Chapter 7. A life of lies.

Peter Bennett.

Maddie whispers to me, “Daddy, I know they’re not my grandparents.”

My grip on both tightens. I examine them and know immediately who and where they are from.

“What the hell is he doing here, the beta and his wife, from the royal pack of the north?” Apollo asks me, totally annoyed by what we are witnessing.

“I don’t know, Apollo, but something tells me they were the ones who raised Emma as their own. The question is why? Maddie knows they’re not her grandparents, so why are they here?”

“Isn’t it obvious? King Alexander had a Plan B… Emma.” I close my eyes, regretting what we just discovered.

I quickly called William by mental link. “William, get everyone here now!” I don’t wait for his response.

I take a deep breath, so as not to scare Maddie or Emma, ​​as I say, “John, I haven’t seen you in a while. I thought you had died. What are you doing in the southern lands? You are very far from home.”

I watched as his face and his wife completely break down. Emma says to me, “Where do you know dad from?”

I tense my jaw as I say, “Where do I know you from, John? You tell her or I will.”

I watch as he looks around and hundreds of men and women come out of the surrounding houses, ready to attack. They look at us, threatening us with a partial transformation.

I continue breathing calmly, while saying, “Are you sure you want to attack? You know perfectly well that is high treason.”

“Emma, ​​take Maddie and get out of here!” John demands.

Emma looks at me, while Maddie yells “No! You will never separate me from my daddy again!”

I watch as confusion crosses both of their faces as they tell her, “No Maddie, he’s not your dad. Albert is.”

An enraged Maddie yells at him, “Stop lying! I know he is not my daddy and that you are not my grandparents! Why do you want to take me away from my real daddy?”

I raise an eyebrow, still hugging my girls, and say, “That’s a brilliant question, John. Why do you want to separate Maddie from her real father? Oh! News flash, Maddie is my daughter.”

“Impossible!”

“We thought so, but as you well know, I can smell my pups and Maddie, she carries my blood. From the moment we conceive them, royal pups have a strong connection with their father. I recognize her as mine, and Maddie recognizes me as her father.”

Emma looks at me and says, “Pups?”

“I’ll explain it to you later, dear.” I stop looking at her and turn my attention to the beta.

“What will it be then, John? Will you dare to attack your daughter and granddaughter?”

I watch him think for a few moments, weighing the pros and cons, but I know that if King Alexander made him swear with his life to protect Emma, ​​then he wouldn’t attack.

“John, I could never hurt them. Maddie is my daughter, and Emma is my fated mate.”

I see how Emma watches me, open-mouthed, unable to articulate a single word. The beta, on the other hand, has a million questions.

“Is that true?”

“It will be difficult for Emma to confirm it to you without a wolf to guide her. But I give you my word that it is true. Emma is mine.”

Emma looks up and meets my eyes, which I am examining. I hear her swallow and blush. I smile tenderly at her, so that she can feel what I am saying is true.

“What is going to be, then? Shall I talk to Emma?”

I watch as he looks at his wife, and she squeezes his arm, accepting defeat. “There is no need, your highness. Let me talk to my daughter, please.”

“Your daughter? Are you sure you want to keep lying, John? We both know that Emma doesn’t have your blood.”

I look around and watch as my men slowly approach, aiming at the wolves that were stalking us. Emma becomes desperate and says, “What’s going on? Why are they targeting these people? Someone talks to me!”

“Hey, Emma, ​​look at me.”

“Dad… Are you my dad?”

I see how the man closes his eyes, and a tear runs down his cheek. Then he tells her, “We did what we thought was right, Emma. We never believed that fate would pair you with the Lycan King of the south. Your real father gave up everything to make sure you had a life to live… your royal highness.”

“What? Royal Highness? Lycan?” I see how Emma is hyperventilating, heavily.

I make a motion to my men, so that they come forward and take the beta and his wife. Emma becomes desperate, saying, “What’s going on? Peter! Where do they take them? They are my parents!”

The beta hugs her, but it is his wife who tells Emma, ​​“Now you have someone to protect you, your highness. Rest assured, there was not a minute of our life in which we did love you madly. We always raised you as if you were our own. It has been a great privilege for us to have lived with you these thirty years, encouraging you to be whatever you wanted to be. We wanted to give you the possibility of a normal life with no danger. But unfortunately, there are very few things that can escape fate, and this is one of them. We love you deeply, my dear Princess Emma.”

We watch as my men take the people away, while Emma cries uncontrollably, saying, “They are my parents, Peter. They raised me as theirs.”

I grip her chin as I say, “No, Emma. They are not. Your father died thirty years ago along with your mother, in the great civil war. The current King Henry II was the one who murdered them. If the beta is here posing as your father, it’s because King Alexander had to make him swear he would protect you with his life. Don’t you understand? You are a princess, Emma. You are the lost Lycan princess of the north. For thirty years we have searched for you, because you are the legitimate heir to the northern throne, hidden in the south's heart.”