Chapter 11: Confronting Marcus
Chapter 11: Confronting Marcus
Scarlett’s POV)
A sharp knock, echoed through the stillness of my house. It wasn’t hurned or timid. It was deliberate. Authoritative.
Through the frosted cle
glass on my front door I recognized the tall broad–shouldered silhouette immediately. Marcus Winters. My so–called father
1 glared at the door for a moment, my hand resting on the brass knob. He was likely here to lecture me, to reassert his fragile authority, or worse,
Cora growled in the back of my mind. We owe him nothing, she rumbled. Send him away. Let him stew outside
But I couldn’t do that. Not without opening the door first to deliver the rejection in person.
Taking a breath, I swung the door open.
He stood there, dressed sharply as always in dark trousers and a perfectly pressed shirt, his Alpha aura rolling off him like waves. His silver–streaked hair shone under the moonlight, and his piercing gaze met mine, full of expectation
“Scarlett” he said, his voice steady but carrying that forced calm he used whenever he wanted compliance.
I didn’t reply. Instead, I stepped aside silently. His brows furrowed slightly–not in surprise, but as if calculating why I wasn’t immediately snapping
I had no intention of making this meeting comfortable for him.
“You’re in. Don’t make me regret it,” I said curtly, closing the door after he stepped through
Without offering him so much as a look, I walked toward the kitchen. My pace was deliberate, unhurried, a small show of disinterest in his presence. I
grabbed a glass from the cabinet and poured myself water–not as hospitality but to make it clear I wasn’t accommodating him. The sound of water
filing the glass filled the room, drowning out the slight shuffling of Marcus shifting his weight uncomfortably.
I returned to the living room, cradling my glass, and sat down in my armchair. My movements were cold and sharp, each action laced with quiet
defiance
Marcus remained standing for a moment, clearly uncertain about where to position himself. He seemed to expect warmth or acknowledgment- neither of which were forthcoming.
Finally, he sat stiffly on the edge of my sofa, looking out of place in the intimate, private space.
Did yo
“Did you and Alexander have a quarrel?” he began, his voice trying to sound conversational but laced with tension
I let the glass rest on my knee, staring at him as though he’d just asked something utterly ridiculous. For a second, I considered playing along, but sarcasm felt more appropriate.
“A quarrel?” I repeated, my tone mocking. The corner of my lip twitched upward in a humorless smile. “Is that why you’re here, my father? To accuse me without a shred of understanding yet again?”
The words were sharp, cutting, and they landed exactly where I wanted them to–on the very quilt he tried to suppress.
He stayed silent, his jaw tensing, but his eyes gave him away. He was regretting coming here.
“Let me guess,” I continued. “Grace’s sob story reached your ears, and now you’re here to ensure your precious omega daughter doesn’t feel sighted?”
His expression flickered briefly–an almost imperceptible wince, a tightening of his brow. It was the smallest ck in his stoic facade, but i caught it
Though he quickly plastered on an unreadable mask, it didn’t fool me I knew Marcus Winters too well, I saw the regret buried in his gaze. Regret he had no right to aim at me.
I leaned forward slightly, my tone chilling the room further. “Or did Luna Sarah put you up to this? Sent you to twist my arm with a lecture about duty and respect? Spare me the theatrics”
“That’s not what this is,” he said sharply, his voice finally firm with the authority of an Alpha, though I was immune to such commands. His own betrayal softened the edge in his tone.
Chapter 11 Confronting Marcus
“This isn’t about Grace,” Marcus insisted, though his refusal to meet my eyes betrayed him. “I came here because-”
“Because you need something.” I cut him off coldly, crossing my arms. “Decause I serve a political purpose, and you can’t afford for me to cut ties
completely, can you?”
The tension in his jaw told me I had hit a nerve.
“You’ve changed,” he said, his voice quieter now. “You weren’t always this… combative.”
My lips curved into an icy smile. “Maybe that’s because I’ve spent years trying to earn your approval.”
I watched as the words landed, hitting him like a slap to the face.
