Antiope

I am holding the receiver almost trembling but since we are in Magnus's office and he is watching me closely, I am not going to show any emotion. When the line is open and starts beeping, I turn my back to him, striving to get some privacy but Magnus simply moves to a position that would allow him to be able to look at my face.

"Do you mind?" I ask.

I frown at him and grind my teeth but all he does is make himself comfortable on the desk chair, place an elbow on the arm and regard me with defiance. He has allowed me to make a phone call to my parents but he never agreed that I'd be alone while it.

"Beta Everstone," my father's voice startles me.

"Dad?" I hate how I sound like a little girl right now.

"Thank Goddess!" My father lets out all his agony pour out. "Where are you? I looked for you after the Mating Hunt and I was told some incredible tales."

"Well," I throw my head down, "if it involves Alpha Magnus, those tales were pretty accurate."

"You are mated with Alpha Magnus?"

I roll my eyes at how excited my father sounds right now. Of course, he would. Alpha Magnus is a hero, the Alpha King's beloved cousin, a rich and powerful Alpha. The dream mate for any daughter.

"He has claimed me during the Mating Hunt," I give a diplomatic answer.

I turn to Ulfisson and he is lying back to the chair with that unreadable look on his face. He is hasn't told me not to talk about my predicament openly but now that he is listening in, it's a whole different matter.

"That is so good, Antiope. I am so happy for you. Wait till I get your mother," he seems ignorant to the open insinuation I let on.

A silence falls in the room and I measure Ulfisson's reaction. And he is challenging me. I will not break down and cry and beg my father to help me. But I will not let my father be in the illusion that I am happily mated somewhere in Sweden and that his youngest daughter is leisurely cruising in Europe.

"I would like my privacy," I demand of him.

"I would like some courtesy."

"The same one you extended to me by forcing me in this situation?"

He says nothing but warns me not to take it too far. Though I have no idea how far is too far. This is not some funny joke, some elaborate prank. That man fucked up my life and I am not going to swallow it any time soon.

"Fine," I say coldly. "Can I please have some privacy?"

"Gladly," he smiles onet of his damn dashing smiles. "As long as you wear the dress I'll send to you tonight. Quid pro quo."

For the love of goddess! I roll my eyes.

"Sweetheart!" My mother's excited voice is heard over the speaker.

That almost breaks me. I may a different breed than my hippie, happy mother but that is exactly what brings us closer. I need her, she balances me. And to hear her that excited as if she married her daughter off to the mate of her life is heartbreaking.

"Mom!" I lean on the desk to support my weight.

I am not breaking down in front of him, I will not cry, I will not show weakness. I turn to him to see if my request for privacy is taken seriously. He has dropped the shrewd look on his face and he seems... worried. Without a word, he leaves the room.

"Oh, honey, is it true what your father tells me? You found your mate?"

"No!" I am not letting them think that the abductive asshole is my true mate.

"You chose him? Oh, sometimes it's so much better," leave it to my mother to find the silver lining in anything.

"He claimed me."

"That is so romantic!"

"And let's not forget how powerful Alpha Magnus is," my father adds since my parents seem to be on speaker.

I can hear my father smiling and being proud of me. And to think that is all I've been striving all my life for. To make him proud. What does it say about our relationship when the only thing that makes him proud is the one thing I am most ashamed of?

"Oh, god. Celia is going to be so happy. You can invite her over. Have you talked to her? I can't seem to get ahold of her since the day before last."

Silence. Do I tell them that their romantic, grand Alpha holds both their daughters prisoners? I want to do that so much, prove to my father how wrong he is and to my mother regret planting those idiotic ideas of finding happiness in Celia's head.

"Antiope? Have you talked to Celia?" My father asks.

I may be the one that resembles him the most, the one closest to him and his interest but he has a soft spot for Celia. Even the idea that a single blonde hair of Celia's head is harmed will make Magnus his mortal enemy.

"Antiope? Where is Celia?" My mother almost cries.

"Dad, Celia trespassed."

"What?" Both yell.

