Chapter 23
1871words
"One more!" I raised my empty glass to the bartender.
Not a minute later, he already had the bottle with him and poured me another shot.
I swirl the glass, watching the whisky create waves over the massive sphere of ice on it while I look back to my past and my relationship with my father, which I wish would just be a dream I could wake up from any time.
Bitterness filled my soul, and it was not because of the whisky flowing in my veins. No… It's because of the past I carry – it's because of my father.
Luke was not only my father but also the former alpha. As the only child and heir to the alpha throne, he was very strict with me. Despite my young age, he wouldn't show me any mercy and would beat me so badly without hesitation whenever I failed to get first place in any kind of competitions or exams.
I gulped the whisky again and closed my eyes.
I couldn't count how many times I've wished to feel his hug and comfort, but if there's one thing he taught me, it is that showing emotions makes us fragile.
"What did I say? Is crying all you can do, huh? You're the future alpha! A pack doesn't need a lame leader!" My father pushed me to the wall and grabbed my collar, telling me, "Don't show such emotions that make you weak; you don't need it!"
He would remind me of that over and over again as I felt the sting from his whip every word. All I could do then was grit my teeth and pray I'd still be alive to see the day tomorrow.
He told me that a good and powerful alpha wasn't about thinking when his parents would hug him. He told me that I should be a strong and formidable person.
So…since childhood, I've lived in my father’s shadows, following his every command like a puppet, in fear that if I made another mistake that would anger him, I'd fall again into that same hell.
A place where I could only scream and beg in my mind because I knew I'd only suffer longer if I resisted and showed emotions.
Despite all that, though, I still admire him as an incredible Alpha. But that admiration wasn't enough to make me put aside my fear of him.
With one more gulp, I finished the newly poured whisky in my glass and heaved heavily.
'How could you call yourself an Alpha, Kylian? You can't even rebel your father!' I scolded myself.
Though he's no longer the Alpha, and I'm supposedly the one in power, he kept lingering and monitoring the pack's situation, constantly checking if I was the alpha he wanted me to be.
And obviously, being rejected by the Luna was a shame in his eyes.
Damn! I guess something awaits me again!
Depression formed in my heart as I combed my hair and messed with it.
"Another one!" I tapped on the table beside my glass and kept looking down at it, waiting for the bartender to fill it again.
Taking another sip, I finally replied to Henry, "All that's left is the signing of the divorce paper, and it's really done…"
He went silent for a moment. "Was it because of Flora?"
I sneered and looked at him. After another sip, I asked sarcastically, "What do you think?"
He shook his head, feeling the trouble I was in, and took a sip of his own. "So, what will you tell Luke? How will you explain it?"
I froze, my hand stopping midair before the glass reached my lips, which I parted to reply, but I was too dumbfounded to say anything.
Della's mesmerizing face flashed before me. His stunning smile and joyful expression whenever she greeted me before he came back to me and how her face would get tough whenever she was mad or irritated.
It's like I wanted to stop time and keep those moments dearly in me.
I didn't want it to end.
I remember the day we got married. She was in a beautiful white dress with flowers in her hand, looking at me with those glossy eyes and a wide smile. I remembered her soft hand on mine while I put a ring on her slender finger, swearing to the Moon Goddess that I'd treat her the best, protect her, cherish her, and never abandon her for anything.
Slamming my glass on the table, which broke because of the force I exerted, I cursed myself. "Kylian, you're a real asshole!"
Blood dripped from my hands with embedded glass shards as I blamed myself for the chaos we were in now. It hadn't been so many years yet, and I was already breaking that vow.
I even failed to notice how My mom and sister were bullying her behind my back.
If only I paid more attention to what was happening, I would have seen it. I ought to have seen it. If only… If only I cared more.
Realizing all these things, I wanted to punch myself. Only if I could, I would have done it in a heartbeat.
I sighed and fisted my hands, letting the shards go deeper into my palms.
"Alpha, the shards…" he reminded me in worry, but I couldn’t feel it.
No physical pain could be compared to the chaotic emotions fighting inside me and the pain that's tearing my heart into a million pieces.
With conviction, I said, "I'll never divorce Della. Not today, and definitely not in this lifetime."
"Actually…" he hesitantly started.
I turned my head to the side and looked at him, urging, "What?"
