The Alpha's Gamble - Chapter 57: Chapter 57

NOAH
Yes. Let it out. All of it. Every ounce of that fury, and aim it at her.
The way Trevor was looking at Clara? Fucking glorious. Like he wanted to rip her smug head off and roll it like a bowling ball straight into my father’s gut. Maybe that was my fantasy more than his, but still, same vibe. I leaned back and waited. Waited for the final straw to snap and for him to finally show us who he was. Maddie stood frozen beside me. She was pressed so tightly into my side I could feel her heartbeat through my shirt. Either she trusted me to protect her, or she was using me as a barrier in case her dad fully snapped. One of those things I could do. But if Trevor wanted to kill Clara? I wasn’t stopping him. Not a goddamn chance.
“You allowed our daughter to fight in the Ember Ring,” he growled.
“Volokov challenged her, Trevor. There was nothing we could do. Maybe you should get the whole story before flying off the handle,” Clara replied, pretending to reason with him. Bless her heart, still thinking her words had weight.
“The whole story?” His voice dropped, thick with disbelief. “Like there’s anything she could have done to warrant being thrown into that ring with maniacs?”
“She provoked him. She killed his friends, Trevor,” Clara said somberly, like she wanted him to believe Maddie was the monster in this story.
“She could wipe out an entire fucking town, Clara, and I would still never condone her fighting in the Ember Ring!”
“She messed up. And now she’s paying for it.”
“SHE’S A CHILD!” Trevor roared. Maddie flinched, pressed harder into me. I wrapped an arm around her instinctively. You’re safe. With me, you’re always safe. Clara lifted her chin, feigning sympathy like she even knew what the fuck that meant.
“She hasn’t been a child for a long time. You left, Trevor. And I’ve spent two years picking up the pieces of what you broke. I raised her. I’ve done my best. You don’t get to show up now and play the father card.” Trevor’s chest heaved. His shoulders squared. And then he stalked toward her, slow and lethal.
“It was your idea, wasn’t it? Letting her fight.”
“No. It was Volokov’s. But I didn’t oppose him. He wants justice.” Trevor looked past her and locked eyes with me, and for the first time, I saw it. He wasn’t holding anything back anymore. His wolf was wide awake, speaking through clenched teeth.
“Did she do it alone?” he asked. “Fight those people? Kill those humans?” I saw no reason to lie. Not to a father trying to save his daughter.
“No,” I said. “Logan and Nate were with her. They were all involved. But I did most of the killing once I arrived.” My dad’s snarl was guttural. He closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose like the weight of the truth was too much. Clara turned toward me, her death-glare sharp enough to cut skin.
“Good,” Trevor said, stepping closer. “Then you get in that ring. You pay for the men you killed. But my daughter is not fighting.” I stepped forward, ready to meet him halfway, but I felt Maddie’s hand tremble and stayed where I was. Let her anchor herself to me.
“If you think we didn’t try to take her place, you’re dumber than my father.” That got to him. My dad’s glare turned hollow, then guilty.
“You get in that ring,” Trevor said again. “I don’t give a fuck about the rules.” Then he turned to my father. Challenging the Alpha in his own home. The kind of act that usually ends in blood.
“Trevor-” Dad started.
“No!” Trevor barked, raising a finger in Clara’s direction. Everyone froze. Nobody moved. Nobody breathed. Clara reached out slowly, placing a delicate hand on his wrist and guiding it down.
“The contract was signed,” she whispered. What fucking contract? Trevor’s face went slack. My stomach dropped. Maddie pulled away from me, the chill of her absence seeping through my clothes. She looked up at me, guilt hanging heavy in her eyes.
“What contract?” I asked.
“It’s binding,” Clara said, but she wasn’t talking to me. Her eyes stayed on Trevor, her voice cold, distant. Like she was reading a grocery list. My brother’s stare burned into my back, but I couldn’t look away. Trevor stumbled back. My dad bowed his head. And Clara? Clara stood there, emotionless. Hollow. Spitting facts like they weren’t costing her daughter’s life.
“What. Contract?” I repeated.
My father answered without looking at me. “A contract that binds Madeline to the Ember Ring. She can’t refuse. She can’t run. She has to fight.”
“Or what?” Logan barked.
“Or it’s considered a forfeit,” Dad said grimly. “And she’ll pay with her life.” If anyone said another fucking word, I was going to rip someone’s throat out. They were gambling. With her.
“Not unlike you,” Onyx snapped. “You gambled on her, too.”
“I never gambled on her.”
“The tape. Landon. The deal. All you’ve done is gamble on her,” He hissed. Onyx surged inside me, but I pushed him down and exhaled hard.
“How is the contract enforced?” I asked, rubbing my temples to stay sane. My father sighed. Glanced at Clara. A flicker of rage crossed his face, but it vanished as quickly as it came.
“Madeline signed it with her blood,” he said. “It was bound with magic. A witch reinforced it.”