Chapter 2 Episode 2

Skylar's Pov

"Skylar, you knew how much this meant to me." My dad says like I stepped on his favourite dog, Venus, like I personally went out of my way to ruin his entire evening just for the fun of it.

His voice carries that wounded tone he uses when he wants me to feel guilty, when he wants me to cave and apologize and make everything better.

I fold my hands, leaning back on their chair as I look up at him, my spine pressing against the hard wood. I returned home late last night and I haven't heard a word about this since I got up and got ready for class, not a single mention over breakfast, not a passive aggressive comment, nothing until now when he decided to corner me before I could escape out the front door.

"And how does my presence hinder you from seeing your girlfriend?" I ask, my voice flat and bored, like I'm discussing the weather instead of the fact that he's been sneaking around behind my back for months.

"Could've at least showed up, there was a whole table set for you and Edna was psyched to see you." He says, his hands gesturing wide like he's painting a picture of this perfect little dinner I supposedly ruined.

"So it's more about her seeing me than you needing me there?" I scoff, the sound sharp and bitter. "Great, should've shown her my photo. After all, it's how you got here in the first place with a total human stranger you met on Tinder, dad! Swipe right, arrange a date, and suddenly she's supposed to be part of our family?"

"It's more complicated than you think, Skylar. You had one job yesterday and I am totally disappointed with what you did." He's using his "Alpha" voice on me now, trying to sound like a father and leader all at once, that deep authoritative tone that's supposed to make me shrink. I doubt if he knows how to play the role of the latter properly, how to actually be a dad instead of just commanding people around.

I sigh, the air leaving my lungs in a heavy rush, knowing that my anger was pointless and he's going to keep pushing for it, keep hammering at me until I either break or give in. He reaches from my hand, holding it gently, his calloused fingers wrapping around mine, and I let out another deep sigh, the fight draining out of me for just a moment.

"I'm really sorry for everything, Sky. And I understand your worry and anger but Edna... Edna's really different." He says softly, his thumb rubbing circles on the back of my hand, that same gesture he used when I was little and scraped my knee.

"You just saw her for the first time." I point out, my brow furrowing.

"Not really..."

"Not really?" I repeat, my voice going higher, the confusion building in my chest like pressure.

"We've met a few more times since we started dating, most of my 'business trips'." He admits, and I can see the guilt flickering in his eyes, the way he can't quite hold my gaze.

My brows furrow deeper, my throat tightening like someone's wrapped their hands around it. "Seriously?" The word comes out strangled, barely above a whisper.

"Yeah, I've met her son too. A really nice kid, he—"

I pull my hand from his so fast it makes a sound, the slap of skin against skin echoing in the hallway, and grab my purse from the table, my driver following me behind as I storm outside, my feet pounding against the marble floor.

My eyes blur with tears that I blink away furiously, refusing to let them fall, refusing to give him the satisfaction of seeing me cry.

Dad follows me, his footsteps heavy and quick behind me. "Skylar, can you stop this?" He calls out, his voice carrying that mix of authority and desperation.

"Look, I am done having this conversation." I yell, the words ripping out of my throat, causing a guard at the gate to flinch at my tone, his eyes going wide as he watches the Alpha's daughter lose her mind in the middle of the driveway.

"I get your frustration but I am still your father and—”

"Or the father of her 'really nice son'?" I shoot back, the words dripping with venom, with all the hurt and betrayal I'm feeling right now.

"Skylar." He warns, his voice dropping low.

"Give it a rest dad, have fun with your human p-ssy." I snap, the crude words falling out of my mouth before I can stop them, before I can think about the consequences.

"My what?" He asks, his face going red, the veins in his neck starting to bulge.

"You heard me." I say, standing my ground, my chin lifted, my eyes locked on his.

"Oh." He's angry now, red angry, the kind of angry that makes his whole body tremble with barely contained rage. But I'm also too angry to care about any consequence, too far gone to pull myself back from the edge.

"I have sacrificed everything, done my f-cking best to be a good father to you and if you don't get your character together, be ready to face whatever's given to you. I'm a grown man and I can do what I want for my happiness with or without your approval." He growls, his voice reverberating through the air, just as his Beta comes jogging up, alerting him of an urgent duty that needs his attention right now. He takes a breath, visibly forcing himself to calm down, then turns back to me. "Be back home early today, I'm proposing to Edna."

"What?" The word explodes out of me, my heart dropping into my stomach, my whole world tilting sideways.

"I'm not asking for your permission." He says, and then he's gone, walking away with his Beta, leaving me standing there in the middle of the driveway with my purse clutched against my chest and my entire life crumbling around me.