Chapter 5 Cathy

Chapter 5 Cathy

: To right my wrong

’s POV

Alston and Eric could also hear the order. My father made sure of that. I wouldn’t be surprised if the whole pack did.

"You’re fucked," Linda told me.

Her red face radiated almost imperceptible steam. She was furious. Not at the fact that we were called into the office, but because she couldn’t hit me, and for me, seeing her frustrated like that was a small but significant victory.

"We are about to find out," I replied.

Linda went downstairs and completely ignored me, and Alston did the same.

"We gotta go," I said to Eric.

"Wait," Eric stopped me. "You don’t look well. Let me check you out."

The heir to the Night Pack carefully inspected my legs by sinking his fingertips into my skin, first the knee and then the thigh where I had hit when I fell.

"Fuck, it hurts." I bit my tongue and held back the urge to scream.

"Sorry, I didn’t think it would hurt so much," he continued. "Why aren’t you healing?"

He asked, scratching his chin as if trying to decipher what happened.

I inhaled a big breath and gathered the courage I needed.

"I’m not like the others. My wolf didn’t recognize me," I told him, "I’m a shapeshifter but without the ability to shift, a disgrace to my own."

He rounded his eyes and almost gave me another of his pitying looks but stopped himself.

"I understand. I’ve heard of few cases like yours," he said optimistically. "Some take longer but manage to communicate with their wolf, or some just never do but develop other abilities, don’t feel less than others. You have a courage that many shifters don’t have."

His words were like a warm blanket in the middle of winter. They tucked me in and touched my soul.

"Thank you, no one has ever said anything like that to me before. I’ve always been made to feel that..."

"You’re not worth it," he completed my sentence. "I could tell by the way your sister talks to you. You don’t deserve that kind of treatment. After all, you are the Alpha’s daughter. You have the same rights as her. Never forget that."

After he finished checking my face, he brought his face close to mine to look straight into my eyes as if searching for an answer.

"I will always be grateful for what you did today," I said.

He didn’t look away, just nodded. My body shuddered, and a strange sensation began to run down my back, one akin to an electric charge dispersing through every cell in my body. Something I had never felt before.

"We should go. It’s been too long," Eric said, looking away from me. "Where is that office?"

I heard his question, but I was lost in limbo. His gaze had left me in a state of inertia where I could only think of one possible answer to this feeling.

"Hey! Are you okay? Was the blow too hard?" he asked.

I shook my head so that I could concentrate on the situation.

"Yeah, right. To the office," I said. "Follow me."

I walked down the stairs with Eric behind me, and it felt a little strange because even though we didn’t say anything, I could feel the pressure of his gaze on me, and when I turned around, he looked away quickly.

"Gimme five minutes," I said, stopping us in front of my room. "I can’t come to the office looking like a complete nut."

He nodded and leaned back against the wall.

"Don’t be too long, ok?"

"Ok!"

I walked into my little room and ran straight to the bathroom. I turned on the faucet, filled my hands with water, and splashed my face. The water was ice cold and helped me come back to my senses. I looked in the mirror and didn’t recognize myself. The strangest thing was that there was nothing different about me, apart from a few small scratches on my face and unkempt hair.

I decided not to make a big deal of it and hurried to change my clothes.

I’ll give them back to him later I thought, throwing Eric’s coat and shirt on my disorganized bed, knowing it might be an excuse to see him again.

I opened my closet and didn’t have much to choose from, so I grabbed a pair of blue jeans, a white blouse, and some comfortable sneakers, got dressed, and as I did so, I looked around and considered Eric’s words.

Why do I live this way if I am the Alpha’s daughter? Why is my closet almost empty? And why should I settle for the maid’s room when the hotel has better rooms? Those and other questions were going through my mind as I looked around the corners of my small white, simply furnished room with only a small bed, a nightstand, and an old wooden closet.

"I’m ready." I stepped out of the room, and Eric scanned me with his eyes.

"You look...different," he said after thinking his words over.

"It’s time," I said. "You just play along, okay?"

He nodded and followed my lead.

The office setting was exquisite to look at, and it was a true work of art. It was mahogany and had a carving of a gray wolf riding atop a hill and below it the silhouettes of his pack. Before I even touched the door, it opened.

"We’ve been expecting you," my father said, sitting back in his chair.

Lissandra, my father’s Luna, waited for us to enter and closed the door behind us. As soon as she saw me, I felt the weight of her gaze on me.

The office was large, with a glass window that allowed us to observe the entire landscape. There was a desk made of the same wood as the door, which matched perfectly with the bookshelf full of books behind it and the padded chair with red cushions. In front, my father and Alston stood next to Linda, who occupied one chair, and Lissandra hurried to sit in the other next to my half-sister.

"You know why you’re here," my father said. "I don’t approve of that kind of behavior in my pack, much less among my daughters."

My father rarely referred to me as his daughter, much less if there was someone from another pack present.

"Father, the thing is..."

"Hush Cathy, your father is talking, don’t interrupt him," Lissandra cut me off.

