The Alpha's Exiled Mate Chapter 189

Thorne’s POV

"I'm not playing games. I'm investigating inconsistencies in her case."

"Inconsistencies that somehow require you to personally observe her at Jasper Stone's gala? To follow her movements through his territory?"

I felt my jaw tighten. "Are you having me watched, Father?"

He laughed, a short, sharp sound. "I don't need to have you watched. I still have friends in Silverstone. Word travels fast when the Alpha of Moon Bay crosses territorial lines."

"Then you should know that my presence there is strictly professional."

"Is it?" My father stepped closer, his eyes searching mine. "Because your actions suggest otherwise. You're fixated on this girl—"

"I'm concerned about justice," I interrupted, feeling my wolf stir restlessly beneath my skin. "That's my responsibility as Chief Justice."

"Your responsibility as Alpha is to our pack," he countered sharply. "To your future Luna. Kaelin Brooks has been waiting patiently for your binding ceremony for three years. The Brooks family has been one of our strongest allies. Edward has served as your Enforcement Chief with complete loyalty."

I kept my expression neutral, though the mention of Kaelin sent an uncomfortable twinge through me. "My relationship with Kaelin is not the subject of this conversation."

"It should be." My father's voice hardened. "Instead of chasing after a banished Beta with questionable loyalty, you should be focusing on solidifying your position with a proper binding ceremony. The pack expects it, Thorne."

The implication hung in the air between us: that my father and the Brooks family had some arrangement, some understanding I wasn't privy to. That perhaps Kaelin's selection as my Luna hadn't been entirely my choice.

My wolf snarled, the sound almost escaping my throat before I swallowed it back.

"I find it interesting," I said carefully, "that you're conducting private negotiations with Jasper Stone without including me or informing the council."

"I was invited," my father replied smoothly. "Jasper and I have maintained cordial relations since long before you took the Alpha mantle."

That revelation sent a surge of anger through me. "So you've been making decisions that affect our pack without my knowledge or consent?"

"Discussing, Thorne. Just discussing." My father waved a dismissive hand. "Old Alphas reminiscing about the days before territory became so rigidly defined."

I could smell the half-truth in his words. My wolf pushed forward, demanding release, demanding I assert dominance in this situation. For once, I let it.

The change in the room was immediate and electric. My Alpha presence, usually carefully controlled, expanded to fill the entire suite. The air seemed to thicken and vibrate with the force of it. The crystal glasses on the bar rattled slightly. My father's eyes widened fractionally—the only indication he was affected.

"I am the Alpha of Grey Moon Pack," I said, my voice deeper, rougher with the influence of my wolf. "If you're conducting negotiations with Jasper Stone, if you're interfering with pack members—exiled or otherwise—you are undermining my authority."

My father's nostrils flared, his own wolf responding to the challenge. For a tense moment, I thought he might attempt to match my display of power—a dangerous move that would force one of us to submit.

Instead, he drew himself up, his eyes flashing with a mixture of surprise and what might have been pride.

"You've grown stronger," he observed, his voice carefully neutral. "Your wolf has matured."

"I've been Alpha for five years, Father. Chief Justice for seven. I can protect our pack and uphold our laws without your interference."

The tension between us stretched, neither willing to back down first. The windows seemed to vibrate slightly with the energy pulsing between two Alphas—one former, one current—in the same space.

Finally, I pulled back my power, reining in my wolf before the confrontation could escalate further. My father watched me with calculating eyes, recognizing the gesture not as submission but as restraint.

"I apologize for my tone," I said, smoothing my suit jacket. "I'm concerned about your health, Father. The stress of pack politics can't be good for you. You've earned your retirement—the comfort of the Grey Estate, the respect of the pack. There's no need for you to involve yourself in these matters."

My father's lips curved in a humorless smile. "A pretty speech, Thorne. But we both know what this is really about." He moved back to the window, his silhouette once again framed by the city lights below. "I'm old, but I'm not blind. Whatever is happening between you and the Riley girl... be careful. There are consequences to breaking pack law, even for an Alpha."

"I'm well aware of the law," I replied stiffly. "I enforce it every day."

My father was silent for a long moment, then sighed, his shoulders dropping slightly. "I'll return to Moon Bay tomorrow. This territory..." He gestured vaguely toward the window. "It's yours to manage as you see fit."

The concession surprised me, though I kept my expression neutral. There was something unsaid in his words—a warning or perhaps a test.

"I'll have Mark arrange transportation for you," I offered, moving toward the door.

"That won't be necessary. My Deltas will handle it."

I nodded, my hand on the doorknob. "Goodnight, Father."

"Thorne." His voice stopped me. "Ms. Riley is more dangerous than you realize. Not because of who she is, but because of what she represents."

I turned, studying his face for clues to his meaning. "And what is that?"

"A choice." My father's eyes met mine, surprisingly gentle. "Between what you want and what the pack needs."

I stood at the doorway of the presidential suite, my hand still gripping the doorknob. My father's silhouette remained framed against the window, his back to me as moonlight silvered his hair. For a moment, I hesitated, watching the solitary figure of a man who had once been the most powerful Alpha in Moon Bay.

"A choice between what you want and what the pack needs," he had said. The words hung in the air between us, loaded with meaning and warning.

My wolf paced restlessly beneath my skin, claws scratching at my self-control. He was urging me to leave, to track down Freya's scent, to verify with my own senses that she was unharmed. The primal need to ensure her safety overrode almost everything else.

"Whatever decision you make," my father said quietly, still not turning to face me, "remember that you are a Grey Alpha. The pack must always come first."

I didn't respond. The weight of the Grey name, of thirty generations of Alphas before me, pressed down on my shoulders. But for the first time in my life, I questioned whether the pack's needs and my own desires were truly as separate as my father insisted.

I closed the door behind me, my spine straightening as I walked away. The Deltas avoided my gaze, sensing the turmoil in my scent. My mind raced with possibilities and suspicions. Had my father threatened Freya? What exactly had he offered her? And why was he so determined to remove her from my orbit?