Chapter 2 2

Zara’s POV

My mother’s words hit me like a physical blow.

“They took your father.”

For a moment, the room spun. “What?!” I gasped, my voice coming out higher than I intended.

My mother wiped her tears with trembling hands, her shoulders shaking as she struggled to breathe normally.

“He was arrested,” my mother whispered hoarsely, my stomach dropped. “Arrested? For what?”

“He made an investment for some company… a very large one,” she explained, her voice cracking. “Something went wrong and the company collapsed overnight, the investors pulled everything out and your father lost millions.”

My mind struggled to process her words. “Lost how much?”

She hesitated then whispered the number.

“He owes the pack treasury now, the Beta council said until the debt is paid, he’ll remain imprisoned.”

My hands clenched into fists. “They can’t just come into our house and take him like that!” I snapped, anger flooding my chest. “Without any warning? Without a trial?”

My mother gave a hollow laugh. “Of course they can.”

Her red eyes lifted to mine. “The Betas answer directly to the Lycans, Zara. If they say your father is a liability, then he is one.”

My stomach twisted painfully, loan sharks and pack politics. All things we tried to stay away from but now my father had become their target.

Before I could say anything else, my phone started ringing inside my bag. I pulled it out absentmindedly and froze when I saw the name on the screen, it was Kaelan.

My heart betrayed me instantly, skipping a painful beat. I hated that it still reacted to him.

I answered slowly. “Hello?”

“I heard about your father.”

His voice was smooth and calm on the other end of the line, my chest tightened. “I might be able to help you,” he continued and suspicion flickered through me immediately. “Help?”

“Yes,” he said. “But it’s not a conversation I want to have over the phone.”

A pause, then.....

“Come outside.”

The line went dead, I stared at the screen for a few seconds before slipping the phone back into my bag. “I’ll be right back,” I told my mother gently.

She barely nodded, too overwhelmed to respond. Outside, the night air was cold against my skin and there he was leaning casually against his blue car under the streetlight, his arms were crossed over his broad chest, his dark hair slightly messy like he had been running his hands through it.

I stopped a few feet away from him, wrapping my arms around myself. “Why are you here?” I asked stiffly.

For a moment, he simply looked at me and his eyes slowly traveled over my face, lingering on the oversized shirt I was wearing.

Darius’s shirt, something unreadable flickered in his gaze. “I came to talk,” he said finally.

“About what?”

His lips curved faintly. “Your father.”

My entire body tensed. "What about him?”

Kaelan straightened and stepped closer. “The situation is worse than you think.”

My heart pounded loudly. “What do you mean?”

“Your father didn’t just lose money,” he said calmly. “He lost a lot of money and the pack treasury wants compensation immediately.”

My stomach twisted. “And you know he doesn’t have it.”

He nodded. “Exactly.”

I searched his face. “Why are you telling me this?”

His eyes darkened slightly. “Because I can fix it.”

My breath caught. “You can… what?”

“I can pay the debt,” he said simply.

For a moment, I thought I had misheard him.

“You’d pay it?”

“Yes.”

Hope surged inside my chest but it lasted only a second because I knew Kaelan, nothing he did was free.

“What do you want in return?” I asked quietly.

He smirked and suddenly I wished I had never asked. “There’s one condition.”

I waited silently. “When Elara and I get married,” he continued casually, “I want you to leave the academy.”

My brow furrowed. “Leave…?”

“And move into the house I bought.”

The meaning slowly sank in and my stomach dropped. “You’d live comfortably,” he continued smoothly. “Anything you want be it clothes, money, security, it would all be yours.”

My throat felt dry. “And what exactly would I be to you?” I asked carefully.

His smirk widened. “My mistress.”

For a second, the world went silent and I stared at him, completely stunned. “You… want me to be your mistress?” I repeated slowly.

“Yes.”

My chest felt like it had been ripped open.

“How can you even ask me that?” I whispered.

Kaelan stepped closer. “Because we were good together, Zara.”

His hand reached out, brushing my arm and my skin crawled. “There’s still chemistry between us,” he murmured. “Even after the rejection, that doesn’t disappear overnight.”

My wolf whimpered painfully inside my mind.

“You’d still be taken care of,” he continued softly. “And your family would never struggle again.”

I jerked my arm away from him. “No.”

His expression hardened slightly. “I said no.”

“You’re being emotional,” he said calmly.

“I’m being human!”

“You’d rather let your father rot in prison?”

My jaw clenched. “I will find another way.”

He studied me quietly for a moment then he shrugged. “Suit yourself.”

He started walking back toward his car.

“But when you realize you don’t have ten million dollars lying around,” he added over his shoulder, “you’ll come to me.”

My heart stopped. “How much?”

He opened the driver’s door. “Ten million.”

The number felt like a punch to the chest.

“That’s impossible…” I whispered.

Kaelan gave me one last confident smile.

“When you’re ready to be reasonable,” he said, “you know where to find me.”

Then he got into his car and the engine roared to life only then did my legs give out.

I sank onto the cold ground, tears blurring my vision.

The next morning felt like a nightmare I couldn’t wake up from but I forced myself to attend classes anyway.

If I lost my training now, I would lose everything, my first class was combat training and the second was shifting practice.

I had always planned to join the Gamma forces after graduating from the academy.

It would have given me status, money, and independence but now it felt like my only chance to save my family. “You look like absolute hell.”

I looked up and my friend Bella dropped down beside me under the giant tree on campus.

This was our usual spot. “Rough night,” I muttered. She leaned closer, studying my face.

“You disappeared from the engagement party,” she said suspiciously. “Where did you go?”

I hesitated and my cheeks warmed slightly as memories from last night flooded my mind.

“I… ripped my shirt,” I admitted awkwardly.

She blinked. “What?”

“Someone helped me upstairs to change.”

Her eyebrows shot up. “You went to someone’s room?”

I stared down at my book. “Yes.”

Her voice dropped. “Zara… whose room?”

I bit my lip there was no way she’d let this go.

Slowly, I looked up at her. “I left with… Darius.”

Her eyes widened in shock. “Darius… who?”

I swallowed hard. “Darius Lycarr.”