Giselle doubted Vivian had ever cared for her father at all. She’d paid a nurse to do it all, and now this exchange was simply a way for her to get back at them for what happened to David. Too bad she was underage; she’d love to accept the challenge Vivian had issued.
The sound of a chair being wheeled down a tile hallway caught Giselle’s attention. She took a breath and mentally prepared for the worst.
Ace came through first, holding open one of the large French doors leading into the solarium. Behind him, Jay was pushing a wheelchair.
Giselle stood and turned fully to take in the sight of the man sitting limply in the chair.
He’d once been tall and proud, that was certain. Even emaciated and weak, his body filled the frame of the chair, nearly overflowing. Long waves of brown hair framed his face, and through his dead expression she saw the emerald green of his eyes.
He stared blankly forward, giving no indication that he actually saw what was in front of him. His mouth hung slack, allowing a tiny dribble to escape the corners of his lips.
A far cry from what she’d imagined her father to be; and yet seeing him now, she felt the connection to him.
Her heart sank, knowing what had happened and feeling guilty that it was her birth that had played a part in making him this way.
“Father,” she said meekly, taking a step towards him. “We don’t know each other. And maybe we never will. But I am your daughter. Giselle.” She reached out a hand and allowed her fingertips to graze the tops of his hands resting neatly in his lap.
Maybe he heard her. Maybe he didn’t. None of that really mattered. She needed to speak, if only to break the silence in the room, and talking to him was infinitely better than that.
She’d have thought him a corpse, given the chill that clung to him and the gray of his skin. His breath, so shallow it might not register to human ears, was barely audible even to hers. The rise and fall of his chest were millimeters of movement. And yet, despite all that, she knew he was alive, and she hoped he could hear her. Perhaps his consciousness was there somewhere, trapped in this frozen body.
There was hope there in that thought. Though it meant her father a prisoner of his own mind, if life remained within, there might be a way to help him. Fate was cruel, but she couldn’t imagine that he’d have done something bad enough to deserve this. Even if he had broken magical laws, it was done so to bring new life into the world. A child to be loved. Only that child hadn’t been loved for many years.
Giselle gazed into his glazed over eyes, trying to make a connection, trying to find that hint of life left in there.
“I am glad to finally meet you. And I promise we’ll take good care of you.” She squeezed his hand to emphasize her point, and at that moment, she could have sworn she felt a muscle twitch.
Giselle turned around toward Martina, needing someone to speak. And more than that, needing an adult to take the reins now. She would take care of her dad. But it was Martina and Gavin who took care of her at this point, and they too had to extend that same promise.
“We will make the necessary arrangements, of course,” Martina said. “How soon will you need us to take him into our care?”
All eyes turned to Vivian, and at first, it appeared she would use her anger as a reason to abandon him immediately, but with her boys also looking on, she hesitated. “He will need to leave my care when you return to your... home.”
Giselle let out a sigh of relief. They hadn’t prepared for this. They were no doubt staying in a small two-room suite nearby. It wouldn’t have been fair to attempt to bring Orion there.
“Thank you for your generosity,” Martina responded.
Chapter 8
It wasn’t proper Alpha-to-be behavior, nor was it even respectful of the people in the room, but the moment Ace was told to take Orion back to his room, Giselle jumped up and followed.
Murmurs of disappointment rose up in her wake, but she didn’t give them time to catch her. Once she’d breeched the double doors and made it into the lonely hall, it was as if all the air rushed back into her lungs.
“Seriously?” she called after Ace, who was walking slowly ahead.
“Not the greeting you expected, I know.” Ace sounded as if he were ready to accept the tongue lashing Giselle was about to give him.
Anger dug its claws into her, and like a wounded animal, Giselle wanted to lash out. He could have warned her it would be like this. He could have offered her tips on how to deal with his pack. Sending her in blind to be ridiculed and laughed at by Vivian was an act of hatred in and of itself.
The words nearly came out of her mouth, but then Jay’s warning had been just that. Ace had not come out and said anything, but at least his brother had had the decency to try.
In her hesitation, she hadn’t noticed that Ace stopped walking. He turned to her, and there was no animosity in his eyes. If anything, she saw pain. Here was a man hurting, and by the looks of him, doing all he could to hide it.
“Don’t judge Mother too harshly.” Ace offered a hand in friendship. “She’s deeply troubled by the death of our father.” Standing there, with all the outward resolve of someone ready for the gallows, Ace looked like someone who’d taken more than his share of abuse already. “Aim your anger at me. I can handle it.”
Giselle opened her mouth, still wanting to lash out, but her venom had disappeared. “I am angry,” she sighed, wishing she had better words for that moment.
“And you have every right to be. None of this is fair.” Lines that she’d not noticed before etched his face. A weary sigh escaped his lips, and when she did not take his outstretched hand, he let it fall limply to his side.”
“Why didn’t you warn me about what was to come?”
“I should have known better. And for that I am sorry. This transition is more than just moving a seat of power. Our pack has...” He stopped short, biting his tongue.
More secrets. More lies. Honesty, it seemed, was too hard for her kind. Everything had to be shrouded in mystery, even when that could mean life or death for another.