“You realize that severing the mate bond will affect this pack’s reputation,” he said finally, falling back to his tried–and–true strategy of logic and
reason. “You know how fragile alliances can be without this marking ceremony, Scarlett. Have you really thought this through?”
“Thought it through?” I raised an eyebrow, letting out a dry laugh. “Did you ask Alexander if he’d thought it through before he humiliated me in front of
his entire pack with Grace clinging to his arm?”
Marcus visibly stiffened. He opened his mouth to respond, but I held up a hand to silence him
“Did you think it through when you revoked my packhouse access the moment I dared to push back against your precious Grace?” I stood now, my
voice rising.
“Don’t,” Marcus growled, his Alpha tone slipping.
“No” | barked back, silencing him with a c***k of my voice so sharp and icy that even Cora hummed with approval. “You don’t get to play the wise,
concerned father now. You made it clear where I stand in your priorities years ago!”
His fists curled, resting on his knees. The veins in his forearms bulged slightly, betraying his losing grip on his temper. When he finally spoke, his
voice was quieter but burning with tension.
you know how much damage you’ll do if—*
“This isn’t about Grace,” he said through gritted teeth. “This is about the Winters Pack. Our strength. Do you
“This alliance was broken the moment Alexander paraded his true mate in front of me like some weak damsel in distress,” I interrupted, taking a step forward. “If cutting ties with the Winters Pack is what it takes to avoid betrayal and humiliation, then so be it”
“Scarlett!” Marcus leaped to his feet, towering over me with every ounce of Alpha bravado he had. His eyes flashed with anger.
But I didn’t budge.
“You don’t scare me, Marcus,” I said coldly, my emerald eyes locking onto his. “And you never
will.
He looked like he wanted to grab something–to break it just to regain a sense of power. His broad chest rose and fell with sharp breaths as he stared at me, searching for something–anything–that would make me bow.
But there was nothing left for him to find.
“You may be the Alpha of the Winters Pack,” I said, stepping aside and strolling to the door. But this?
ut this? Whatever bond you think still exists here? It
ended the day Grace nearly killed me, and you sent her off to Europe instead of holding her accountable.”
“That’s not true,” he snapped, but his tone lacked conviction.
“Isn’t it?“I threw the door open, my hand gripping the edge tightly.
He faltered, the weight of my words finally sinking into his every move.
“You let her win then I continued. “And you’re letting her win now!
“Stop it, he said, his voice low, though the desperation in it was unmistakable.
“You think I don’t see it? How every decision you’ve made since discovering your ‘mistake‘ has revolved around Grace? How easily you revoke my privileges to appease your precious fake daughter-
“Enough!” he roared, his voice reverberating with his Alpha command. For a moment, his aura surged, his wolf responding instinctively.
But it faded as quickly as it come.
I didn’t flinch.
Marcus’s shoulders slumped, just ever so slightly. It wasn’t defeat exactly, but it was the closest I’d ever seen him to it
2/3
Chorlei 12 Bin Along to Your Mate:
I tilted my head, scanning him with cold precision. He looked smaller somehow, like the weight of his calculated decisions was catching up to him.
But I had no room for pity.
“You only want me to care now because your reputation is at stake” I said, my voice steady but sharper with each word.
For the first time that evening, Marcus looked like he didn’t have a response.
Standing tall, I nodded toward the open door. “Go back to your precious omega daughter and Alpha son–in–law–to–be, Marcus,” I said, my tone completely devoid of emotion. “Let me worry about myself.”
He stared at me for a long moment, his lips parted slightly as though he might say something else.
But he didn’t.
Without another word, he stepped through the door. As the heavy wood clicked shut behind him, the silence that followed was deafening.
Cora let out a low, satisfied growl in the back of my mind. Finally, she said, her pride thick in her tone. No more pretending. He knows exactly where
we stand
I let out a slow, steadying breath, letting the tension bleed from my limbs. Let him know, I agreed silently. Let them all know
Chapter 13 Run Along to Your Mate
