The Runt novel Chapter 22

Only seconds later, my hospital door opens again and Alpha Kace enters. He is clearly shocked to see his father with me and no doubt horrified to see the blood covering my neck. My wound has already healed from the superficial cut but the resulting evidence remains. His gaze quickly turns from concern to shock and finally lands and stays on suspicion.

Well, that is until it changes to horrified.

"What are you doing here, father?" Alpha Kace demands of Alpha Michael, whose grip on my hand hasn't lessened even slightly. I can't help but wince as I feel the movement of bones as they break in my fingers. This man will kill me without hesitation or remorse and I doubt he'd have much more difficulty doing the same to his own flesh and blood.

We don't have a choice, do we? Nova cries, realizing our situation at the same time I do. The expression 'between a rock and a hard place' comes to mind but instead, I'm buried underneath it all and I'll never see the light of day again.

Not after today.

I take a deep breath and look Alpha Kace in the eyes. I hope he can see the sadness in my own – that I genuinely don't want to be doing what I'm about to do but I will do it all the same – if it means him seeing all of the tomorrows that he's due, I'll do it.

"I, Penelope Andrews, reject you Alpha Kace Hawthorne as my mate."

KACE, THE END

I agree. Somehow, he's making her but suspecting that and changing the results are two different things. Whatever he's doing, it is clearly powerful enough to convince her to sign up for the worst existence I can imagine.

"What does she get out of this?" I must know what is so important that she is willing to reject me and take my father as her lover, to choose a life of solitude as nothing more than my true mate – a source of 'power and strength' for me but that's all. All it sounds like to me is 'approved' adultery and the whole idea of it makes me sick – but she's agreeing? Why?!

"Oh, that's simple son," my father says arrogantly as he wraps his arm around Penelope's shoulders. Her eyes meet mine and I see the life in them fade and disappear to nothing, replaced by dullness. Wherever Penelope just went mentally, she did it as an act of self-preservation which tells me that whatever my father is holding over her head is worse than the life she chose. What the fuck is it?!

"I won't kill you."