15. Marie

FIFTEEN

MARIE

The front door slammed shut, sending shivers down my spine as the sound reverberated through the house. I could hear my father’s heavy footsteps approaching, each one echoing louder in my ears. Dread washed over me, drowning me in a sea of anxiety. I knew that the inevitable confrontation I had been dreading was about to unfold.

As the night had worn on, my conviction grew stronger. My father knew everything. He had sensed the change in the atmosphere between Jesse and me, the unspoken connection that had flourished into something far more profound. And with my father returning from the chapel, there was no escaping it. The time had come to face the music, to confront the truth that lay hidden just beneath the surface.

I took a deep breath, steadying myself for what was to come. There was no way to avoid this conversation any longer, no way to prevent the storm that was about to descend upon us. All I could do was brace myself and prepare to navigate the uncharted waters of a confrontation I had hoped to delay indefinitely.

But it was here, I knew it the moment Dad stormed into the living room, his face contorted with anger. “Marie, we need to talk,” he said, his voice stern.

I rose from the couch, my heart pounding in my chest, ready to face the storm that had been brewing since Jesse and I had grown closer. There was no avoiding it any longer.

“Dad, we do need to talk,” I replied, my voice steady despite the fear bubbling within me. “I know you’re upset, but I need you to hear me out a bit about this.”

His eyes narrowed, and he folded his arms, clearly preparing for a battle. “Marie, you’re my daughter, and I’ve watched you grow up. You can’t just spend the night with Jesse without warning me in advance. It’s not right. I called you a lot last night, worrying about you, at a time when people are dying, and you just ignored me.”

“But you knew where I was.”

“I also knew who you were with.”

I took a deep breath, summoning all the courage I could muster. I couldn’t deny it, I wasn’t going to push it down anymore. He knew anyway, so what was the point? “Dad, I love you, but I’m not a child anymore. I’m a grown woman, and I deserve the chance to make my own choices and live my life. Jesse and I care about each other, and I won’t let anyone tell me I can’t be with him. I can’t be controlled.”

My father’s face turned an even deeper shade of red, his anger palpable. “So, you really are with him. Fuck. You’re being reckless, Marie. You don’t understand what you’re getting into. You don’t have a clue. This is messy, and it can only get worse.”

I held my ground, refusing to be intimidated. I wasn’t sure if it felt good or terrifying to finally be speaking my truth. “I’m not being reckless. I’ve thought about this, Dad. I know Jesse, and I trust him. I won’t apologize for wanting to be with someone who makes me happy.”

Dad’s frustration was evident as he ran a hand through his hair, his features hardening with a mix of concern and sadness. “You can’t see it, Marie. You’re too young. But I already know how this is going to go. It isn’t going to work out, it can’t.”

Tears welled up in my eyes, but I blinked them back, determined to stand my ground. “I appreciate your concern, Dad, but you can’t protect me from everything. And trying to control my life isn’t the answer. I need you to understand that.”

We stood there, locked in a tense silence, both of us grappling with our emotions. My father’s love for me was undeniable, but so was my desire to live life on my terms. The words hung heavy in the air, painful accusations that cut deep into my heart. My father’s voice was laced with anger and hurt, and I couldn’t bear the weight of it any longer.

“You’re only doing this to get back at me, Marie,” he shouted, his face contorted with a mix of emotions. “Is that why you’re doing this? Trying to take my friend away from me because I didn’t want you to go to college? That’s messed up. I’m just trying to keep you safe.”

“By keeping me here ?” I snapped. “In Wolf Mountain where there is a killer on the loose? Good job, Dad. And you know it has nothing to do with revenge. It’s about me wanting to live my life. I don’t know why you’re so against that.”

My father shook his head, his frustration clear in the lines etched on his face. “You know how I feel about you and Jesse, and you’re doing this to spite me. It’s obvious.”

His words hit me like a sucker punch, and my anger surged within me like a tidal wave, threatening to consume me if I didn’t find a way to release it. I wanted to let out a bellowing scream, to let all of my frustrations and emotions shine free, but I also realized that it wouldn’t matter. It didn’t matter what I said or how I defended my feelings because he wasn’t going to hear any of it.

I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself, and met his gaze with a firm resolve. “Dad, I’m not trying to spite you,” I said, my voice trembling but determined. “I didn’t plan for this to happen. It just did. Jesse and I… We didn’t choose to fall in love, it just happened. And I can’t change how I feel, no matter how much it upsets you.”

His brows furrowed, and his frustration deepened. “Marie, you’re too young for him. He’s your boss, for God’s sake. This is not the life I wanted for you. Plus, you’re way too young to know what love is. That’s ridiculous.”

I rolled my eyes. “Dad, I’m an adult. I can make my own choices, even if they’re not the choices you would have made for me. Jesse cares about me, and I care about him. We want to be together, and I won’t let anyone stand in the way of that. I do love him. I’m twenty-four, Dad. Plenty old enough to know what love is.”

My father’s face grew redder, and his voice rose as he continued to vent his frustration. He wasn’t listening to me at all, and his anger seemed to escalate by the moment.

“Marie, you’re being reckless and na?ve,” he shouted, his words laced with exasperation. “You’re throwing your future away for some infatuation with that man. A father. Are you ready to become a stepmother as well? Because that’s crazy. I would rather you go to college than this.”

I tried to interject, to reason with him, but he wasn’t giving me any room to speak. “Dad, please, just listen?—”

“No!” he bellowed, cutting me off. “You’re not seeing the bigger picture. You’re not seeing where this is going to lead you.”