"Thank you very much, my love," My father told her and cleared his throat. "As I was saying, this kind of behavior damages the harmony of the place, and besides, if someone had seen you, what would they think of us?"

"That we are savages," Linda added.

"Excellent answer, daughter, and we’re not a bunch of wild beasts," he continued. "We are a family."

My father’s attitude began to seem somewhat suspicious to me since he didn’t include me in his family, not unless it was one hundred percent necessary.

"Father, Linda set me up," I said, raising my voice so they could hear me.

The room fell silent, and I sought Alston’s gaze for support. Even though he no longer loved me, he heard the truth. But Alston averted his gaze and rested his hand on Linda’s shoulder, giving me a clear message. He was on my half-sister’s side.

Eric was behind me and just watching my father with respect. I never noticed a hint of fear in his eyes, but he still didn’t dare to voice his opinion for the simple fact that he was in my father’s territory and didn’t want to disrespect us.

"Linda put something in my cup, and I..."

"Stop! That’s not an important matter right now." my father raised his voice and cut off immediately. His orders were impossible to ignore, and in addition, I was overwhelmed by the situation. "I know what happened between you two," he stood up from his chair and walked over to Eric and me. "And I hope we can come to an agreement."

Linda had a winning smile on her face as Lissandra rubbed her hand, and she gave me a cold stare.

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"Don’t play dumb, Cathy," he added. "You know what I’m talking about."

Before I could formulate a response, Eric stepped forward and stood next to me.

"I’m so sorry. I have no excuses," Eric confessed. "It was all my fault, and I’m willing to take the consequences of my actions."

"That’s not true! It’s my fault, father," I interfered. "If anyone should take the blame, it’s me. I walked into the wrong room."

"There’s nothing to be sorry about," My father said. "It’s a golden opportunity, don’t you see?"

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing, and my father’s reaction was not at all what I was used to. His tone was harsh but not stern, and his gaze went straight to mine this time and not to the floor as he usually did.

"I’m not getting it," I added.

"Really... can you be any dumber?" Linda took the opportunity to attack.

"Shut your mouth!" I responded.

"Girls, please stop behaving like little children. This is a situation that suits all of us," My father said.

Lissandra placed her hand on Linda’s leg and gave it a slight squeeze, and grimaced with her mouth.

"What do you propose?" Eric initiated the negotiation. "We can negotiate resources, or even..."

"A marriage, why not take advantage of this situation to bring the packs closer together," My father said, linking his fingers. "We can have a ceremony and marry you in front of the full moon and thus ask the Goddess to unite your hearts as mates."

My heart stopped, and I felt the ground beneath me disappear. I felt myself floating in the air without a foothold and very afraid. Not for me, but because of my actions now, Eric would be forced to accept me as his mate.

"No, I will not accept it," I raised my voice and felt the withering gaze of everyone in the room. "I’ll not force Eric to bond with me."

"You’re not thinking things through," Lissandra added. "Listen first."

My father stepped closer and faced Eric, leaving me standing to the side and glaring up at the two imposing Alphas.

"Don’t listen to my daughter. This is between you and me. Think of the future of our kind, we have to stick together." My father played that card, but Eric shook his head.

"I am flattered," He said. "Your daughter is a beautiful woman, and while it would be the right thing to do. I’m afraid I can’t accept your offer."

Confusion was painted on my father’s face.

"Why can’t you accept it?" my father asked calmly.

"Because I already have my mate, and we are engaged," Eric confessed. "This was a mistake that I feel very sorry for and will always carry with me. I hope this doesn’t affect our pact and the relationship between the packs."

My father returned to his seat with his hand scratching his freshly shaved beard.

"I can offer jewelry to your daughter. Jewelry of great value to compensate for my daring," Eric said.

My father nodded. "I cannot force you to give up your mate. That is a sacred union that cannot be altered. Furthermore, I will not end so many years of peace over a misunderstanding. We will accept your offering as a symbol of your generosity," My father said, turning to me and changing his expression to the cold and careless one he used to have. "You are dismissed."

I felt a momentary relief, and without hesitation, I left the office.

"Wait!" Eric took my hand. "Can we talk? in private."

His hand was rough and firm, much larger than mine, but somehow it fit perfectly with mine.

"Sure," I replied and led the way to the outside of the hotel.

I chose the pool area as it was desolate. The hotel had only Werewolf guests from other packs because of the party, and they were already about to leave for their territories.

"I’m sorry for what I said in there. In fact, I don’t regret what happened, but I already have a commitment and..."

"You have nothing to apologize for," I cut him off, "It could have been worse."

He nodded and rummaged for words in his head.

"I’ll send you the most expensive thing I can find, the best jewelry and the best quality," he told me.

"I don’t need jewelry," I told him.

"I’ll still send them to you. I made a promise." Those were his last words to me. Then without knowing what else to say, he walked into the hotel, and I just watched him walk away, leaving me with a feeling of loneliness.

How can I miss someone I barely knew? I asked myself, knowing that I might never know the answer.