<h4>Chapter 493: 493-He Never Stops Plotting</h4>


    <strong>Fauna:</strong>


    I kept listening, my heart pounding in my chest, worried that someone might catch me. I felt like I was already in trouble.


    "Our main problems are Troy and Haiden," my father said, and once again goosebumps spread across my skin.


    "How so? You can just get Haiden married to someone and then send him to another pack. It could be any pack, small orrge, whatever you prefer," my mother suggested. It hurt to think about Haiden marrying someone, especially someone chosen by my parents.


    "Well, before this, I thought our useless daughter could make him fall for her. Then, once he married her, we would not have to worry about him wanting the crown. But it seems she is so useless that relying on her was a mistake," my father stated openly, revealing his n.


    I had always known my father was not a good person, but I never thought he had bad intentions toward me and my sister until now. I realized he was just using us.


    "You do not need to drag my innocent daughter into this. She tried, okay? I have seen her get insulted by that man so many times. At least give her some credit. Besides, our daughters are not just meant to y games for us. They are more than that," my mother said sharply.


    The tears forming in my eyes turned into tears of relief and happiness. At least one of my parents truly cared about me and my sister.


    "Whatever," my father muttered. "The thing is, Haiden seems like he holds grudges. He is going to ask for the crown. Do you think at this age I will be fighting a crusader? He will tear me apart in front of everyone."


    My father raised his voice when he felt my mother did not understand how important it was to get rid of Haiden.


    "If he had married Fauna, I would have happily given him the crown. Then the crown would have stayed in our bloodline. But no. Your daughter—" my father snapped.


    It was always like this. Whenever my sister or I embarrassed him, he would call us only our mother’s daughters, saying he could not have raised such failures. It hurt, but it did not affect me as much anymore.


    "What about Messi? When he marries Mariana and Haiden asks for the crown, he can fight him," my mother suggested. That was when I realized that even Mariana’s wedding was part of their n.


    "Yeah, that is what I thought before, but now I am not so sure. Messi cannot stand a chance against Haiden anymore. Have you not looked at Troy? It seems like Troy is going to ask for the crown soon. When he fights Messi in his own pack, Messi will lose to Troy, which is inevitable. Then what?" my father argued,ying out the reasons for his concern.


    Honestly, it surprised me.


    "So what are you nning to do? I do not believe you are talking about this without having a n," my mother pressed.


    I heard my father chuckle from inside the room. The sound made my heart skip. That was how frightening he could be.


    I stood there anxiously, waiting to hear what my father was nning.


    "I have been observing Troy. Have you noticed him too?" my father asked my mother.


    "What about him? He is a handsome young man," my mother replied.


    "Exactly. He is more charming than Messi, do you not think? He carries himself with grace. He is a crusader, and have you seen those muscles on him? I think we made a mistake. Troy is a better choice than Messi for Mariana," my father said.


    His words made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. My fingers curled in fear, and I pulled my hands close to my chest. Just hearing how far my father was willing to go to keep the crown frightened me.


    He thought of his daughters as tools he could offer to anyone who would secure the crown for him.


    "Before, we could not do that because Troy had been sent to the academy. But now that he is back, I think I suggestMariana’s hand for Troy. What do you suggest?" he asked, waiting for my mother’s response.


    "That sounds like a good idea," my mother replied. She always did this. She agreed with whatever my father nned.


    My mother had found her escape in her phone. She would y games or scroll through social media, anything to keep her mind off her husband’s cruelty. The moment she disagreed with him, he would ruin the structure of her face. That was how he described it.


    "You say it as if it will be that easy. Do you not know that he is also mates with Clementine? Whoever is mates with her does not want to lose the hope of being with her," my mother reminded my father.


    Everyone knew that Clementine was special and that all her mates were trying to win her heart.


    "And have you not seen the mark on that handsome jerk’s neck?" my father remarked, speaking about Ian in a bitter tone.


    "All I am trying to say is that I do not think Troy will ept Mariana, and I do not want you to keep getting my daughters rejected. That is all. It is ruining their confidence and their lives," my mother said.


    A quiet, hopeless sound left her mouth before she swallowed hard, probably realizing she was speaking against a man who would not hesitate to throw something at her face if she disobeyed him.


    "Just leave it to me. If he refuses, then we will have to get rid of Troy so that Messi can secure the crown for himself," my father dered confidently.


    My hand pressed against the wall to steady myself. I was afraid that if I did not keep my bnce, I would fall and they would realize I was outside.