Page 46 of My Brutal Alpha

Turning around, I was caught off-guard by the sight of Kody Arron standing just beneath the garage door, a hard stare set on me. At once, we all noticed, and the others tensed from behind me.

Nick was at my side in a moment’s notice, gaze firmly on him with a questioning expression.

Despite being surprised to see him, especially after so many years, I regained my bearings and stood my ground. I glanced at Nick reassuringly, holding out an arm as a silent bid to stand down.

Apprehension surrounded him, clearly not liking being restrained given the intruder, he did so anyway and forced out a breath. His eyes never left Kody.

Immediate tension filled the garage, but I was immediately reminded of my not only status, but also the fact that I had pack members with me, and above all else, I was to protect them. To protect the pack as a whole, and our territory.

"Arron."

"Pierce," he returned simply, gaze locked on me.

Despite the shifter blood in his veins, he looked older than the last time I saw him. He had to be in his late forties to early fifties by then, and given the situation at hand, his presence was unnerving, to say the least.

I was immediately guarded as I took him in, expecting the other alpha to want to fight over everything. Nick tensed, surelymaking the connection of who Kody was, and the issues that surrounded him.

Still, I made no move to alert him of any impending problem, or cause the others to step in.

Kody's anger was evident through his stance and the emotions emanating from his body, but he seemed to have enough control over that rage to keep it repressed within him.

"What are you doing here?" I finally asked him after growing tired of that lingering tension between us.

"It has come to my attention that you don't plan on following through with the arrangement between you and my daughter, Nora," Kody said, jaw clenched to keep the anger at bay. "I thought I'd pay you a visit myself to see what was happening."

I grit my teeth, hating hearing about the arrangement from him. "Of course, I don't plan on following through with it...I never agreed to it myself."

Kody's eyes narrowed at me. "Yet, I was still promised an alpha for my daughter anyway."

"That has nothing to do with me," I returned, unwavering in my conviction. "As an alpha, I can make my own decisions. And my decision is not to claim your daughter."

That anger flared in his eyes again, seemingly using a lot of restraint to keep himself from snapping. He pulled in a measured breath, dark eyes set on me. "Don't take this warning lightly, Pierce. If you don't comply and step up to this occasion, then your father will suffer the consequences. But surely your parents have told you this already."

Irritated at the mention of them, I scoffed. Even if they were my parents, they had pushed me far more than they ever should have, and I was already at my wits end with them.

"I don't know what they've toldyou, but I'm independent of my parents. They may have committed me to your daughter, but I never agreed to it, and I won't be held responsible for my father's decision," I told him firmly, aware that I couldn't waver even for a moment. If I did, he was surely prey upon any sign of weakness. "Do what you will, and unleash whatever consequences you might have on him. Either way, I won't be claiming your daughter. Not when I have a mate of my own already."

At the mention of it, Kody's brows went up in surprise. "You already have a claim?"

I nodded, face set and unchanging. "I do."

"Your parents never mentioned this to me," Kody said, features darkening slightly after a moment of consideration. "But if you are sure this mate claim is genuine, then forcing you to be with my daughter wouldn't work in the first place...the bond would never be real."

"No, it wouldn't be. She would never be a Luna as you want her to be," I said, noticing how he seemed to be processing it all. "My parents never should've promised you anything...and for what it's worth, I understand your anger. But your daughter is not mine to claim."

Despite still seeming angry, Kody clenched his fists, forced out a breath, and looked away in consideration.

"As much as I don't want to admit it, you aren't my enemy here," Kody conceded, expression still tight with irritation. "With your mate bond in place, I don't need to bother putting my daughter through that...but your parents are still not off the hook."

For a short, flickering moment, my stomach dropped at the thought.

Even if Kody seemed to come around to my side, or at the very least, he could acknowledge that his problem wasn't with me, he still needed to place his anger somewhere. Given his evident pride, he wouldn't be the type of man to let it go easily. He would likely follow through with his threats and contest Dad's authority and position as an alpha.

While I didn't care about that and knew he deserved it for making promises he couldn't keep, the faintest part of me felt guilty about it.

Rather, that small, meek version of myself who once would've caved the moment the very task was given to me felt guilty. That small piece of me left unhealed and unable to move on from that state, ached within me.

But it didn't reflect who I had become. While it existed inside my chest, it didn't control me. That wasn't who I was anymore, and I was determined to keep it that way.

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