Page 125 of The Alpha's Protective Mate

“She’s going into labor,” Ricky says, looking at Mano.

“Now?” I look down at her, confused.

“I told you she was ready,” Ricky says, grabbing another pair of gloves. “Go get one of the heating pads and an absorbent pad from the supply room. She may not have wanted a nesting place before, but she’ll need one now. There’s a box in my office. Bring that as well.”

Mano yowls, her body writhing. I grab Zeno. “I’m going to lock him in the office.”

Exiting the examination room, I say, “Jazz, we’ve got a bit of a situa—”

My words cut off as I see the man standing next to her.

My mouth turns dry, and a ripple of fear passes through me.

“Father.”

Chapter 26

Charlotte Sanguinite

The last time I saw my father in person was the night he dragged me out of the compound while I begged and screamed. I still remember the disgust and satisfaction in his eyes as he closed the doors of the compound in my face.

Vampires age slowly after they hit a certain age.

There’s not one additional wrinkle on his face, and for a moment, it sends me spiraling back to that night when my heart pounded in sick fear as I looked imploringly at him and he sent me to my death.

“Charlotte?” Jazz’s confused voice has me snapping out of my daze.

Without a moment’s hesitation, I grab her wrist and yank her toward me. “Go inside.”

“Inside where?” She looks puzzled and then glances between me and the tall man standing by the front desk. Her voice lowering, she asks, “Is that your dad?”

“Inside, Jazz!” I snap, shoving her into the examination room and slamming the door shut behind her. I stand in front of it protectively.

I hear Ricky call out to me, but I ignore him, all my focus on the man who sired me.

“You keep defying me at every turn.” When my father speaks, his voice is filled with displeasure.

“What the hell are you doing here?” I snarl at him, pushing away the fear and letting anger fill that space.

“I wanted to see how badly you’re disgracing the family name. Selling your body to those animals, trying to show everyone how low the Nelo Clan has fallen. I should have killed you that night.”

“Family name?” I scoff. “My name is Beaumont, not Sanguinite. And I know you struck me from the registry. So, I don’t really understand why you’re here, since you and I are no longer related.”

“I’m here because of the stories you’ve been telling Terrence.” My father takes a step toward me, menacingly. “If you wanted to survive, you should’ve kept living like a rat, out of my sight. But if you think you can stir the waters and try to steal what is rightfully your sister’s, you are a bigger fool than I thought.”

“Excuse me?” His words make no sense. “I haven’t said anything to Terrence. He came looking for me. And even if I did say something, it would be the truth. I know that he wrote to me and sent me gifts; you hid the letters and gave those gifts to Arabella. The letters I wrote to him never made it to him. I don’t understand what you were trying to do by getting in the way of our friendship. And to come here now thinking I’ve said something to him? I stay away from your clan. I’ve kept my distance for years. I’m not interested in Terrence or your precious daughter. So leave.”

Zeno, still in my arms, is growling under his breath, probably sensing my tension.

“Leave? After the situation your shameless actions have put me in?” Beruth asks darkly. “Terrence was a fool ever to be besotted with you. His father and I dissuaded him, but he simply would not forget about you, going so far as to demand I declare a betrothal between the two of you when he was in Europe. You? The most useless, worthless thing in my clan? Arabella deserved him, not you. I was going to make Terrence my son-in-law, but never with you. But you just couldn’t die. And now he’s declaring he will marry you and no one else! I should have dealt with you the day Arabella saw you in the street.”

I stare at him, stunned. “Is that why you threw me out that night? Because Terrence wanted you to declare our engagement and you wanted him to marry Arabella?! You thought that if I died, if you told him I ran off and got killed, he would happily accept Arabella?”

“Yes!” Beruth snarls. “One of the most promising individuals in our clan, married to you? Mated to an inferior creature who was rejected by her father? You can’t even be called a vampire! And look at you now. You don’t even have that energy anymore. You’re a lesser being, an unworthy being, but as long as you are alive, Terrence will never stop wanting you. And I can’t have that. This time, I intend to make sure you die.”

Zeno is growling and wriggling in my arms. As I watch Beruth lock the door, I can hear Mano yowling and whimpering behind me in the closed examination room. I can hear Jazz and Ricky murmuring together.

“There are humans here,” I hiss. “Have you lost your mind?!”

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