Page 91 of Our Deceptive Heat

“Negotiating,” I say back with equal coldness.

His scowl returns, and he opens his mouth to answer, but his phone rings. I don’t know if that call has saved me or not, but I watch him as he talks, realising that for all he’s my dad and he’s familiar, I don’t know anything about him, and what I do know, I hate.

I avert my eyes as he turns in my direction. He ends his call and stalks towards me, gripping my chin so hard it brings tears to my eyes.

“I don’t care if they are your pack, if they are fated fucking mates, you’re not having them. You will go through with this merger. That is the condition that I’m allowing you to stay.”

My eyes widen as something that has been eluding me suddenly makes sense. They are my scent matches. They’ve always been my scent matches.

“I understand,” I whisper.

“Auryn Lilith Raines, hear me very clearly. If you think you can fuck me over or get out of this, you underestimate me. I will hunt you to the end of the world and pull you apart piece by piece.”

I shudder, but he still has hold of my face, gripping me so painfully I can’t move.

“I hear you.”

His fingers dig in hard enough to make my eyes water. “Remember who the fuck you are and what your future is. Stop pretending to be an omega to save yourself. You don’t belong with any band trash. You’re destined to bring this legacy into its future.”

I stare at him, wishing I had the courage to strike out at him, push him off me, anything.

“Remember who owns you.”

His words send a blast of ice through me, right to that void he so happily created with his cruel words. The wound hasn’t healed yet, and he’s digging it deeper.

“Who owns you, Auryn?” he snarls into my face.

“You do.”

“That’s right. I own you.”

I flinch at his minty breath, and then he hurls my head back, and I stumble back several steps before I get my balance.

“Stop making a spectacle of yourself in public. If even one whisper of anything between you and that band goes public again, I will ruin them.”

“They didn’t do anything wrong!”

“I don’t really care. They are almost as bad as Derision. Pains in the asses demanding too much and wanting more.”

“Creative freedom isn’t too much-”

“Are you running this label?” my father snaps.

I shake my head, backing down. “No, sir.”

“Then shut your fucking mouth, and do as you're told. Get some damn distance between those assholes and stop getting photographed with them because in weeks, I’m signing that contract, and you will officially become a part of pack Ellis. Get your head out of the clouds, Auryn. You have one damn job in this life, and that is to help this family become bigger and better.”

I stare at him. Does he even see me as a person? Am I anything at all to him but leverage to be used to get his will?

He leaves while I stand there staring at the floor. I’m shaking. I don’t even realise until I look up and see my mother.

Her fear is in me. I am her, and she is me, and we’re never going to escape him.

She creeps towards me and sighs gustily. Her face has too much makeup on, which means he’s been hitting her again. My mother wears makeup the way some people wear armour. When she’s upset and anxious, it’s thick.

She’s never happy.

“Why would you get involved with them? Auryn, you know better. You don’t draw his eye.”

---