transportation, it would be best for her to be wearing it.

I shook my head and turned to the elevator as I ignored the clench that I felt in my chest. The fact that a human, a wolf huntress blood, had such an effect on me when accepting the rejection was something that surprised me. Nevertheless, I was done with the curse that I was thrown into, and now all I had to do was focus on making my relationship with Daniella last.

She was my woman, a chosen woman for me, and that was going to be something that I was going to cherish. She was going to be a woman that I would be cherishing.

My phone rang, and I raised an eyebrow when I saw that it was my beta, Ezra, calling. “Tell me that no one is dead.”

“Not yet,” he said, and I chuckled. “You might want to come down to the club later. A few girls have caught a certain hunter within our walls.”

“Which one?” I asked, my eyes hardening as I clenched my fist. The last thing that I needed to hear was for it to be Valerie, and knowing that she was within our grounds, I didn’t want her getting caught in this.

“Vadim Morozov,” he said, making me frown. My mate’s fucking brother.

“Let him leave.” I said, and I could tell that Leonardo was frowning in confusion. I took a step back as I headed toward the club door. It was the backdoor of the hotel, but I had an entrance of my own, directly from inside the hotel. I hung up the phone as I approached them in the club to find the man tied on a chair.

His resemblance to his sister made my chest burn, but I knew better than to allow him to see or suspect anything.

Walls had ears, and the last thing that I wanted was for this to be spreading around.

“Boss…”

“These are safe grounds, Leonardo.” I said, stopping my beta before nodding at the men to unlock his cuffs. He raised an eyebrow at me, knowing that the last thing that I cared about was safe ground when it came to the hunters. The safe grounds were between us as wolves or members of the mafia alliances, the hunters were not part of that.

Vadim got up to face me and I growled in warning as I saw him pulling out his knife. The knife was similar to the one that Valerie had on her last night, and I couldn’t help but wonder whether or not the man actually knew that she was here.

“Where is she?” Ah, I asked a little too fast.

“She is?”

“You fucking know who I am referring to.” He said, and I crossed my arms over my chest as I bared my canines. The man frowned, and I growled in warning.

“Careful, these are still my grounds, and it is broad daylight. The two of us don’t need to get caught in an argument.” I said, and Leonardo raised an eyebrow. Normally, I would have had his head, but right now, after fucking his sister solid, I was more or less relaxed.

“Where is my sister?”

“Try calling her. You know, we have devices called phones now.” I said, taking a step back. “Your sister is not within my grounds; therefore, you have five minutes to get the fucking hell out of here. Otherwise, you are not going to like the consequences that you are going to have to deal with.”

“Is that a threat?”

“I think that you and I have fought enough to know that I don’t throw threats, Vadim.” I said, looking at the man over my shoulder. “What you’re looking for is not here. So, I do recommend that you go search for IT elsewhere. That is, unless you want to have a problem with me…”

Chapter 3

Valerie:

“Where the hell were you last night?” Vadim asked, snapping at me and I raised an eyebrow. The fact that the man was in my apartment was confusing enough as it was, and to think that he was asking such a question was even weirder.

“I doubt that I need to answer to you at the age of twenty-six, do I?” I asked, crossing my arms over my chest. I was forcing myself to ignore the clench that I felt in my chest as anger boiled through every cell in my body, and though I didn’t even understand why I was feeling this way because of a wolf, I knew to keep it quiet.

“I waited for you almost all night only to find out that you went clubbing…”

“Again, I don’t need to answer to you, Vadim.” I said, reminding him of his limit. The man was my twin, and though we were both close, I hated when he tried shoving his nose in what didn’t concern him.

“I’m sorry,” he said, avoiding my eyes. “I was worried when I didn’t find you in the house and when I found out that you were clubbing at the wolf’s…”

“The two of us know very well that I chose to move out of the house because of this ‘wolf’ obsession.” I said, stopping him. “Therefore, unless it is another topic, please, we either close this one or you show yourself out the door.”

He frowned in confusion at my attitude before cupping my cheeks to make me look at him. Tears fell from my eyes before I could stop myself and he frowned before wrapping his arms around me, pulling me in for a hug. I fisted his shirt, knowing that he wouldn’t be asking any questions. At this point, I knew that he would just hug me to let me know that he was there for me.

But I knew that I had to compose myself fast; otherwise, he was going to start getting suspicious and if that happened and if questions were to be asked, I didn’t know how I was going to answer them.

