<h4>Chapter 517: 517-The Father Who Cannot Be Trusted</h4>


    <strong>Mariana:</strong>


    I watched the chaos unfold before my eyes. My sister’s life had shifted from the worst to what should have been the best.


    But the moment my father revealed her mate’s earlier intentions, I saw sadness creep across her face. It broke my heart.


    We grew up in a mansion where everything depended on perception. If we did well, we were praised.


    If we made a mistake, our father would remind us of it every few seconds in front of the people we cared about. Those people would change their opinions based on how he treated us.


    I knew that once he exposed those intentions, she would not be as epting of him or as happy about their marking. She would not be the same as before.


    But that was my father. He had done it on purpose.


    It was his way of handing her a taste of happiness and then taking it away.


    After they left, he began pacing the living room. He clenched his fist every few seconds and grunted at me and my mother as he cornered us.


    My mother did not have her phone, but her fingers crawled across her palm as if she were scrolling. She was probably not even present.


    That was her coping mechanism. Since she could not escape into her phone, she tried to imitate the feeling of being somewhere else.


    I did not have that option. I had to stay present and watch what my father would do next.


    "I left that little shit on your shoulders for you to tame her, and this is how she turns out?" my father roared, stopping in front of my mother.


    "So tell me, who should I be angry at now? Her or you?" he demanded, ring down at her.


    My mother’s fingers froze against her palm. She lifted her head and looked at him with teary eyes.


    "My daughter was epted by her alpha mate, and right after that, she was kicked out of her father’s mansion. How do you think I feel right now?" she asked in a broken voice, searching his face for mercy.


    "Ah, I don’t fucking care about you and your little shithead daughter!" my father spat, pointing at her.


    "She chose someone despite me telling her not to. Someone who storms in, aiming guns at her father. He meant trouble, and you knew that. I’m sure your daughter knew it too."


    He stepped closer, his nails scraping his own skin as he jabbed a finger at his chest.


    "Now tell me this. How will you feel when the crown is snatched from us? We will be on the streets. The moment Haiden gets the crown, he will open an investigation into his father’s death. And guess whose name will be at the top of the suspect list?" he hissed, his eyes zing.


    "I don’t understand. You wanted her to marry an alpha?" I asked.


    My father turned so fast I had no time to react. His hand struck my face, silencing me.


    I bit my tongue by ident. The metallic taste of blood spread across it as I lifted my head.


    He hunched over me and pointed a finger at my face.


    "Do not speak to me again unless I tell you to," he hissed.


    "You cannot just hit my daughter!" my mother shouted from behind me.


    My father spun toward her and punched her in the cheek. She fell onto the couch.


    That was it. That was as far as I would let him go.


    I sprang to my feet and lunged at him. I grabbed the hair at the back of his head and yanked hard until his neck snapped back and he crashed onto the table beside him.


    The table shattered. My father grunted as he hit the floor.


    My mother’s eyes widened in shock as she stared at me.


    "No. I will not let you abuse us anymore. That is it," I screamed, stepping in front of her.


    "You cannot keep hitting us when we are the ones saving your crown."


    She gripped my arms from behind, trying to pull me out of his sight before he could rise again.


    He touched the back of his head and looked at the blood on his fingers. Then he surged to his feet, angrier than ever.


    He charged at me, but I shoved him back and pointed a finger at his chest.


    "That will be enough," I warned him.


    "We are the ones helping you remain a crowned alpha you do not even deserve to be. It is over. I will tell everyone the truth," my voice came out strained but I was determined to do what I imed.


    "I will tell the council. I will tell anyone who listens what you did to Haiden’s father. You killed him when he was drunk. You used his weakness to attack him and forced him to sign the papers naming you as sessor."


    My voice shook as the memories rushed through me. I thought of how he had abused my sister and how she had left in misery.


    I did not realize I had pushed him too far.


    He lunged at me and wrapped his fingers around my neck. His grip tightened.


    My throat closed. I wed at his arms, trying to break free.


    My mother rushed at him from the side and struck his head with her fists.


    "Let her go! Let my daughter go!" she screamed.


    My father released one hand from my throat and grabbed her by the neck as well.


    "Come over here. What the fuck are you all doing? Do you not hear themotion?" my father shouted.


    Just as I expected, he could not fight us alone. He called for help.


    His warriors rushed in, grabbed my mother, and dragged her away while my father kept choking me.


    Within seconds, my vision blurred. He could not kill me, but he could make me pass out and leave me vulnerable.


    My knees buckled as the air drained from my lungs. My father bent down and forced me onto the floor, his hands still mped around my neck as he tightened his grip.