Page 18 of The Alpha's Forbidden Heir

His eyes snap to mine.

“Don’t?”

“I mean…” I pause, then tighten my hold on the duvet. “It’s not worth it. They let me go. I’m here. I’m safe. Just let it go.”

His expression hardens, and a crack appears in the polished mask he always wears. “Let it go?”

“Yes.”

The silence stretches for a while before he leans back slightly and braces his hands on his knees. “Why are you defending them?”

“I’m not.” The words come out too quickly, and I hate how defensive I sound. “I’m just trying to be rational.”

“Rational?” He shakes his head and laughs a bitter sound. “You think rationality works with people like them? Wolves, Aria. They’re savages. They don’t understand reason, only strength.”

I swallow hard, my throat suddenly dry. “Maybe they’re not as bad as you think.”

I instantly regret saying it as soon as the words leave my mouth.What do I know about Bane to assume he is not a savage? He slept with me and rejected me in the same breath.

“What’s that fuck is that supposed to mean?”

“It means…” I take a deep breath. “It means that maybe we’re not so different from them.”

His expression darkens, and he clenches his hands into a fist again. “What are you talking about?”

“Bane,” I begin. The name tastes foreign on my tongue, although I was screaming it until my voice turned hoarse a few days ago or was hours ago. “He… he told me some things. About you. About what you do.”

The words feel like they’re dragging out of me, but I force myself to meet his gaze.

His eyes flash in anger and disbelief. “And you believed him?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“You didn’t have to.”

“I just want to know, dad” I press on, ignoring the warning in his tone. “Is it true? Do you… do you handle drug shipments? Do you traffic people for money?”

His expression freezes, his body going unnaturally still.

“Where is this coming from?”

“I don’t know… I guess I’ve just… never thought about it. Or maybe I didn’t want to think about it. But I need to know.”

“Know what?” He yells. “You’re accusing me of something vile based on the words of an animal?”

“I’m not accusing you.”

“Then what are you doing?”

“I’m asking!” My voice cracks, but I press on. “I’m asking because I’ve lived my whole life surrounded by luxury, and I’ve never stopped to think about where it comes from. I’ve never stopped to wonder if people had to suffer for it. If people had to die.”

“Enough.” He stands abruptly.

“No.” I push myself up, ignoring the dizziness that threatens to pull me back down. “I deserve an answer. I deserve to know the truth.”

“The truth?” He laughs again. “The truth is that I’ve done everything for you. Everything I’ve built, everything I’ve sacrificed was for you. To give you this life.”

“That’s not an answer.”

---