"The pack members always thought you'd divorce Luna Della sooner or later and replace her with Flora." Sighing, he continued, "I won't lie, even I thought that's what you'll do."
"That's ridiculous! Della is my Luna forever!" I shouted and punched the table, causing the other things on the table to bounce from the shock.
"Hey! Careful, or you'll pay for all the damages," a manager said, so I nonchalantly threw him my card, which immediately shut him up after he saw it was a black card.
How could they think I'd do such a thing? I'd never leave Della. I never even thought about that! Not even for a second.
Henry sighed and shook his head. He looked at me with sympathy, which made my blood boil. But as my anger was just about to rise, it instantly vanished after I heard his next words. "But that's what you did. Every time Luna Della and Flora have conflicts, you'll always take your fated mate's side. Most of all, you impregnated Flora so…"
Henry shrugged, "It's not actually surprising why many of us thought that way."
Suddenly, I felt cold. It's like a bucket of ice bath was poured into my being. Guilt coursed through my body.
"He's right! I kept telling you that it's always Flora's fault. I reminded you countless times, but you never listened to me and kept taking Flora's side," my wolf scolded.
Irritation filled me. After taking a bottoms-up of the whisky, I irritably told Henry, "That's only because Flora is fragile! Della is way stronger than her and doesn't need much protection. She can take care of herself."
Henry kept looking at me, urging me to continue.
Sighing, I added, "I admitted, I guess I've been a little too much to Della recently, but that's only because Flora is pregnant. As a Luna, she should understand the situation and tolerate Flora."
My chest clenched as I felt the heavy burden being dumped on me. My eyes then glinted with determination, "But for whatever it was, I'll never divorce Della."
"How will you do that? Luna Della looked like she had already made up her mind to leave you," he said helplessly.
But it couldn't be compared to the feeling of helplessness and powerlessness I'm feeling right now.
Why does everything have to be this hard?
"I'll tell her that if she divorces me, I'll expel her from the pack. No omega can survive the wilderness without a pack. They have no ability to do so. She'd be at her wits' end," I replied. Even if she hated me, I'd do everything to keep her beside me.
Henry called the bartender, took the bottle of whisky, and asked for another glass. He pushed the glass with ice in front of me and slowly poured me a drink. "You must be forgetting. Prince Jackson protects Luna Della."
Reminded of that, a growl instantly escaped my lips.
"There's no way a Lycan Prince will ever like an omega. Della will wake up from her delusion soon enough. She'll know that she's just being treated as a toy, and he'll throw her away once he gets tired of playing with her for a few days. He'll find her boring…" I said and took the drink he offered me.
By now, the shards in my palms were already pushed out, and the wounds had completely healed.
"You got a point," Henry gulped his own drink. It won't be easy for an omega like her to be loved by a powerful being like the Lycan Prince."
"Excuse me."
Our conversation was instantly halted when we heard a polite voice echoing beside us. Looking at the source of the voice, we saw a man holding a paper.
He was manly and looked a bit younger than me, has blond hair and deep blue eyes. From his expensive custom-made shirt and his demeanor, I'd say he's also a high-ranking werewolf.
His eyes traveled to the drinks in front of Henry and me before he let out a small laugh and jokingly said, "Sorry, I overheard the conversation between the two of you."
After hearing that, Henry and I looked at each other and stared at the man suspiciously. What did he want?
Probably seeing the wariness in our eyes, he immediately smiled and introduced himself, "I'm Albert, by the way. I'm a friend of Prince Jackson. I was about to leave initially, but I remember something interesting after hearing from you guys."
Albert nonchalantly shrugged his shoulder. "So, I stayed."
"Where are you really going with this?" I asked warily.
"Of course… Right…" He pulled a piece of paper from his bag and handed it to me. "I just printed it using the bar's printer. I thought you'd be interested in it."
With a knowing smile, he raised his glass of wine before he left.
"What did he give?" Henry asked, standing up to look over my shoulder as I read through the paper that Albert gave me.
It turned out that I had a pregnancy test report.
My brows furrowed when I saw whose report it was. "Flora…" I whispered.
Slowly, my eyes traveled down to the end of the paper where the result was.
Negative…
It said that Flora wasn't actually pregnant.
Reading it, my breathing became heavy, and I suddenly remembered something.
Gritting my teeth, my hands tightened on the paper, causing it to crumple by the end.
"Investigate this! Quietly!" I instructed Henry.