I pulled away to look at him and he smiled in assurance. “How about we take a seat and watch a movie? Maybe I can get you some chocolate? Or better yet, call mum to come over…”

“Mum?” I asked, and he smiled. The fact that she was here was a surprise as it was, and I couldn’t help but shake my head in question. “How?”

“I don’t know how he did it, but he convinced her that coming over would be best. I wanted to come and get you yesterday, but you never showed up.” He said, and I smiled before wiping my tears. I went to take a step back but he grabbed the jacket that I was wearing. “But first, you are going to tell me where you got this jacket.”

“If I am going to be telling you about every man that I sleep with on a drunken night, I doubt that you, as my BROTHER, would be okay with it.”

“TMI.” He said, and I rolled my eyes. “At least tell me that you remember his name this time?”

“Don’t answer, number ten.” I said, and he laughed, shaking his head at me. It was a name that I knew that I would never forget, and the fact that he used me the way that he did was one thing that I was going to keep in mind; however, for now, I was going to shut the topic before more questions were asked. “I’ll go and get ready before the two of us head out. I also have a jacket to burn later.”

“Yikes, he was that bad?” He asked, and I raised an eyebrow. He raised his hands in mock surrender and I shook my head.

“I swear, sometimes you forget that you are my brother and not my girl-friend.”

“I can be both depending on the situation, but then again, you would rather speak to a girl than to your own sibling.” He said, mocking me and I laughed.

“Yes, just like you would rather not gloat about the next girl that you have sleeping in my guest room after you’ve both kept me awake throughout the entire night.” I said, and he smirked.

“Touché.” I walked to my bedroom without answering as I stripped off the jacket. My heart raced against my ribcage as I looked at it for a second too long, recalling his kisses, his eyes on mine, the gentle touch. I looked away as I tried recomposing myself, and taking a deep breath, I threw the jacket on top of my bed before entering the bathroom to shower.

My heart raced as the hot water cascaded around my body, and I couldn’t help but find myself thinking of his blue eyes. The way they met mine as we both danced. The man had approached me in the club, his eyes focused on mine, as if led by some trance, and his voice, which made my heart skip a beat as goosebumps rose over my skin despite the loud music made me gulp.

His words were simple, and his voice was barely loud enough for me to hear, but it was my body that heard it long before my ears did.

“Hello, mate…”

I shook my head, snapping myself out of my daze as I took a deep breath.

“Snap out of it, Valerie.” I whispered to myself. “Just fucking snap out of it…”

Chapter 4

Alessandro:

“You have been spending more and more time outside, you do realize that?” Daniella asked, wrapping her arms around me from the back. She gently kissed my back, letting her lips linger there as I fixed my tie. “I don’t even remember the last time the two of us actually slept and woke up on the same bed without you being up before I was or in bed, if you ever do get in anymore, long after I slept.”

I stayed quiet as I kept my eyes on the mirror, but knowing Daniella, I knew that she would not drop the subject. If anything, she was going to do her best to get me to talk about what was bothering me, and that wasn’t something that I wanted. She wouldn’t like my answer, and I knew that I didn’t keep the topic to myself for months only to voice it out now.

I turned around to face her and she shook her head in question. “Did I do something to piss you off without knowing? If so, please do let me rectify, Alpha.”

I didn’t respond for a few seconds before cupping her cheeks and kissing her forehead. The issue was not her, and that was something that I knew very well.

It has been months since I have rejected my mate, and though I knew that normally, it shouldn’t affect me for more than a day or two, a heavy feeling settled in my chest and I couldn’t find myself finding a way to put a name to it.

“I’m just a little busy lately, Daniella, I don’t want you overthinking something that did not happen.” I said softly. She looked down at my chest before nodding.

“You called me by my name, and that is something that has been going on for months now.” She said, noting it out. I took a deep breath and smiled before connecting my lips with hers. She kissed me back, and wrapping her arms around me, I knew that she wanted to deepen the kiss; however, I pulled away before she could.

“I will see you later tonight,” I said, and she took a deep breath before taking a step back.

“I believe that later tonight would be long after dawn, wouldn’t it?” She asked, and I turned to the mirror. She let out a silent laugh before nodding. “I am going out for the day, I have a few things to tend to. If there is anything that you need…”

“Keep me posted on where you are going and you have my card if there is anything that you want to buy.” I said, stopping her. She stayed quiet for a few seconds before nodding. She walked toward me once again and gently kissed my cheek.

“If there is anything bothering you, what you are doing is not going to take us anywhere. Just talk to me and the two of us will solve it.” She said, and I looked away from her before nodding. “But considering the fact that you just stated that you would be seeing me later tonight, I will be waiting for you.”