“Dad, I understand your concerns, I know that Jesse is your friend, a father, and my boss as well. I get all of that. What I don’t get is why you won’t just let me live. I wanted college, but that was too dangerous for you. Now I have a life that might keep me here, and that isn’t good enough for you either.”

My father shook his head, his frustration and disappointment evident in his every gesture. “Marie, you’re making a mistake, and I can’t stand by and watch you ruin your life.”

It felt like a dagger to my heart, hearing those words from my father. I had always looked up to him, respected his opinions, and sought his guidance. But now, I was faced with a situation where my heart and my head were in conflict, and it seemed there was no easy resolution.

As his tirade continued, I realized that arguing further wouldn’t help. My father was too consumed by anger and fear to see reason at the moment. So, I took a deep breath and made a difficult decision. I turned and walked away from the confrontation, leaving him shouting behind me.

I stormed out of the house, slamming the door behind me. The cool evening air did little to quell the fire burning inside me, and I began to walk briskly down the familiar path that led away from our home, away from him as well, but the upset churning through me wasn’t going anywhere. I just couldn’t believe that my father had spoken to me in that way and treated me like that. He must have been stewing all day long, getting himself all wound up, and that was a fucking volcano of anger. I didn’t like it at all. I knew he would hate me and Jesse as a couple, but I didn’t think he would be quite so cruel.

As I walked, I couldn’t help but imagine my father’s past and the pain he had endured when my mother passed away. Losing her had undoubtedly left a void in his life, one that he might never fully recover from. I understood that grief had the power to shape a person, but it didn’t justify the way he had spoken to me or the attempts to control my choices and emotions.

My parents had shared a deep love, and I saw it in their interactions while growing up. They had been each other’s anchors, their love a source of strength in difficult times. Losing my mother had been devastating for both of us, but we had coped in different ways.

For me, finding solace in Jesse’s presence had been a lifeline–a connection that brought warmth and joy back into my life. It was a love I believed in, one that felt true and right. But for my father, perhaps the pain of losing my mother had made him more fearful of losing me, too. Still, I couldn’t allow his fears and insecurities to dictate my choices. I needed to follow my heart, even if it meant challenging my father’s expectations. I knew that our relationship might be strained for a while, but I hoped that with time, he would come to accept my decision and see the happiness Jesse brought into my life.

Each step I took through the town seemed to help dissipate some of the tension, but the anger still simmered beneath the surface. I couldn’t believe my father had accused me of such a vindictive motive. I had always strived to be a dutiful daughter, to make him proud, and now he believed I was capable of such pettiness. I only hoped that he didn’t really mean it.

I folded my arms across my chest, as if the physical act could shield me from the emotional turmoil swirling within. The cool evening air nipped at my skin, but it was nothing compared to the chill that had settled in my heart. The absence of Jesse’s warm and reassuring presence only amplified my sense of loneliness.

How I wished he was there with me, his strong and protective aura wrapping around me like a shield. Jesse had a way of making everything feel right, of calming the storm within me with just a touch or a word. His unwavering support and love had become an anchor in my life, and I missed him desperately in this moment of vulnerability.

As the darkness of the night began to envelop the world around me, I knew I had to find a way to bridge the divide between my father and me sooner rather than later. Our relationship had always been close, and I couldn’t bear the thought of it fracturing irreparably.

With a heavy heart, I turned back toward home, hoping that I could find a way to talk to my father, to make him understand that my intentions were rooted in love, not spite. But as I walked, I knew that repairing the damage that had been done would not be easy, and I feared that the rift between us might only grow wider before it could ever begin to heal.

My footsteps echoed through the streets as I tried to regain my composure. As I walked, I silently rehearsed the words I would use to make amends with him, to rebuild the fractured bond between us.

But just as I began to calm the turmoil within me, a sudden, unexpected presence sent shivers down my spine. Goosebumps popped along my skin as I felt the eerie sensation of eyes upon me. And not eyes that I wanted to have looking at me. I turned, my heart racing, to find someone I really didn’t want in front of me. The wolf with the diamond. The rogue wolf who had presumably been killing everyone, and who had a definite hatred for me because of Jesse. I didn’t know how bad the hatred was, but I could almost feel it burning in the air, sizzling like a frying pan, fearful fire licking all over my skin.

Ophelia

Her eyes gleamed with an unsettling mix of malice and madness, and her sinister teeth baring sent a wave of fear washing over me. What the hell was I going to do? How was I going to get out of here? Shit, I was stuck. Stuck in the worst-case scenario, with the one wolf who was likely to kill me, staring right at me, looking at me like she wanted me dead.

Before I could react, Ophelia lunged at me with inhuman speed, her strength overpowering. She crashed into me so hard my body slammed against the wall, knocking my head hard. My eyes blurred, and I was more than a little dizzy, I could hardly contain myself. I blinked a few times, trying to get a hold of myself before I lost my damn mind.

“Ophelia,” I tried to call out, but my voice was a little hoarse. I wasn’t sure anyone could hear me. “Ophelia, no.”

But the wolf slammed into me again and my head banged backwards another time. This time, I felt a deep blackness overcome me. I didn’t want to succumb to it, but I couldn’t stop myself either. It was completely out of my control. I didn’t want to die with the last words exchanged between me and my father to be bad. I didn’t want to die with everything so up in the air between me and Jesse. I didn’t want to die at all. But I didn’t have any choice in the matter. Ophelia had me, and she was going to do whatever she wanted to, no matter what.