The Mallapers Are Rising: A Rejected Werewolf Story

Chapter Twenty Eight

Prince Ryan's Point Of View

Why do I feel like my whole life is a lie? I sat in the forest pondering my life since Leyla left. Once upon a time I thought I knew everything, I thought I was worthy to be King, but as the clock ticks by the more I question my abilities, my judgements. My body is filled with the overwhelming sense of guilt regarding the people I have treated. 

Surprising, when the regret seeps in Leyla isn't the first person that I think about. It's my father. My father who had done nothing but love and care for me. I remember growing up and him taking me out to see the pack members. He was always so polite and interested in his subjects. He showed them that he cared, whether it was a woman who had lost her husband, a child who had fallen sick, or a teenager was getting bullied. My father didn't stop showing his people he cared, no matter how big or how small the problem was.

I close my eyes and remember my father teaching me the old ways of the wolf when I was child. Him and Nona would always sit and tell us stories and legends of our people. It wasn't until I reached the Alpha Academy that I realised that the stories they shared were the history of our kind. My father was always there for me, he always asked how I was, he was there through every tantrum, every cold shoulder I gave him. Despite me not wanting anything to do with him, he never gave up. He always took interest in me. 

At this moment, I think about him and my mother's relationship. I remember when she first told me father was cheating. I didn't want to believe her at first, but her tear ridden face quickly washed away those doubts. However when I think about my father all I can see is a man who did everything to make his mate happy. He never said no to her, he gave her everything her heart desired. He never excluded her in decision making, he always head her hand. He always gave her this look of love that made him look like love-stricken puppy. He never once looked at her coldly. He never once put up an act. 

When I think back to my mother and her actions, it's like the rose-tinted glasses have been lifted. All those times mother would be crying because father was late and with his mistresses, I would sniff him out and find him in his office. Slaving away over paperwork, he would have dark circles under his eyes from his hard-work. I always thought he was smart about concealing his mistresses but never once did I scent a female in his office. The only scent that would linger at times would be Nona. However, I knew Nona was his godparent. Even I know she was too loyal to betray her mate after death. She never sought a mate, she only adopted a child to fill the gap in her heart. 

Everything was becoming clearer to me day by day, especially after that revealing conversation between my mother and uncle with the unknown man. I couldn't defend my mother's innocence anymore, she was involved with something that much bigger and sinister than I could even imagine. What I could not comprehend was why did my mother go to so much effort to manipulate me? Why did she want me to separate from my father? What motivated her to cause a wedge between me and my father? What did she gain from doing that?

After finding the secret tunnels, it was then that I realised that they were littered underneath the pack house. They were hidden but passed every single room, there was not a single place that was hidden from those passages. It took me hours to find my way out and I don't even think I found all the secret passageways. I was thankful that I found them because I was finding myself lingering in them more often that I should to hide away from Elisha. 

Elisha was becoming a bigger problem each day, all she did was become more demanding and clingy, whenever I tried to fight her she would try and guilt me by saying that I betrayed her and I needed to make things right. Whenever she spoke those words all I wanted to do was rip her head off. It brings me to the other point, which is my mother was too invested in our mating and she seemed more determined than ever to see us together.