The ride back to her place was a breath of fresh air. For the first time in what felt like forever, she felt good. She wasn’t the alpha, the CEO, or Raymond Macallister’s daughter. She was just R.J.
Her date with Shane had opened her eyes to how much she’d been holding back, how much she’d been viewing herself through her father’s lens.
He made her laugh. A lot.
Her cheeks were warm from blushing every time he complimented her, telling her how her eyes sparkled when she laughed, how adorable she looked when she bit her lip in thought, and how refreshingly direct she was.
The last time she’d felt this relaxed was… She couldn’t bear to revisit those memories.
Happy memories were supposed to bring joy, but they only led her down a dark, endless path.
“We’re home,” Jesse announced, stepping out of the car. R.J. followed, but paused when she spotted a familiar vehicle.
Her heart started to pound. She quickly shifted her attention to her house, the one she’d bought after her first year as CEO of Robinson Tech.
The two-story house didn’t flaunt her wealth; it looked like it belonged to a regular, hardworking woman. The light in the living room was on. She never left lights on when she went out.
She knew Charlotte wasn’t home because, as her beta, she was on patrol duty.
“Alpha?” Mark asked softly.
“It’s fine. Jesse, join Ryan and Charlotte on patrol. Mark, you can head home to your mate. I’m sure he’s missing you.”
Mark blushed as R.J. mentioned Liam, his mate of four years. They lived just down the street from R.J., who’d given them a home after Mark’s parents had disowned him for being gay.
“Are you sure you can handle him?” Jesse asked, concerned about the former alpha’s temper.
“I’ve heard his you’re-a-failure speech enough times. I can handle it,” she replied, shrugging.
They watched as she slowly approached the door, her demeanor shifting from the carefree R.J. to the cold, impassive R.J.
“I hope the Goddess blesses her with her mate soon. Alpha Raymond might push too hard with this mate-matching thing,” Mark said, getting back in the car.
Entering her house, she could already feel the tension building. The click of her boot heels echoed against the hardwood floor as she headed for the living room.
There he was, sitting on her couch, going through her pack files.
“You need to increase your patrols. Even with the low number of rogue sightings, you should have six men per quadrant,” he said, not even bothering to look up.
“Black Heart is my territory now. I’m handling the pack’s safety just fine,” she retorted, gripping her dress.
“Your methods are for weak, isolated packs. This pack is dominant, and I intend to keep it that way,” he shot back.
“You do realize you’re not the alpha anymore, right? My name is on every document that goes between us and other packs. The people in this pack see me as their alpha, not you.”
That’s when he finally looked up at her, his emerald eyes filled with fury and disgust as he stared at his own flesh and blood.
He rose slowly, his body rigid. Raymond moved towards his daughter, radiating dominance. R.J. didn’t flinch or back down. She held her ground.
“I’m still alive and your father. With the right words, I can reclaim what’s mine. Black Heart was never yours, and you know it.
“I never wanted you to succeed me, and you knew that. These people don’t know what they want or who they want to lead them. It was protocol that gave you this title.
“Do you think any other alphas take you seriously? A fucking prissy girl. Just look at you. You’ll never be as great as me.”
R.J. held her ground, meeting his gaze, refusing to be swayed by his words.
“I see you still haven’t found your mate. Can’t you do anything right? You, my dear daughter, are nothing but weak, pathetic, and spineless, just like your mother.”
Kara was furious at her human father, but R.J. managed to keep it all in. She was in too good a mood to let this man she called Father ruin it. “Get out,” she said.
“Excuse me?” he asked, incredulous.
“I said get out! I know this pack was never mine. I agreed to be alpha for him and Mama, not you. Just get out of my house.
“Don’t ever come back here. You have no power here anymore,” she spat, her eyes darkening as she took a threatening step towards him.
A flicker of uncertainty crossed his face. He snorted, then looked down his nose at her. “You’ll need me. You’ll come crawling back to me when this pack falls apart,” he sneered.
“Don’t bet on it.”
With that, he stormed out of R.J.’s house, slamming the front door behind him. The loud noise marked the end of an era for her, but also the start of an uncertain future.
Her heart pounded in her ears. Her breath came in ragged gasps as she sank to her knees. She’d stood up to him. She’d finally stood up to her tyrant of a father.
It was a bittersweet victory. Raymond was her only living relative, apart from her maternal grandfather and uncles. Cutting ties with him was like a knife to the heart, but it was necessary for her to find herself again.
Over the next two weeks, R.J. was a changed woman. Her close friends and others noticed the difference in her daily actions and welcomed it as a positive change.
She maintained her morning routine and invited the teen wolves who wanted to join the warriors when they came of age.
The response was overwhelming. Her beta said it was because they looked up to their alpha.
R.J. carried herself with a quiet confidence that was awe-inspiring. She accepted compliments and praises with a humble smile, never one to brag or boast.
She even made it clear to all the patrolmen that her father wasn’t to cross the borders without her say-so.
When she’d stepped up as alpha, he’d chosen to leave the pack land of his own accord. Everyone was aware of his favoritism towards his daughter and didn’t object to his departure.
The elders had remained silent when he left, shifting their attention to the new alpha female.
At her gaming company, a steady stream of new and old clients, along with her staff, kept her on her toes. There were approvals to give and projects to oversee.
Balancing the demands of a thriving gaming company and leading a dominant pack, R.J. managed both roles with ease. She even carved out time to hang out with her new friend, Shane.
Despite being a busy lawyer, he made it a point to call her during their workdays for coffee breaks or a leisurely stroll in the park between their buildings.
They became as close as best friends, confiding their fears and discussing any pack issues that cropped up.
Shane often joked about how his father boasted about their friendship and expressed a desire to meet her.
His mother too hopped onto the Alpha R.J. fan club after noticing how much more relaxed her only son seemed.
“Are you scared?” R.J. asked him over lunch one day.
Shane paused mid-bite, giving her his full attention. “Scared of what?”
“Of finding your mate.”
He swallowed hard, setting his fork down on his plate. His brows knitted together as he pondered over the question.
He couldn’t deny that he’d often thought about the day he’d meet the woman chosen for him by the Moon Goddess. He’d been contemplating it since he was old enough to sense her.
“Scared and hopeful,” Shane finally replied, his gaze drifting to the window overlooking the bay.
R.J. waited for him to elaborate.
“I’m scared that when I do find her, she won’t accept me for who I am. I’m scared that I might not find her soon enough, and I’ll have to wait even longer for my second chance.
“But I’m hopeful that when I do find her, we can start our lives together, sharing the love we’ve saved for each other,” he said, a wistful smile playing on his lips before he turned his attention back to her.
“I’m scared that my mate won’t bring me the happiness I long for,” she admitted softly.
Shane didn’t respond. He could sense the pain in her words, a pain he knew stemmed from her family. She never spoke about her family, but he could tell it was a sore spot.
Whenever he talked about his own parents, she’d try to mask the sadness in her eyes. He didn’t press her, choosing to wait until she was ready to open up.
Shane decided to be what she needed right now: a trustworthy friend.
“If he doesn’t, then I’ll ask the Goddess to replace him right away,” he declared, a playful glint in his eyes.
R.J. laughed, knowing that he’d do whatever it took to see her happy, even though their friendship was still in its early stages.