“It would depend on whether or not I had work. If you find yourself growing tired, then you can just fall asleep; there is no need to…”

“We shift tonight, Alessandro, I doubt that you would be working when you are in wolf form.” She said, stopping me. I cursed under my breath, and she raised her eyebrow. I looked her in the eye as she walked toward me, gently running her finger over my chest, her breathing somewhat heavier than normal as she clearly feared how I would be reacting. Nevertheless her heartbeat was calm, but I could tell that she was trying to catch my attention somehow. “I think that it is time for our wolves to connect like they used to.”

I smiled and put my hand on hers, stopping her from making it go lower down my abdomen and she sighed and took a step back. I didn’t respond, and instead, I chose to walk out of the room, heading downstairs where I knew that Leonardo would be waiting.

His eyes met mine and he raised an eyebrow when he caught sight of my expression.

“Rough morning?” He asked, smirking when I didn’t respond. I rolled my eyes and nodded at the door.

“I just need to get the hell out of here. Only then would my morning be easier…”

Chapter 5

Valerie:

“Mum, you know that I am not a child,” I said through the phone as I put my hand on my swollen stomach.

“Val, I never did say that you are, but wolves shift tonight, and you know how your father feels about any of you being outside when that happens.” She said, and I sighed. It was something that was drilled into my head, and no matter how much I tried to forget about it, my family had the habit of reminding me.

“You know, mama, if the family stopped hunting the wolves down, maybe they wouldn’t be after us.” I suggested as I tended to one of the cats that was laying in her cage. Having been spayed, she was just waking up.

“It runs in the family’s blood, little huntress. Mind you, not everyone inherited my blood like you,” she said, and I laughed. “Just stay safe and inside. For your child’s sake at least,”

I ran my fingers over my stomach for a few seconds before nodding. It has been four months since that night, and my baby was a constant, daily, reminder of it.

“Don’t worry, mama, I will be staying in the infirmary a little later than normal. Work has been piling up…”

“Or you have been trying to avoid thinking about the baby’s father.” She said, and I looked down at the cage for a second before taking a deep breath. She didn’t know who he was, and I doubted that she would be accepting it if she found out anyway.

“I will call you tomorrow morning, okay, mama?” I asked, and she sighed.

“Alright, sweetheart, just stay safe and be sure to stay inside.” She said, and I hummed in response before she hung up. I put my phone down as I wrapped the lab coat around my body. I had to admit, over the four months, I did hope, for a second at least, that he would pop up at my door to know about his child. I didn’t have it in myself to go back to his hotel, but knowing that he was El Capi dei Capi, I knew that he could easily find me if he wanted to.

“You know, you have been playing with my mind a lot lately.” I said, putting my hand on my stomach as I spoke to my child. “I still have to find us a place to go a few years after you’re born. For your safety, at least, I can’t have them sensing your wolf blood.”

My heart throbbed and I walked toward my desk as the howls of wolves echoed around us. Normal people wouldn’t hear them, but as a huntress born, I did. I just often pretended that I didn’t because I didn’t want to think of harming anyone because of how they were born.

My stomach growled, and I rolled my eyes at it. “Really? This is like the sixth meal that I am going to be having today.”

I shook my head at myself, knowing that I was being ridiculous as I spoke to an unborn child, but then again, we did always learn that a baby could hear his mother talking when inside her.

“Fine,” I muttered as I got up from my chair. “Let’s go and find something to eat so we can feed you…” a loud thump stopped me from completing my sentence, and I couldn’t help but frown in confusion as I knew that the sound came from the front door.

A heavy feeling settled in my chest, and I knew that the thump came from a wolf. I could sense him outside, and it was an Alpha blood, even worse at this point.

I opened my drawer and pulled my gun out, loading it with a few bullets. The last thing that I was going to allow right now was for a fuss to be happening here. And considering the fact that I knew not to call mom right now, I knew that disabling the cameras would be a better option. Otherwise, the family’s security team could watch, and God forbid that my father finds out that an Alpha has been walking on my grounds.

I walked toward the door and couldn’t help but frown when I saw that the shadow of the wolf was still. The wolf wasn’t moving at all, and no footsteps could be heard, not his at least.

I looked out the window to see him and couldn’t help but frown at the sight of the black wolf that lay with a pool of blood under him. My heart raced and I couldn’t help but find my breath getting caught in my throat as the footsteps of hunters made my heart drop.

