I am certain I felt the air turn icy. There was no other explanation for the stark silence to send goosebumps rising across my skin. Everyone remained still in their position before the outburst. Now, everything had seemed to stop in time. If I didn't have a heightened sense of hearing, I wouldn't have heard anyone's shallow breathing.
My own ragged pants of anger were the only sounds echoing through this otherwise muted room. I had to remember that stress wasn't good for the baby as I tried to calm down. It wasn't helping as Thing 1 and Thing 2 stared down at me with the same bland expression. Nothing about the way they leered in my direction spoke of the things swirling around in their heads.
Everything was silent.
Well, everything was silent until the bulky man, who would unfortunately be my baby's grandfather, spoke volumes in the hushed room.
"I've got to say," he started while giving me an unreadable expression, "You have that same passionate fury like your mother. It's slightly disturbing how you appear to be a carbon copy of her."
My eyebrows shifted downward as I took in his tense form. I had no idea where he was coming from with this b.s., but I did know his insufferable taunting would send me over the edge any minute now as he keeps talking. This searing passion to rip through his chest and hold his heart in my hand was becoming almost unbearable to hold back.
His eyes took a once over of my form, taking a pause that was a second to long at my slightly apparent bump. I'm not sure how I didn't notice the weight gain before. I was probably too stuffing my face with weird combinations of foods. Again, I don't know how I didn't notice before. I'm surprised no one else noticed before either. Then again, they are too wrapped up into their own lives to care about a confusing werewolf case of a Luna.
Anyway, I self-consciously wrapped my arms around my stomach with a snarl on my face. If he thought he could find a weak spot to attack my baby, he had a whole lot of things he would be asking for. One of those things being a slice of the nail to the cornea before spilling its contents onto the floor.
I wasn't playing when it comes to my baby. This was just a miracle that happened out of a naive girl's mistake. There was no more living for myself now. I had another living being that would depend on me to keep them safe and out of harm's way. That meant I also wasn't going to let anyone take them away from me, especially before they're even able to take their first breath.
"Such a shame"-He twisted the ring on his right ring finger- "since you also got your power lust from her too."
My eyes snapped up to glare him down. How dare he continue to slander my mother? Who does this bastard think he is? "What kind of vendetta do you have against my mom?"
He looked at her with a bland expression, showing no emotion whatsoever. The room remained silent as they waited for what their previous Alpha had to say. Everyone seemed to stop breathing and moving, just to catch the words that left that vile mouth. "Let's just say that you wouldn't be in this situation right now."
My face scrunched in fury and confusion. It's like this a-hole couldn't give a straight answer. He was starting to piss me off.
"I would have been your father," he replied after minutes of suspense. My blood ran cold and my heart stopped before beating way too fast against my chest. What did he say?
A collective gasp serenaded the large room. No corner was left silent as everyone processed the words that filled the empty space. A buzz started to fill my ears as my body became lead. My breath left me as if a snake had found its way onto my body and coiled itself around my neck until it couldn't squeeze anymore. The blood in my body felt like cold syrup, freezing, and traveling slowly towards its destination.
My lungs were on fire as I realized I had stopped breathing. Everything was starting to appear fuzzy and warped.
"Breath!" A panicked voice screamed in my ear as I registered the hands gripped tightly around my biceps. "Goddammit, just breath!"
My vision was obscured. There was a slow decline in the control I had over my body. Nothing made sense. Everything must be a dream. He must be lying. What kind of sick bastard would lie about something like this?
"Shame, actually," I heard the bastard continue in my warped hearing. "As you can obviously tell, I make great-looking children. You're mother just had to ruin everything by being a whöre."
I felt my lungs being expanded on their own and hot breath rushing down my throat. It felt like a furnace inside my body. That was until I pushed whoever was on me away and sucking in gulps of air on my own. Obviously, I choked like an idiot to gain my breath again.
"Oh, well. I dodged a bullet with you I guess," he continued mockingly, which further infuriated me. "Your mother never could rationalize the obviously good choice from the bad."
"Shut the hell up father!" I turned to see the voice had come from Ian, who was standing behind me with a palm flat against my slightly bulging stomach. A surge of relief and pride enveloped me as I stared up at Ian while he defended me. "You have no idea what you're talking about! I can't believe you're still trying to ruin my life with lies!"
His father clucked his tongue like he was ashamed at having to repeat himself again to impatient toddlers. "That's where you're wrong, boy. It's you who doesn't know what they're talking about," he replied calmly like everything was fine and dandy. The jackàss.
"Then explain it to me father, since I've obviously been kept out of the loop," Ian growled while trying his best to bring all the attention to himself than me.
The bastard smirked while switching his gaze from Ian to myself and settling on me for a while. Ian snarled this time which further amused his father before their leers settled on each other.
A confident smirk appeared on his lips but I saw the turmoil in his eyes. "Long story short, she was with me before she fell for another Alpha with a bigger pack," he admitted, then, as an afterthought, he added, "but that was back then."
I was confused. That sounded nothing like my mother, and it just seemed like he was spouting out more lies. My eyebrows furrowed as my lips held a snarl. If he didn't stop lying, Ian would be without a father and my child wouldn't have a grandfather. I didn't mind the latter at all, but, deep down, I knew Ian would miss his father too much.
A chuckle passed his father's crusty lips, as if involuntarily. He seemed even more crazy than I thought. What was so funny?
