HIS FATHER, MY MATE.

Matthias’s heart was a drum in his chest. Raine stood at the opposite side of the room, eyes wide and chest heaving as she stared up at Ronan. He could still see the flush in her cheeks from their almost kiss, and the want that slammed through him was strong enough to rock him off his feet. He stayed put through sheer force of will, and turned to his son with a sneer.

“What are you doing here?” He growled, stalking closer.

Ronan’s brow furrowed, “What am I doing here? I live here! What is she doing here?! She was banished.” He snarled back.

“On whose authority?!” Matthias’s voice boomed, “Yours? Because last I checked, I’m the only one whose authority matters in this pack. You went behind my back and banished a pack member without consulting me first. You should be punished, Ronan, for undermining my authority.”

“Punished?!” Ronan spluttered, his anger simmering in the space between them as his eyes turned golden. “She was my mate. I rejected her! She has no place in this pack anymore!”

“Last I checked, that is my decision to make, not yours.”

Matthias watched Ronan grit his teeth as his anger washed over him, his wolf practically snarling to crawl out from beneath his skin. The only reason he wasn’t acting now was because Matthias was alpha, and father. Matthias took a step forward, looming over his son and letting his wolf’s aura peek through. As expected, Ronan faltered slightly as his wolf fought against the need to submit, Raine made a small noise of distress from behind them.

“Are you actually defending here?” Ronan hissed, “Twenty two years, you’ve barely paid her any attention, and now you both are having personal meetings in the pack house, and you’re defending her.”

Matthias reared back slightly, the intonations in Ronan’s words hit far too close to the truth. He chanced a glance at Raine and found that she was staring down at her feet, her cheeks red. Matthias cleared his throat.

“Raine Whitmore is a member of my pack. As an alpha, it is my sworn duty to protect and serve.” He spoke each word through gritted teeth, even as his gut twisted with unease. He knew he wasn’t doing this for entirely selfless reasons, seeing her alone and hurting was a big motivator, but deep down he knew reinstating Raine back in the pack would absolve some of his guilt over sleeping with her.

Ronan scoffed, “Oh is that so? How many other pack members have you personally been handling their issues. Last I checked, Silas is the only one who does that.”

“Are you accusing me of neglecting my pack?”

“Bugger off, old man. I’m accusing you of butting your nose into my personal matters. Raine was my mate. I rejected her, and she cast out. The matter has been settled, hasn’t it?” He turned to Raine with a sneer, his fingers flexing at his side as his claws threatened to appear.

Raine flinched, her scent spiking with fear as her gaze darted between both men. The sour note sent Matthias wolf into a frenzy, howling with the need to protect, rid the younger woman of whatever was threatening her. The alpha bit down the urge, refusing to give anymore thought to what his wolf wanted.

Ronan was still speaking, spewing venom with each word.

“You stupid whore.” He spat at her, “I caught you creeping around this house last time, didn’t I? Stinking of sex and shame. And what did I tell you then?”

Raine shut her eyes tight. “Ronan please.”

“Ronan…” Matthias growled low in warning, but his son was not listening.

“I told you,” Ronan growled, each step bringing him closer to Raine. “That if I saw you in this house again, I would kill you.” His hands flexed by his side, and Matthias saw his claws sharpen. In the blink of an eye, he was across the room and standing between both of them, his lips pulled back in a sneer as his wolf finally rose up to the surface, the presence of his alpha stifling in the room.

Ronan growled, eyes flashing golden, but even he was powerless in the face of his father’s wolf. His clawed hands flexed by his side, and his chest heaved with the force of his anger.

“Step aside, father.” He snarled, “She deserves to be punished.”

Raine’s breath was coming hard and fast from behind him, Matthias’s heart twisted. “If you lay a hand on her, I will have you disowned, and stripped of your title. I will banish you from the pack. I will name you a traitor and enemy to my territory.” Matthias’s eyes flashed the deep red of the pack alpha as he infused authority into his voice. “Raine stays here, in the pack where she belongs. And you will take her back as your mate.”

Ronan froze, and for a moment, his eyes went wide with shock, but then he laughed. A sharp, humorless laugh. “The hell I will.”

Matthias stayed unmoving. He simply watched his son, studying him like a wolf would study a prey. Then, in the same voice, he repeated, “You will take her back.”

Ronan’s sneer faltered for just a moment before he snarled, “I rejected her. She means nothing to me. You can dress it up however you want, but I’m not taking back a discarded—”

Matthias moved so fast that Ronan barely had time to react. In an instant, he had his son by the collar, slamming him hard against the opposite wall. A chip of the paint fell off, as the structure shuddered. Ronan choked, hands gripping at Matthias’s wrist, but Matthias didn’t let go. He leaned in, close enough that his son could feel the weight of his wolf, demanding submission.

“You’ve made many mistakes, boy.” Matthias murmured, “This is the only chance I’m giving you to fix one of them.”

Ronan bared his throat. “And if I don’t?”

Matthias’s expression remained dark and resolute. “Like I said, if you refuse me this, I will strip you of your title, and you will be exiled from this pack.