Rejected by the Alpha, Claimed by the King

This was the first time I saw my dad so furious.

He picked me up and pulled Luna Joanna out of the Majestic Entertainment Club, his Alpha aura flaring despite his Omega status. "Luna, I agreed to let you have custody of Carolina, not because I’m afraid of you, but because I know you can provide them with a better environment. But if this is how you’re raising them, I’ll fight for custody with everything I’ve got!"

My mom remained composed, her Luna aura steady and unyielding. "They’ll eventually take over for me one day. It’s not necessarily a bad thing for them to get comfortable in these settings early on."

"You!" My dad’s nostrils flared, his hands trembling with anger. The weight of his fall from Alpha to Omega seemed to press down on him, but he stood tall, defiance burning in his eyes.

"Still want to fight for custody?" Luna Joanna sneered, her voice cold and sharp. "If I weren’t around today, who knows whose den you’d end up in again? Yusuf, with how reckless you are, how can you be a father?"

My dad’s face flushed red, then paled, and he let out a bitter laugh. "What does it matter if you’re here? How are you different from those wolves in the booth? Five years ago, wasn’t I drugged and pushed into your den? You’re right; I am foolish. If I weren’t, how would I have let you get pregnant with Carolina? If I weren’t, how would I have spent five years making formula and changing diapers?"

The night was cool and calm, the scent of pine and earth carried on the wind as it rustled the street-side leaves, the only sound breaking the heavy silence.

Sylas, the Delta warrior who’d been watching over me, rushed over, his broad shoulders heaving with exertion. "Carolina, where did you go? I couldn’t find you anywhere! I was terrified!"

His amber eyes were wide with worry, his face and hair soaked with sweat. Even his dark shirt clung to his muscular frame, damp from his frantic search.

I shook my head, feeling a bit guilty, and reached out with my small hand to wipe the sweat off his forehead. "Sylas, I’m sorry."

"Luna, Sylas, let’s go home," I said softly, my voice barely above a whisper.

At that moment, I saw my dad’s face grow even paler, almost as if all the color had drained from it. His shoulders slumped, and the defiance in his eyes flickered, replaced by something that looked like defeat.

I didn’t call out to him, because I had just understood something from his words. Perhaps I wasn’t brought into this world with his hope.

Without me, maybe he would still be the Alpha, the "big shot," not standing there tonight, facing all this scrutiny.

Maybe if Luna Joanna is willing to let him go and give back his freedom, I should do the same.