Ian voiced my question and his father's gaze turned up towards us with a wicked smile on his face. "I was just remembering how relieved I felt when I found out she had cheated on him with the mate she found. There was also this vicious rumor that they would fûck even though she was with that other Alpha. Since you're here now, I'm assuming their pairing didn't go unnoticed for long."
I don't know how many times my heart could stop in an hour before it was fatal. What is he trying to imply? Even Ian was stiff behind me as he was processing the words. My eyes glanced to the side at the pack members who were all listening to this. Their faces ranged from confusion to disgust.
My gaze shot back to Ian's father when Ian shouted, "What are you trying to imply now old man?!"
His father let out a gruff laugh before looking in our direction with a straight face. "That the girl you think you're mated to is the product of a slut that could never keep her legs closed. I---"
I didn't give him enough time to speak his next words before sprinting across the room to claw at his father's face. There was just this searing pain that seeped into my bones which turned to burning rage. The same burning rage that propelled me into a blind fury across the room to attack the source of all that pain. My hands were killing me as I felt my nails piercing their way through my fingers to grow sharp claws that inevitably drew out one distinct, deep gash down his father's face along with shallow, similar other lines. It was all instinctual as I attacked him. I felt the need to attack my problem head on.
The attack didn't go on farther than the initial claw strike down that bastard's face before I was pulled away. He was left howling while clutching his left eye. Serves the devil spawn right.
A satisfied smirk appeared on my face as I was dragged away. "You shouldn't talk about my mother like that," I said towards him. He deserved whatever scars would hopefully be left on his stupid face.
To say I was shocked was an understatement. Everyone in that room was left beyond words and motor movement because of what followed. If you saw a person you just attacked, or seen get attacked, laughing, what would you do? Be speechless, right?
His deep, rusty chuckles, as he clutched the left side of his face before straightening himself upright, were chilling. This man was crazy if he thought being attacked was funny. Ian seems almost normal and bland compared to this psychopath who just wouldn't stop chuckling like he was remembering an old joke from long ago. I wouldn't even have been afraid if he attacked me back, instead of this creepy, scary movie b.s he's got going on. What have I gotten myself into?
Everything was quiet for the longest time. I almost screamed because I was too afraid of the quiet that followed his laughter. Everyone else seemed to have lost their sense of security in the wake of the most recent event that just happened before their very own eyes. I guess they weren't used to their old Alpha being crazy either. It also made me worry more because they know him the most and if he's shocking them, I don't want to know what his next unpredictable actions will be.
"You've surprised me, Destiney," he begins his creepy speech. His words seemed to coil around my body like an anaconda trapping its prey. "That instant rage is just like your mother's. You're so much like her that it frightens me."
I was confused about what he was talking about. His history with my mother still didn't make sense to me. How was I supposed to respond to something that seemed completely ludicrous?
Even Ian was confused as he held me stiffly in his arms. I turned my head to see his confused expression with the crinkled eyebrows and downturned lips.
"You know, I used to love that goddamned woman. Tried to give her everything she could ever ask for; guess it just wasn't good enough for her."
"Are you implying that my mom used to date you?" This was just something I couldn't wrap my head around.
"Date is such an understated word to describe my relationship with your unappreciative mother." He grumbled something lowly under his breath, and I still couldn't hear it with my developed werewolf hearing.
I stared at him impatiently. "Then what would you call it?"
He had to think about it for a second before shrugging his shoulders. "I don't have a specific word for it. More like I was infatuated by her and would do anything to please her."
"If that's true, why did you let her go?" I felt Ian squirm behind me, his arms tightening around my waist with unease and uncertainty. This must be awkward for him to find out that he wouldn't even have existed if it wasn't for my mom's rash decision to leave his dad.
He waved his hand in a signal of dismissing my question. "What would I look like chasing after some woman that didn't seem to share my love? Besides, I had other female wolves in line begging to take her place."
Ian clenched his fist against my waist upon hearing what his father admitted. His mind must be racing with thoughts and questions, but only one of those thoughts came out his mouth in an accusatory question. "So, was my mother one of those female wolves that begged?"
His father turned his harsh gaze on his son with a slight downward tilt to his lips. "Your mother was one of those females, yes. But I loved your mother with what little feeling I had left after my first failed love and we had you. Don't think I don't love you or loved your mother any less because of it."
Ian's fist clenched and unclenched against my waist before slowly settling to grasp it. With an audible sigh, he held me tighter.
The bastard nodded before returning his gaze to me. "I apologize for all the chaos I've caused you, Destiney. It was just my weird way of checking to see what kind of wolf you are. When I heard, you shifted, the news astounded me. I had to come see for myself."
My brows furrowed from his new confession. I didn't know what he was getting at. This man was the source of all confusion. Frankly, he was also starting to give me a headache.
"So, you're trying to apologize to me now after disrespecting my mother and I only ten minutes ago? How crazy does that sound to you?" I snap.
He tilts his head slightly to the left before straightening it with a sigh on his lips. "I know it must be hard for you to comprehend, but, in my defense, I'm a crazy old man that likes to mess with people."
"Absolutely crazy," I mutter. Ian squeezes me in warning and I huff in response from his silent reprimanding.
While Ian was drawing circles into my hip, the old fart of a man said the craziest thing I have ever heard leave his mouth since I walked into this situation.
"Marry her."