Anger rumbled up her chest in a growl that revealed just how close to the surface her wolf was.
Rising to the challenge, Ace met her eyes, his own wolf peering out from behind them. An Alpha meeting another Alpha, ready to prove themselves. Ace shook away the haggard guise and stood at full height, reminding her just how tall and proud a wolf could look, even in their human form.
Impressive was an understatement. He radiated power that commanded attention. Youth gave vigor to that power, and if they had not been related, she most certainly would have felt an attraction to his animal magnetism. But despite the great show, Giselle refused to be intimidated.
She was an Alpha, despite admitting to others she didn’t feel she deserved the title. When challenged, her wolf easily rose to the task, fearing nothing from the male standing toe to toe with her. Giselle held her ground as her wolf gave power to her words. “I am the daughter of Orion Silverman. I am your kin and your Alpha. I am here to claim my right, and I will not be lied to any longer.”
The silent battle of wills between their wolves came to a standstill. Ace neither lowered his eyes nor blinked. His only acquiescence was being first to speak. “You are family. And you are Orion’s daughter. But you are not my Alpha.”
Though she would not admit it aloud, he spoke the truth. She was not his Alpha. Her wolf felt it too. They were equals as much as they were family. She kept her eyes locked with his, still carrying on the silent battle of wills. “Speak to me as family, then.”
Those words earned her the win in this battle. With a heavy breath, Ace dropped his eyes, gazing down at the silent form of Orion, sitting unaware of the events around him. “My mother’s place as Alpha’s mate is now unstable. Our pack is in a state of transition, beyond just losing the regional title.”
In her haste to be done with the formality of taking the title, Giselle had not considered the ripple effect the change of power would
have.
“Because I will not remain here?” she asked, knowing the answer before he nodded to confirm it.
“Mom cannot remain the Alpha, as she only married into the role. So, the local packs want to select a new Alpha.”
“And that entails?” Giselle had an idea already.
“A fight. Always a fight,” Ace sighed, and turned to push Orion’s chair down the hall again.
“Will she fight?” Giselle asked.
“If she can, yes. Or I will have to step in.”
“And your mom blames me for putting her in this position, I’m sure.”
Ace nodded again.
“And what about your sister? What’s her deal?” Giselle said, remembering the stone-cold stare Leila had given her.
Ace shrugged. “She hasn’t spoken since Dad died.”
“I’m so sorry.” Giselle could understand Vivian’s issue, but Leila looked as if all the lights had been turned off and no one was home. Loss affected people in funny ways, though. Giselle felt bad for initially thinking poorly of Leila.
“She’ll come around eventually. Just let her be until that time. Don’t pick a fight.” The warning of a big brother was there in his voice. Alpha or no, she’d definitely heed it. That poor girl. She couldn’t even imagine what was going through her mind. Loss of a father; her family in turmoil.
Silence passed between them as they slowly walked down the hall. She hated it – all the stress and animosity, the pressure to perform according to laws she didn’t understand. And worst yet, learning she had family – real blood relatives – and that fact being the reason for all the drama. Sometimes it was better not knowing who you were.
“So. Between you and me... How do you feel?” Giselle asked.
Ace let out a deep sigh. “Worried.”
“You too, huh?” Giselle felt relief at his instant honesty. If they could only keep it up. All the half-truths and secrets served no one, least of all them. Especially if they were to work together in the future.
“Yeah. For me, this means new leadership. A new type of life.”
“How so?” Giselle asked, realizing she was showing exactly how little she knew of wolf politics.
“I was raised believing I would be the next Regional.” He stopped and turned to Giselle. “Not that I’m mad that you were offered the position. I’m fine. Really.”
“Those who are truly fine don’t have to repeat it over and over.” Giselle winked at him.
He cracked a smile, and for that brief moment she saw the old Ace – the carefree guy who’d first showed up at their door in Vegas. The one who blatantly flirted with her sisters. “Okay. Truth.” He stopped pushing Orion’s chair and turned to face Giselle. “I’m disappointed and sad. But I have no anger toward you, cousin.”
“I get it. And if we’re being completely honest, I’m not sure what I’m doing here.”
“Well, that makes two of us.”
“Okay. So we’re on the level.” Now that he’d dropped his guard, Giselle felt no harm in speaking freely and revealing just how little she knew of pack hierarchy. “How does my being here and being Regional Alpha impact you?”
Ace continued his stroll down the hall. “I won’t be Regional, but I might be pack Alpha. We’ll still live here, and this territory needs an Alpha. If Mother doesn’t want it.”
“Does she?” Giselle asked. “Really?”
Ace shrugged. “She’s used to being the Alpha’s mate. She’s used to Father’s power, and the money that being Regional Alpha takes in. Tributes from the other territories.”
“And that ends when you guys no longer hold the Regional spot?” Giselle asked.
“Right. So there will be a slight restructuring there. We have money, so that’s not the issue. But we’ll no longer have that added power. Mother might not handle that well.”
“And you will?” Giselle lifted an eyebrow, waiting for the lie to follow her baited question.
“I’ll try.”
