Page 8 of Not a Tribute

Liam isn’t here to bind himself to my family, he wants me, and he intends to take me away. It all feels too good to be true, and it probably is, but I have no other choice.

I take a moment to look around my bedroom one last time. Pale yellow walls with a few magazine pictures, remnants of my schoolgirl days. The flowery curtains my mother hung float in the breeze, a matching accompaniment to my bedding. I never had the heart or the inclination to change it after she passed. Now I wish I had. Everything in here just makes me sad.

Lifting an old duffle bag from the bottom of my closet, I grab a few things I love, including my mother’s jewelry and some of my favorite books, before heading back downstairs.

I follow the sound of my father’s raised voice all the way to his home office, where I find him glaring at Liam, rage scrolling across his features.

“What do you mean, I am being ranked down?”

****

Liam

“What do you mean, I am being ranked down?” Seline’s father yells at me, spittle flying from his mouth as his face turns an angry purple-red color.

It took me a few minutes to get my dragon under control, but Seline’s touch seemed to soothe him some. And now that he is letting me run the show once more, I have a job to do. Gregor will regret the day he decided to mistreat his daughter.

“Like I said, forcing females to be part of the annual hunt is against the law. Not to mention that Seline was being abused in your home. It sickens me to think how you treated your daughter, your only child.”

“You have no foundation for those accusations!”

Seline walks into the office and I pull her down onto my lap, her bag falling to the floor. She sighs softly before snuggling deeper into me. I realized quickly that any time I touched her, the tension seemed to leave her instantly. I wonder if that is thebond at work or if she simply enjoys my touch.

“Gregor,” I sigh. “My physicians saw Seline’s wounds. Either you inflicted them, or you allowed another to do it. Either way, the abuse happened on your watch. As for the females and the hunt, I have been in contact with some other Alphas and their females are more than willing to testify against not only you, but others as well.”

“Are you insane?” Gregor rages, causing my mate to stiffen. “Do you know who I am? This will not stand.”

“It has already been done. Your business, home, and other assets will be folded into the Virago portfolio. Your clan is no more, and Seline belongs with me now.”

“You’re going to send me to the poorhouse over a female whore?” he sneers, a glare fixed on the woman in my arms.

“Let me say this slowly so you understand every word. You are done, Gregor. Your accounts have been frozen, and you have fifteen minutes to gather your personal belongings.” I stand and place Seline beside me before leaning into Gregor’s personal space. “And if you ever, ever speak to or about her in less than a respectful tone or look at her the wrong way, I will kill you with my bare hands. Consequences be damned.”

Gregor balks at my words. “I’m her father!”

Seline snorts, drawing both of our attention but remains quiet.

“Your father is leaving the Capital,” I say, tilting her chin back so I can look into her eyes. “If you have anything you want to say, do it now.”

She stares at me before glancing at her father. She takes him in, tracing his features with her gaze before frowning.

“I don’t care what happens to you,” she says softly. “Just like you didn’t care about me when you burned me and left me unconscious in the forest for the Alphas to find. But I do hope you feel the fear I did, it’s what you deserve.”

She steps out of my embrace, grabs the duffle bag on the floor, and walks out with her head held high. I watch as pride warms me from the inside. She may not know it yet, but she is perfect for me. Strong and defiant but she has a good heart, I am sure of that.

“That ungrateful little bitch,” Gregor seethes as he rounds his big ugly desk, making a beeline for my mate.

I grab him around the throat, my talons elongating and digging into his flesh as I slam him against the nearest wall. His feet lift off the floor and his hands push against my chest as he tries to fight me off.

“Get the fuck out of the Capital. The only reason you aren’t dead right now is because you are Seline’s only living relative and she might regret letting me kill you some day. But if I see you again, I will kill you.”

I drop his wheezing form to the ground where he sits in a puddle of his own piss before walking out.

Chapter Five

Seline

I wait beside the car, anticipation thrumming through my veins. I want to get as far away from here as possible. I know my father well enough to know he won’t take this lying down. He has never been able to handle defeat, and this is a crushing blow.

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