"My father is here?" Aria's voice cracked like thin ice.
Kael's smile turned sharper. "Seems dear old daddy finally remembered he has a daughter."
The mate bond pulsed with her fear, and she watched Kael's jaw tighten as her emotions crashed into him. Good. Let him feel a part of what she was going through. "Tell him I'm not here," she said quickly.
"Tell him you never found me."
"Why would I do that?" Kael circled her like a shark scenting blood. "Alpha Victor Thorn threw his own child away like garbage. Now he comes crawling here, wanting her back. I find that... interesting."
"You don't understand. He hates me. If he's here, it's not because he wants me back. It's because"
Aria stopped herself. She couldn't tell Kael about the prophecy, about the real reason her father had cast her out.
"Because what?" Kael stopped in front of her, so close she could see the gold flecks in his storm-gray eyes.
"Because he blames me for Lyra's death. He always will."
Something flickered across Kael's face surprise, maybe even pity. But it was gone before she could be sure.
"Well, he can't have you back," Kael said coldly. "You're mine now."
"I thought you were going to reject me."
"I changed my mind."
Aria's heart did something complex in her chest. Hope and fear mixed together until she couldn't tell them apart. "Why?"
Kael leaned down until his lips were next to her ear. His breath was warm against her skin, and her wolf practically purred at his closeness.
"Because rejecting you would be a mercy," he whispered. "And I don't believe in mercy for sister-killers."
The words were like ice water down her spine. Aria jerked away from him, her hands shaking with rage and hurt.
"So what, you're going to keep me here as punishment? Chain me up in your basement?"
"Nothing so dramatic." Kael straightened his shirt cuffs like they were having a casual chat. "You'll live here. Eat here. Sleep here. But make no mistake you are not my Luna. You never will be. You're simply... a guest who can't leave."
"A prisoner, you mean."
"If you like." His voice was bored, like her pain meant nothing to him. "The choice of words doesn't change the reality."
Aria wanted to hit him. Wanted to scream and fight and make him hurt the way he was hurting her. But she'd learned long ago that fighting only made things worse.
"Fine," she said, lifting her head. "But don't expect me to be grateful."
"I don't expect anything from you except obedience."
The word hit her like a slap. Her wolf whimpered, desperate to please their mate, but the human part of her fought against everything he represented.
Another knock stopped them. This time it was more forceful.
"Alpha, he's getting impatient. He says if you don't bring his daughter down in five minutes, he's coming up here himself."
Kael's eyes gleamed with something dark and amused. "Is he now? How... bold of him."
Fear crawled up Aria's throat. She knew that tone. It was the voice of a hunter who'd just spotted easy prey.
"Don't hurt him," she said quickly. "Please. Whatever you're thinking, don't do it."
"And why would I care what happens to the man who threw you away?"
Because despite everything, he was still her father. Because she'd spent ten years hoping he might forgive her someday. Because losing him totally would break what was left of her heart.
But she couldn't say any of that to Kael. Not when he was looking at her like she was a puzzle he wanted to solve just so he could destroy it.
"Because hurting him hurts me," she said instead. "And if you really want to punish me, keeping him alive and hating me is much worse than making him a martyr."
Kael studied her for a long moment. Then he laughed, low and dangerous.
"You're smarter than I gave you credit for." He moved toward the door. "Come along, little thief. Time to face daddy dearest."
"I can't." The words burst out of her before she could stop them. "I can't see him. Not like this. Not when I look like"
"Like what you are?" Kael's voice was mean. "A broken, worthless rogue who killed her own sister?"
Tears burned behind Aria's eyes, but she refused to let them fall. Not in front of him. Never in front of him.
"Yes," she whispered.
For a heartbeat, something almost human flickered in Kael's face. Then his mask slipped back into place.
"Ronan," he called out.
The door opened instantly, and his Beta stepped inside. Ronan was handsome in a rough way, with kind brown eyes that seemed truly concerned when they landed on Aria.
"Take her to the blue guest room," Kael ordered. "Get her cleaned up. Find her something decent to wear."
"Of course, Alpha." Ronan's voice was gentle when he spoke to Aria. "Miss Thorn? If you'll come with me?"
Aria looked between the two men, confused by Kael's sudden kindness. "Why are you helping me?"
"I'm not helping you," Kael said simply. "I'm helping myself. When your father sees you, I want him to know exactly what he lost. I want him to see his daughter looking like she belongs here, in my pack, under my care. The daughter he threw away is now mine to command."
The evil of it stole her breath. He wasn't being kind he was making a point. Using her as a tool against her own father.
"You're a monster," she breathed.
Kael's smile was all teeth. "Yes. I am. And now you belong to a monster, Aria Thorn. Sweet dreams."
Ronan touched her arm gently. "Come on. Let's get you out of here."
Aria let him lead her from the room, but she could feel Kael's eyes on her back like a physical weight. The mate bond hummed between them, carrying his satisfaction at her pain.
In the hallway, Ronan walked beside her quietly for several steps before speaking.
"He's not usually this cruel," he said softly.
"I find that hard to believe."
"It's true. Kael is hard, yes. Ruthless when he needs to be. But this..." Ronan shook his head. "Something about you scares him."
Aria almost laughed. "I'm a loner with no pack, no family, no power. What could possibly be scary about me?"
Ronan stopped walking and turned to face her. His brown eyes were serious, studying her face like he was trying to answer a riddle.
"That's what I'm trying to figure out," he said softly. "Because in all the years I've known Kael Draven, I've never seen him afraid of anything. Until tonight."
Before Aria could ask what he meant, footsteps echoed down the hallway. Heavy boots on stone, coming their way fast.
"Miss Thorn needs to be in her room. Now," came an eager voice.
It was the young messenger from before, his face pale with fear.
"What's wrong?" Ronan demanded.
"Alpha Victor brought troops. A lot of them. And he's not asking nicely anymore." The boy's voice dropped to a whisper. "He says if Alpha Kael doesn't produce his daughter immediately, he'll consider it an act of war."
The words hit Aria like a physical blow. War. Over her. The rogue daughter who wasn't worth saving.
"That's impossible," she said. "He doesn't care about me enough to start a war."
But even as she said it, doubt crept into her voice. Because if her father was here, with an army, wanting her back...
What had changed? What did Victor Thorn want with the girl he'd thrown away ten years ago?
And why did she have the terrible feeling that whatever the answer was, it was going to destroy everything?