Chapter 39: Chapter 39

“Xavi told me you handled the situation all by yourself.” Rodrigo began, as soon as he sat on his study chair.

“I had to… There was no other way to prevent a disaster from happening.”

“And are you aware of the consequences of your actions if something had gone wrong?”

Isabel was expecting such a reaction from her dad, but he would’ve done the same had he been in her shoes.

“I’m the alpha now, let me be the one to worry about my pack.” She gritted her teeth as she spoke because she didn’t want to get into a fight with the former alpha.

“That doesn’t answer my question, Isabel. You made a reckless move out there. What if you didn’t make it back?”

Rodrigo was equally trying to control his fury. He was consumed with fear when Xavi informed him that his daughter fought against the rogues all by herself.

Why would she make such a rash decision without putting her pack first?

And although he was told that her beast was in control, and they are unbeatable in that state, he couldn’t help but feel worry as a father.

“I had everything under control. And even if I hadn’t made it out alive, I already marked Dylan to take my place.”

“What?... You were willing to give up your life for those people?”

Isabel’s reply came as a shock to Rodrigo. He knew having a mate from that pack was going to be of no good to his daughter, but he didn’t think it would be this severe.

“If you would just listen to what I have to say-“

“That you’re willing to give up your pack, your people, to a total stranger?... You’re growing weak, Isabel and that-“

“That’s enough!” She barked, baring her canines at her dad, as she was already in a half shift.

Rodrigo growled in response, to show his wolf’s displeasure at Isabel’s rudeness.

“The only reason I’m holding back is because you’re my father, so don’t tempt me.” She threatened through gritted teeth and turned her back to her dad, biting her lips to keep her wolf at bay. She didn’t like the fact that her own father was disrespecting her mate. He would’ve been in a terrible state by now if he were someone else.

Rodrigo let out a heavy sigh, as he regained control of his wolf.

“So, why did you make such an impulsive decision?” He calmly asked his daughter.

She only turned around to face her dad when she knew she wasn’t a threat to him.

Rodrigo gestured for her to sit down which she quietly did.

“The rogues weren’t after the Greenwood pack like we thought… They were after me.”

Rodrigo furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. He didn’t quite understand what Isabel was driving at. Isabel on the other hand recalled the incident at the Greenwood pack.

While she was in her lycan form fighting off the rogues, her vision enabled her to catch a glimpse of something from a distance. When she concentrated her vision on the object, she realized it was an extremely large rogue staring directly at her with a hostile glare, but that didn’t distract her from focusing on the war, as she killed every one of the filthy rogues she laid her hands on. But what left her flabbergasted and made her understand why they aimed for the Greenwood pack was after she was done killing the rogues and was ready to attack the large werewolf she assumed was the leader of the rogues, it reached her through mind link, which was impossible for any werewolf who wasn’t a member of the Pride pack, except…

“Hello, little sister.” It said smugly, and ran towards Dylan’s parents house, leaving her wolf in a frenzy.

That rogue was the reason why she violently headed towards that direction that day, but she realized that it was only getting her riled up. She hasn’t been able to keep her mind at rest ever since because she was worried her mate’s life was no longer safe.

And secondly, the blood of so many werewolves from the Greenwood pack would’ve been on her hands had she refused to lend them a helping hand, and she doubts her mate would ever forgive her if that were to happen.

“And why do you say that?” Rodrigo eventually asked.

“Because it was your bastard child.”

FLASHBACK

When Rodrigo was only seventeen years old, and was going about his usual early morning run in the woods, he found a female werewolf in their territory. She was in heat and was crying out desperately for someone to find her and mate her.

Rodrigo looked around his surroundings, hoping to find her mate somewhere close by, but there was no one around. Her arousal was calling out to him and although he was a strong werewolf, the next alpha of the Pride pack, he couldn’t resist the temptation of a female werewolf in heat. He ended up mating with the unknown female werewolf right there in the woods.

After mating with her, he asked her who she was, and what she was doing in their pack, considering the fact that she could be killed if someone else had found her trespassing.

“Monica” she simply replied was her name, and suddenly began to shed tears, confusing Rodrigo. He consoled Monica until she stopped crying and eventually narrated how she ended up in the Pride pack.

She was from another pack, the Rosewood pack and had recently just lost her mate. He was killed by some human hunters. The pain of losing her mate of just four months was too much for her to bear, so instead of committing suicide like other female werewolves, she swore to avenge her mate’s murder before joining him in the afterlife.

