I was pushed into a tree, separated from Evander and he growled loudly. "Lexi, let me go!" I growled at her, throwing my shoulders at her as she tried to keep them down. "She isn't going anywhere with you!" Jessie snarls. "Jessie!" I hissed and tried to escape Lexi's grip without hurting her.

"Like if you can stop her," Evander replied only making Jessie angrier.

"Jess! I need to see him! I..." I didn't know exactly what to say. I wasn't going to allow myself to believe that he was alive without seeing him. The thing is, I don't even have an idea what he looks like. "I want to see him too! It's why we were trying to get into his pack all along! It's why we were working with the rogues!" Jessie screamed in anger. Evander's face pales at my cousin's confession.

"Vampires and rogues?" Evander lowly growled, his eyes flicking to gold. "Evander! No, you cannot hurt him!" I demanded, harshly pushing Lexi away but she quickly recovered and pushed me back into the tree. "Lexi, you're playing a dangerous game," I snarled at her, trying to keep White down from surfacing.

"Why would you lie to me and tell me he is your mate?" Jessie hissed and my eyes draw to him. My eyes widened and I became speechless. "It's complicated, but swear to the goddess if you touch him I will murder you in cold blood!" I growl at him using all the power I could muster with my werewolf eyes out to view.

Lexi let go of me and I don't even spare her another glance. Jessie was also frozen. "Do you trust me?" I ask him, tilting my head to the side. Jessie nods and I smile before wrapping my arms around him, ignoring the low growl of Evander behind us. "I love you," he tells me. "I love you too," I reciprocated without a thought. "That's enough," I hear Evander grunted out and I stop myself from smiling at his jealousy and protectiveness.

"I'll get him out, I promise," my lips were shaking as I thought of my father. "If that alpha hurts you-" Jessie was cut off my Evander growling at him. I turn to glare at Evander, making him shut up. "I can take care of myself, I'll see you in a bit alright?" I slowly backed away. Lexi snakes her hand around Jessie's arm as they smiled.

"Come on," I tell Evander, walking towards the border. He says nothing as we walked ahead to his pack grounds. We walked in silence through the woods as I tried to clear my head.

Why the hell would my parents lie to me?

How the hell was Evander connected to all of this?

Would he even recognize me?

Did he know that my mother was pregnant?

"Rieka?" Evander called for me and I hummed in reply, my head was a chaotic tornado of thoughts. "I need to explain myself, I need to tell you that I didn't mean for this to happen," he says after a couple of seconds when the packhouse was in view.

I turn back to him and softly smile. "How about I go meet my father for the first time before you tell me why the hell you had him locked away from me?" I suggested with a sarcastic smile. I didn't mean to hurt him or even be mean. Evander looked to the ground, a frown on his lips before something shifted in him.

The smirk was gone and his lips were in it's resting position, his eyes showed me no emotion, his body reminded me of a brick wall. "Let's go," he coldly stated. I was shocked as Evander walked off and I was still standing there.

I didn't have time to think about him, so instead, I followed him to wherever he was taking me. My mind was elsewhere, thinking about the people I called parents. There had to be a reason for them to lie to me? I'm not surprised Evander didn't but my mother. That's heart-crushing.

"Leave," Evander told the two guards standing in front of a wooden door, not too far from his house. They both looked shook but nods in respect and walked away. Evander's cold eyes met mine before he opened the door. I walked in first and heard the door harshly shut behind me.

My heart, racing.

My hands, sweaty, and clenching.

My mind, torturous.

My heart, splintering.

My lips, shaking.

"I'm so sorry," Evander whispered and I spin around, shocked to hear him finally say something. "Are you? Are you really?" I lick my lips, trying to stop the shaking. "Deeply," he seriously answered and our eyes lingered before he walked deeper into the dark and filthy room.

Thanks to my eyes I was able to see in the pitch-black room as we walked deeper, my hand would hit on the iron of the cages. I didn't wince but I knew they were silver. "Here," Evander spoke and we stopped. The iron door opens and I step in, my eyes adjusting into the cell.

I notice his figure sitting in the corner of his room, his red eyes glaring at me. I gulped, barely seeing a thing. I jump when the lights turned on. The light shone from the narrow hallway and it was dim but I still saw him. He was wearing a white shirt with buttons undone and short pants.

"Hi," I choke out. He tilts his head as he studied me. His eyes were easily recognized as the same as mine which only made my heart pound. "Hello?" He casually responded, his voice low and ragged. "Are you going to ask me about the weather now?" He asked me, his eyes shifting to Evander behind me.

"How would you know what the weather is like?" I asked, ignoring his sarcasm. The man smiles slightly but I still noticed. "Good point," he replied.

"Who are you?" He asked.

"Um, pack doctor of the royal pack," I answered like I would answer anyone else but didn't include the part about being the royal beta's daughter. His eyes widened and he scanned me again, studying my face.

"Does this pack doctor have a name?" He asked, tilting his head to the side. I tried not to show how nervous and terrified I was right now. "Rieka," I replied. Saying my last name was a risk because he would most likely know who is Joseph, my mother's mate.

"You already know mine," he mumbled, shifting his eyes to Evander. Clearly, I didn't think this through. I didn't know what to do, at all. I continued to look at the man in front of me and then I finally landed on the silver chain around his neck but the other half of it was hidden beneath his jersey.

My knees cracked as I bent them so I was more to his level. "Can I see your necklace?" I asked him. He looked at me strangely before pulling it to my view. I bite my lip as I look at the pendant. It was an identical ring to mine. The only difference was that the ring was thinner and made for a female. "It's beautiful," I smiled.