"Celia trespassed. She is here. She crossed Alpha Magnus's territory."

Another silence. We all know the grave repercussions of such an action. And I am sure that my father at least is informed on how his beloved Alpha Magnus treats trespassers. There is nothing my father or even the King can do. Celia is at Magnus's mercy.

"My girl," I close my eyes to hear my mother so distraught.

I can't let them know how bad things are. There is nothing they can do and only pain will come if I tell them the whole truth. My father will do anything to butt heads with Magnus and that won't bode well for him or my pack. The idea of letting my parents know everything as a "fuck you" to Magnus is starting to sound childish. I need to clean this mess on my own.

"Don't worry, Mom. I am the Luna now, did you forget?"

Her sigh is carried over the phone and I let one too. I will play the happily mated girl and let them picture Magnus as desperately in love with me to make sure they think Celia is safe. Then, I will deal with making Celia actually safe and away from here.

"That is true, my love. Have you seen her?"

"I just arrived here. Magnus said she is OK, that is held safe and that no harm will fall on her. Even so, he has to maintain appearances. Granting easily the freedom of a trespasser even if it's the Luna's sister is going to harm his reputation. On the other hand, letting others think that he is hard even on his sister-in-law makes him look powerful. But don't worry, I will visit Celia and make sure she is OK."

"That is so fortunate," my mother still believes in fate. "The Goddess was looking out for you two."

"Antiope," my father is not a fool, "are you sure you are alright?"

I can't fool him, not all the way. Half-truth is my best bet right now. Or maybe a quarter of the truth. Even half is too much.

"I'm not going to say that I was not overwhelmed. You know I always dreamt of leading our people, of taking your place. But when Magnus came along..."

...he fucked it all up.

"When we met... Neither of us has planned this."

"Aaww!"

I love my mother but one more stupid exclamation and I will shout in the phone the whole truth, leaving them both scarred.

"OK, Antiope," my father is half-way sold. "If you change your mind, you can always come back."

Easier said than done, I shake my head.

"It's a deal. I will call you as soon as possible," when I find something to bargain with against Magnus's demands.

"Love you, sweetheart."

"Love you too, Mom."

"Be strong," my father cautions me.

"Always."

When I get out of Magnus's office, I am glad to find that he has left me alone. I go down the stairs to the main area and I just stand there. Now what? Right on cue, the door knocks and I go up to it. I open it and I see one of the women that welcomed Magnus yesterday.

"Kill her!" Max demands.

Involuntarily, I sniff the air. Not a whiff of Magnus on her. He must have slept with her a while ago.

"Luna," she bows her head.

"What is it you want?"

She extends her arms and only then I see she is holding a box in her hands. A big golden box with a red silk ribbon on it.

"Alpha Magnus sends you this."

I am this close to tell her to shove that up Alpha Magnus's perky ass but instead, I take the box and glance up to her coldly. She doesn't lose her stupid smile and bows again.

"I am so glad you are here, Luna."

With that, she leaves, crossing the bridge to the pack-house. Perhaps the women are glad to have a new victim in because Magnus spends more time with her than them.

I glance at the box and go up the stairs to my room. I place the box on the table and I pull the ribbon. I swear to Great Mother, if he has sent me some flimsy dress to have me walk around like a whore, I will stab him with the freaking butter knife.

But to prove that he is going to tear me down with constant surprises, I pull out an elegant yet simple cocktail dress in a deep burgundy color. There is also a note.

"Welcome home," I read aloud. "Aaah!" I tear the card into a thousand pieces.

That taunting asshole, that overbearing brute! He is fucking with me big time and I am this close to going down for his fucking dinner in my pajamas. "Home" is where my family is, all of it, free. Where my pack is, linked to my Alpha. This is a fucking prison with high-standard accommodation and haute couture uniforms.

The weight of reality falls on my shoulders and I crumble to the bed. Maybe father was right to keep me from becoming a Beta. I am not worth it, I don't have the grit, the intelligence, the power, the wisdom. I am a girl. Still, a fucking girl and that asshole that calls himself my mate knows that.