I opened the door and the wolf, who was leaning against the wall, fell inside almost immediately, taking me off guard as I saw his left shoulder and chest. Both were shot by bullets, and I could tell by the trail of blood that followed him here that he’s been injured for a while now.

“Fuck,” I muttered, pulling the creature, or more specifically, trying to, inside. My heart raced and I couldn’t help but frown at the sparks that coursed through my veins as I touched the wolf, and that was all it took before his body shifted back to human.

I frowned at the sight of the man’s blonde hair. His chest rose and fell with each heavy breath that he took, and his eyes were closed as he lost consciousness, clearly drained from the loss of blood. But that wasn’t what made my heart drop. It was me taking sight of his dirty and injured face, processing who he was as he lay in front of me.

“Alessandro?”

Chapter 6

Alessandro:

“Are you sure that you don’t want to go back to the pack, Alessandro?” Leonardo asked, shaking his head in question. I sighed and shook my head. The last thing that I wanted was to be dealing with Daniella right now.

“I have to be alone for a bit. Don’t worry, I will be back in the morning.” I said, and he nodded in understanding. He walked toward the car, and I watched as he drove away before I turned to the forest.

I roamed around for a few minutes as I looked at the rising moon. A small smile formed on my lips as I knew that I would be shifting. My eyes turned into a deep shade of golden, as my wolf made himself known, and it was seconds later before I howled.

The wolves around started howling back, responding, letting me know that I wasn’t the only one here. The territory was mine, but I never did mind sharing it with others as long as we agreed to keep a certain peace between us.

I shifted, my black coat blending with the forest’s darkness. The trees were high where I was, and it gave me a chance to maneuver around without worrying about encountering a human. I ran, and a low growl echoed through the air as three other wolves ran with me. They weren’t from my pack, but they were asking permission to join me, one which I granted with the same manner.

The four of us raced around for a few hours, but it wasn’t until midnight that the air around us shifted and our peace seemed to perish as bullets were fired. Neither one of them hit us, but we were well aware of their presence within the forest.

The hunters.

I growled in warning, but instead of taking the warning, another bullet was shot. His eyes met mine through the darkness, and I growled at the three other wolves to run. They were new shifters, and I knew that they would not be able to fight off the hunters. I didn’t even know which packs they belonged to or why they chose to be this far from their families, but I knew better than to ask questions that did not concern me.

“It seems to me that we meet again, Alpha.” He said, glaring daggers at me. The feud between us was one that I didn’t even understand; however, I grew up knowing that the hunters were ruthless killers who knew no mercy. They didn’t look at them as children, women, or elderly. As long as they carried wolf blood, they were to die on sight, and that was something that I knew to be concerned about.

A low growl of warning rumbled from my chest, echoing the cold night, and catching sight of Vadim, my eyes darkened. The man could have died at my hands, but I chose to be merciful. It seems to me that this family was going to be the end of themselves indeed.

“Remember me, Alpha?” He asked. He didn’t wait for me to react as both he and his father shot their bullets. “I am going to be sure that you fucking regret letting me leave your club the other day.”

His father looked at him for a second, clearly surprised by what his son said, before shaking his head, snapping himself out of whatever he was thinking as he turned to face us. His heart raced, and I could tell by the sweat that dripped from his forehead that he was both concerned and worried. This was the first time that I have seen him with his son to begin with, and I could tell that it was the reason for his state right now.

The three wolves lunged at Vadim while I took his father. His daughter popped in my head, and a heavy feeling settled in my chest, forcing my wolf to stumble back. The man wasted no time in my flinch as a knife was stabbed in my shoulder.

I growled in response before grabbing him by his side, biting him. His eyes widened, and he tried pushing me away only for a bullet to hit my chest before I could retreat. It was his son’s bullet that forced me down, and I couldn’t help the whimper that escaped me as I saw the three wolves laying in their blood.

Run…

Was the only instinct that I had as I saw Vadim rushing toward his father. I couldn’t care less where things led me, but I knew that I had to get as far away from here as I could.

My wolf’s feet moved on their own as an instinct of survival kicked in, and it wasn’t until I reached a door, one where her scent filled my nostrils, that I lost the ability to move any further as I stumbled on it with a loud thump.

My blood left a trail behind me, and I knew that it was only a matter of time before they found me. But I didn’t know how much time I had nor did I know whether or not I would even be able to reach my pack to begin with.

Daniella’s face appeared in front of mea as my eyes grew heavy. My chest rose and fell with each deep breath that I took, and I couldn’t help but find myself resenting my girlfriend even more than I did as a strong scent, hers, filled my nostrils.