In order to fulfill her promise, she decided to run away from her pack and become a rogue. She explained to Rodrigo that she was delayed by her heat on her journey to the human territory, and had to make a stop in the woods as she could no longer contain the pain of her heat.

Rodrigo felt compassion for the female werewolf and didn’t want her falling into the hands of some rogues or werewolf hunters like her deceased mate, as he could perceive she wasn’t a strong werewolf, so he brought her back with him to his house.

The pair started dating, and it was no news to the members of the Pride pack, and although they weren’t happy that their future alpha was in a relationship with a female werewolf from another pack, no one dared to say anything about it, not even his best friend, Ignacio.

A year later, Rodrigo turned eighteen and found his mate, Paulina. He was left with no choice but to end his relationship with Monica. Rodrigo’s father didn’t just want his son to end his relationship with the stranger, he wanted her dead, so she doesn’t end up becoming a problem to them in the future, but Rodrigo couldn’t bring himself to do it because he felt responsible for Monica, who wouldn’t have been mixed up in his life if he hadn’t brought her into his home.

With the help of his best friend, Rodrigo snuck her out of the Pride pack and returned her back to her pack. He had to kill a rogue in order to deceive his father that he had killed his lover. The then alpha felt proud of his son and named him the new alpha of the Pride pack, believing that Rodrigo was responsible enough to lead his people.

A year later, Rodrigo received a letter from a heartbroken Monica. In the letter, she apologized for entering into his life and making him go against his father. She also confessed that he made her know what love truly was without the mate bond, but as much as she loved him, she also hated him for letting go of her hand, when he had promised to protect her.

Monica revealed to Rodrigo in her letter that she discovered she was carrying his child some weeks after he brought her back to her pack, and that she had bore him a son, but she couldn’t live with the heartbreak and condemnation from her pack members, so she took a massive overdose of wolfsbane and would already be dead by the time he was reading the letter.

Rodrigo was startled after reading the letter. He began to regret the very day he ran into Monica. He thought of several ways to clean up his mess, as news of his lover giving birth to his son could ruin the reputation he had managed to keep. His father would find out the truth that he never killed Monica and he could lose his position as the alpha for betraying his father and for having an illegitimate child, as none of his predecessors ever had an illegitimate child.

He was just getting his mate to love him back, and trust him after months of convincing her that Monica meant nothing to him. What if she finds out about his illegitimate child? He would lose her forever, he thought to himself and came up with a solution to put the situation to rest.

Rodrigo ordered his beta, Ignacio who was also his best friend to go kill the new born and make sure no one finds out about it.

Years after that incident, when Rodrigo first made it known to the council of elders that he was going to make his first daughter, Isabel who was sixteen at that time, the next alpha of the Pride pack, he received disapproval from the older werewolves, who didn’t like the idea of a female werewolf becoming their alpha. Ignacio then confessed to Rodrigo that he didn’t kill his son like he ordered him to, so he could bring him back to the Pride pack and name him as his successor.

Rodrigo was furious about Ignacio’s betrayal and removed him from his beta position. He threatened his best friend not to make mention of a child he knows nothing about ever again, else he’d be dead.

That was how they never brought up the subject of his illegitimate child.

END OF FLASHBACK

Rodrigo didn’t think his past would come back to hunt him. He should’ve killed Monica when his father asked him to. He guess this was Ignacio’s doing. He couldn’t accept defeat and the death of his son, Carlos, so he decided to look for the best way to take his revenge on Isabel.

It was a good thing that he trusted his daughter with his secret. How would he have faced his nephew, Xavi if he had encountered his illegitimate son in the Greenwood pack. He couldn’t be more proud of his daughter.

“What do you have in mind?” He enquired after staying speechless for several minutes.

“Right now, I have no idea.” Isabel admitted reluctantly.

“I brought David here because I know he’ll be safe with you. Plus… He wants to be as strong as I am.” She said the last part with a hint of pride.

“He said that?” Rodrigo was amused and at the same time intrigued by the young werewolf’s desire, totally forgetting about the previous topic of discussion.

“So?...” He pretended to be clueless of his daughter’s plans.

“So… Who better to train him than you.” She stated the obvious.

“You trust me enough to train him?”

“Uh… You can be a bit rusty given your age, but you’re more compassionate, so.. he’s good.”

Rodrigo’s eyes turned yellow at Isabel’s remark, but he didn’t conceal the sparkle of excitement in his eyes.

Seeing her dad’s reaction, Isabel knew she had won him over.

“You just take care of your family and leave the pack to me.” Isabel concluded as she stood up.

And for the first time in her life, her dad stared at her with pride and a faint smile.