TAMING THE PLAYBOY ALPHA - Chapter 89: Chapter 89

: NO
"So, how has school been?" Mother asks just after placing my own dish.
I look from her to father, who for now focuses on eating alone.
I'm tempted to bring up Freya's case immediately, but it's the wrong time. My aim right now is to avoid as much conflict as possible while she's still in the room.
It's something that we need to talk about in private.
"It's been fine. The school's on a short break that will be over in a week." I give a simple response.
She smiles, nodding and taking a bite from her chicken.
"Is that all you have to say? Just fine?" Father enters now, turning to me.
"I believe from my experience, being the person the question is focused on, that it's been fine and uneventful."
"Really? What about the sudden transfer you made into the program for struggling students just when the semester is in it's final quarter?"
I freeze now, hearing his words.
Mother pauses just like I do, her eyes growing wide. She stares at her husband in disbelief.
"What?" Then her eyes look at me.
"Apparently, our son is struggling in school." He comments, acting as surprised as she is.
"Is this true, Silas? You've always been so bright."
I groan now.
Just when I had let my guard down, ofcourse he would strike. I knew he had spies watching me in school. I knew, yet it was something that slipped my mind occasionally.
"Is something bothering you in school? Are you being distracted."
"No, mother. I swear, there's nothing going on." I attempt to ease her worry.
"That's what you said earlier before I had to point out that you're struggling. How do you expect your mother to take you seriously now?" He steps in again.
I clench my fist round my fork, holding myself back and forcing a lot of patience.
I really want to avoid flipping this table over, but he's pressing hard on my patience - continuously baiting me.
With clenched teeth, I turn to her
"I'm sorry, mother. I didn't say anything because I don't want you to be worried. I just wanted to experience what other students go though."
"How very benevolent of you." He teases.
"That's actually sweet of you, Silas, but once the break is over, you're going back. No son of mine ist dumb enough to need extra help in school."
"Of course." I respond tautly, briefly meeting his eyes.
He smiles widely, looking back at me, just loving the situation. I'm on his turf after all. The more I fight him, the more trouble I find myself in.
He's always been like this. Knowing he can't punish me the way he wants to because of his wife that has too much of a soft spot for me, he somehow convinces mother to take his side.
"Good. Tell me, how is Elena? I haven't heard from the lovely girl in awhile."
I almost barf from the far from accurate description of the menace Elena truly is.
"Yes, that's true. For some reason, she hasn't bothered to drop by since the holidays." Father pitches in, smiling wider.
From his expression, I already know he knows what happened since he's so invested in my life.
I cannot dare to hide it even if I wanted to, which I didn't.
"We broke up." I say, ripping the band aid.
This time, she drops her fork which clatters to the ground, followed by pin drop silence.
"Silas, how could you!" She yells out, mortified and staring back with horror before looking back at father.
He moves in closer to her, consoling her by gently patting her on her back while she hyperventilates. "I thought you liked her. Your relationship was finally getting good. What's going to happen to the alliance now?"
"Calm down, honey." He coos, rubbing circles on her back till her breathing stabilizes.
She takes in deep breaths to calm herself and while she does that, he turns to me.
"Silas, don't tell me you only came back to put your mother in a troubled state. We don't see you home for months, and you drop something like that on us?" He prods at me again.
"This was your idea in the first place, wasn't it? This whole arranged mating was your plan. You rolled me into it against my will." My anger slowly begins to over flow.
"I did everything for your wellbeing, and for the sake of what our ancestors have built for us over the years." He defends.
"Bullshit. Everything you've done is to satisfy your own ego up until now. You care nothing about me or the people you talk about."
"A war will break out if we do not permanently ally ourselves with the Crescent Moon pack, and the only way we can do that is you mating with their only heir."
"I'm sure you can come up with better ways to form an alliance without forced mating. You know it's a taboo against the moon goddess, yet you're adamant in achieving your goals and having more power!" I point out.
He sighs.
"I see, it's clear that you're being influenced by a foreign body. Is it that girl you chose as your Solstice partner in place of Elena? Is she the one blinding you and making you take careless choices? A common whore?"
Rage over takes me instantly, my eyes seeing nothing but blood red.
I pick up my fork and toss it directly at him, aiming for his left eye without a second thought.
He catches it swiftly before it makes contact. The smile on his lips lets me know I've done exactly what he wanted me to do.
"Silas!" Mother yells again, shocked by our exchange and the obvious threat I've just made to her husband and mate.
She looks back at me overtaken with morbid disappointment.
"How could you attempt to harm your own father?"
She stares at me incredulously.
I remain silent, unable to utter another word. Saying anything more would only alleviate my situation and make things much more worse than it needs to be. Silence is a much better response.
"If this new girl is the one making you think it's okay to harm family then I disapprove of her." She states firmly. "But mother..." I try to make her see that she's falling for it as always, but she interjects.
"No buts. You will not associate yourself with her. You will fix your relationship with Elena, and we will not speak of this again." She states firmly. "And I agree with your mother." Father adds from her side.
It's as clear as day what his plan had been. He had set this trap for me before I had even considered him a suspect.
I had been so foolish to let myself fall for it.
He knows I wouldn't want to go against her of all people and somehow, I would be forced into doing what he wanted.
Even if I dared to go against him, one way or another, he would have his way.
He always does.
I know for a fact that I am falling deeper into his plan but I have no choice.
Sadly, I cannot give mother what she wants this time.
"No." I say, looking back at her in the eye.
"No?" She's taken aback again by my response.
"No."
I was always the typical obedient son to her, taking up my role as the future alpha religiously, proving my worth and upholding all my duties.
But I am done with all that.
If she couldn't see just how much of a snake her husband is, then I would not stretch out my neck again.
Her face goes blank suddenly before she rises from the table, definitely upset and with a non-existent appetite.
She turns around, walking out of the room. "Get some rest, my love." Father yells to her while she leaves.
It's obvious that all the feast would be wasted now, but he doesn't care about that.
He turns to me, laughing wholeheartedly. His chest vibrating from it.
I stare back coldly, watching his delight. I wonder how she's never noticed his sick manipulative side in all 25 years of being mated to him.
"Good show, my boy. That was a good one." He says in between his fits of laughter. I give no response, holding in my anger. We still had much more to discuss. If I give into my rage now, nothing would be achieved.
"Where is she?" I say.
"Who?" He feigns ignorance and takes another bite of his meal without a care in the world.
It takes me biting down on my lower lip and taking a deep breath to contain myself. "Oh, that reminds me, I have a gift prepared for you."
He says with excitement, signaling a maid standing. She leaves the room and walks back in seconds later with a small wrapped box, handing it over to him. He drops it right infront of me. "Think of it as a late birthday gift."
I'm in no mood for his shenanigans, but I have no choice but to play along, knowing I won't get my answers unless I play this game his way.
I take the box, tearing off the wrapper then pulling it open.
Curly brown hair stares back at me. My wolf reacts faster than I can, forcing his way through me. My fangs retract along with my claws.
My well repressed anger forces it's way to the surface as I seethe just like he wants me too.
That's the only reason why he has a loc of her hair wrapped in a box.
He simply smiles back wider, like the mad man he is and yells out with a snicker.
"Surprise!"