My heart raced at the loss of blood as my wolf fought to stay strong, and it wasn’t until she opened the door that my body gave out on me, forcing me to shift back.

Her next words sounded like both music and poison to my ears as my chest burned with so many feelings that I couldn’t understand.

“Alessandro?”

Chapter 7

Valerie:

I watched as the Alpha gasped, waking up from his slumber before he frantically looked around the room that he was in.

His heart raced, and the monitor beeped loudly, startling me and the two nurses who were here by now. I nodded at the two ladies to leave before turning my attention to the man whose eyes were wide in surprise.

“What…?”

“How are you feeling?” He frowned in confusion, clearly surprised of where he was and who he was actually speaking to, and at this point, I couldn’t really blame him. I would have been surprised if I were in his place.

“How…?”

“You came to me yesterday.” I said, explaining the situation. “I had to get a few equipment and nurses to help, but don’t worry, you’re safe here.”

He didn’t respond for a few seconds but I could tell by his confused state that it was the last thing that he expected to hear from me. “You need to try talking, Alessandro.”

“Why did you help me?” He asked, shaking his head in question.

“You came to me, surely there must have been a reason behind that.” I said, sitting on the chair that was beside his bed. “Do you want to tell me what happened?”

“I doubt that a huntress like yourself would care about what happened to a wolf that was shot…”

“If I did not, then I wouldn’t have helped you in the first place.” I said, putting a hand on my stomach for a second. He followed my hand, and it wasn’t until his eyes landed on my belly that I was quick to remove it. He frowned before looking up at me and shaking his head. “I will go and get the nurses to help check up on you.”

“The child is mine.”

“You’re not asking,” I stated, and he scoffed. My heart raced against my chest and though I didn’t like it, I knew that he could hear it.

“There is a bond that not even you or your hunter family can break when it comes to a wolf child and his father.” He said, and I looked down at my feet for a second before he sighed. My chest ached and a heavy feeling settled in my chest before I forced myself to take a deep breath.

“I will go and call the nurses.” I said, walking out of the room without giving him a chance to respond or say another word. The last thing that I wanted was for him to be judging me the way that he was, especially when he didn’t understand how hard it has been on me being as isolated as I was. My own brother and father don’t know about the pregnancy, and I have been avoiding all social gatherings with them in fear that they would feel his wolf blood.

“I want you to go and check…”

“Dad?” I asked, frowning at the sight of my father. His eyes met mine and I frowned when I saw that he and Vadim were standing in front of me. “What are you doing here?”

I was thankful for the fact that I was wearing a loose shirt, and looking at my brother, I shook my head in question when I noticed the state that the two of them were in.

“Do I need an appointment to come and visit my daughter?” Dad asked, and I shook my head before smiling. I walked toward him, but just as I tried hugging him, he flinched, making me frown in confusion. Vadim shook his head, and I looked down at my father’s hand as it went down to his side.

“You’re injured.” I said, and Vadim scoffed.

“The Alpha of Alphas happened.” He said, making my chest ache. I gulped, and he shook his head before nodding at the door behind me. “Surgery this early in the morning? We saw blood stains in front of the infirmary door…”

“A dog showed up injured late last night. I had to tend to him before he bled out.” I said, and dad frowned in confusion.

“A dog?”

“I am a vet, father. It is something that you seem to forget.” I said, and he raised an eyebrow before walking past me. “What are you doing?”

“I have to check on the…”

“No…”

He opened the door, and I couldn’t help but frown in confusion at the sight of one of the dogs that was indeed injured last night, laying on the bed. His eyes were open, and he looked at me for a second before closing his eyes again.

“That is a dog.” He stated, and I looked around the room for a second before shaking my head in question.

“Is there anything that you are going to tell me? Because you seem to have crossed a certain limit…”

“I am your father.”

“And this is my infirmary, and after what you just did, your silent accusation, and the way you just chose to barge in on a patient, I doubt that the father title works.” I said, crossing my arms over my chest, careful to keep my belly hidden.

“We came to invite you to dinner.” He said, and I shook my head in question. “Alessio, son of Lucius, will be there, and I think that it is time for the two of you to finally settle things.”

“Alessio and I are a past that will not be repeated…”

“I was not asking.” He said, handing me a card. It was a wedding card with my and his name on it. “For the benefit of both families. You are going to show up at that dinner, and I will not take ‘no’ for an answer, am I making myself clear?”