Giselle matched pace with Ace. “And if you have to listen to me? Would that be so bad?”
“Do you know how to manage the packs?” Ace’s tone was pure snark.
“I’ll learn.”
“You’d have to. Packs are always quarreling. Father spent countless hours fielding complaints and settling disputes. He used much of the tributes paid to the Regency to fund the travel expenses of those who were sent out to physically re-establish order.”
“Sounds like managing a bunch of bickering children.”
“Worse.” Ace laughed.
“What do they fight over?” Giselle asked.
“You name it. Vampires, witches, shifters, other packs, the Acta Sanctorum, human transformations, the list goes on.”
“Human what, now?” Giselle asked, shocked at what she’d just heard.
“Oh, boy, you really have just cut your teeth, haven’t you?” Disappointment darkened Ace’s tone. “See, this is what worries me, and probably more of our kind. You grew up human. You’re still learning what it is to be wolf. Makes anyone nervous. The changes you could bring.”
“I get it. I have a ton to learn.” More and more, she felt she was wrong for this job. But she saw no way to back out. She’d already been warned that embarrassing the family could have further implications that would affect Ace, Jay, and the rest of the Silverman family. And that would further ripple out to the local packs that she’d not even had the chance to meet yet. Yet if she were given the title after wowing the Council, all that responsibility would be heaped onto her shoulders. One look at Ace said he was feeling that same pressure, and more so now that he’d learned the truth of how unprepared she was. “I promise. I will do my best.” Her words were meant to reassure Ace, but she needed that assurance herself, with no one to guarantee it.
“I will honor whoever is my Alpha. Without question.” Ace spoke plainly. “I trust the judgment of the Council. But if I’m worried, others will be too.”
“Can I be honest?” Giselle asked.
“I thought we were being honest.”
“When I first met you, I took you for a playboy.”
Ace puffed his chest proudly and the corner of his lip cocked upward in a grin to match. “Oh, that I am. Most certainly. Have the ladies lined up to be the next―”
“But seeing you alone,” Giselle cut him off, “like this―”
“We’re cousins... remember?” Ace finished her sentence before she could.
She shot him a shut-the-hell-up glare. “Not interested. And... Ewwww. We’re family, dude. How could you even think that was where I was going?”
“You called me a playboy.” Ace shrugged.
“Let’s just get this clear now. No. Hell. No. But check with Taylor. Just saying.”
“Good to know.” Ace winked, completely unfazed by her outburst.
“As I was saying. I took you for a playboy, but now I see you have a head on your shoulders, too. I was wrong to misjudge you without knowing you.”
“Easy to enjoy the freedom of youth when you know responsibility is years away. I expected father to reign for a century or more before he passed the title down. Plenty of time to make bad decisions. But now...” Ace sighed. “Time to do my part for my family.”
Giselle nodded. “I know what you mean.” The mantle of Alpha had only been sitting on her shoulders for a week, but already she’d felt the change within her. “What about Jay?”
“He’s the lucky one. Second son, if only by minutes.” Ace snorted. “Lucky bastard. He can enjoy his youth longer. If I’m granted the local Alpha title, his role will be the right hand... an enforcer.”
“Ever wish you were the second son?” Giselle asked.
“Sometimes,” Ace replied. He stopped at the end of the hall in front of a door that looked wider than normal. “This is where we’ve been having your father stay. All of his stuff will be packed up before you make the journey home. You might want to see it and have some time alone with him before you take off. The nurse
comes in once every hour to check on him, but there’s also a call button here if there’s an emergency.” He pushed Orion’s chair in through the doorway and wheeled him around to the side of the bed where a TV was on, playing commercials. “I’ll leave you two to get acquainted.”
“Thanks.” Giselle followed inside and sat down on the bed.
Ace walked to the door. “If I misjudged you, I’m sorry.”
He left her contemplating the words without giving her a chance to form a response. Not that she had one, but she did wonder what his current judgment of her was.
Chapter 9
The constant chatter on the television acted as white noise behind the screaming of her own anxiety. So much pressure to put on a good show, only to win a title even she knew she wasn’t qualified for. And there was no way out of it without ruining her family’s good name and making more enemies than she’d already racked up – enemies that that until recently had not known nor cared about her. Had she never been adopted, Giselle imagined herself as a happy lone wolf, living out her days without the pressures of pack life or blood.
Her eyes instinctively drew toward the figure seated alongside the bed. Orion’s presence had barely registered while she had been dealing with Ace, but now she was alone, face to face with her father.
All she’d ever wanted was family. She’d gotten her wish, and all the drama that came with it.
In her mind, she’d built up Orion to be a man of such great stature and commanding presence. Even enfeebled as he was now, she expected to see the glory and might. And now that she did, Giselle was left with a strange sort of numbness.
He was clearly a broken man. Whatever he might have been in a former life had evaporated, leaving behind the shell as a reminder. And though she shouldn’t, Giselle felt that part of it was her fault.
What was she supposed to do now? He sat deathly still, his chest barely rising and falling with each shallow breath and his eyes glazed over as if he were asleep, but the lids had not quite gotten the memo.
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