Choosing My Ex Mate's Father

Kiera's P.O.V. I never thought I’d return to this place. The old city hums beneath me like a forgotten heartbeat, and the air smells of damp concrete and the bitter scent of memories I’d buried deep. The kind that fester in the dark corners of your mind when you’re trying to outrun your past. But here I am—back where it all began. I press my hand against the cold, cracked brick of the alley wall, trying to steady my breath. The familiar pulse of the city feels wrong. Like I don’t belong here anymore. But I don’t have a choice. Not if I want answers. Not if I want revenge. Rowan. His name tastes like ash in my mouth. A part of me still hates the way it feels—heavy, dragging me down into the muck of all that we were. The love. The betrayal. The lies. I was a fool to think he cared. I thought he was my mate, my forever. But that’s before he broke my heart, left me shattered, and walked away like it never mattered. I still remember the last night we were together—his face, cold and distant. His words, poison sinking into my skin. “You’re not enough anymore, Kiera.” The memory cuts deep. Anger claws at my throat, hot and suffocating. He didn’t just walk away. He ripped me apart. Left me to pick up the pieces, while he turned to another. But tonight? Tonight, I’m taking control. He can’t hide behind his title as Alpha forever. And I’m not the same girl who begged for him to come back. A shadow flickers in my peripheral vision, a shift in the air—sudden and deadly. My heart leaps, but I don’t turn. I can’t afford to let anyone see how rattled I am. I’m here for one reason, and I won’t let anything stand in my way. The footsteps grow louder, heavy, measured. There he is. I don’t need to look to know. The weight of his presence is enough to make the air feel thick. He’s always had that effect on me—his aura, his power, his scent. Familiar. Dangerous. “You shouldn’t have come back, Kiera,” his voice growls from behind me, low and cold. Every muscle in my body tenses. I could walk away. I should walk away. But I stand my ground, the bitterness of my past with him boiling beneath my skin. “You don’t get to tell me what to do anymore, Rowan.” His laughter is a dark, mocking sound. “You’re right. I don’t. But I still know you. And I know this isn’t about just revenge, is it?” I swallow hard. He’s too close now. My body screams at me to run, but I won’t give him that satisfaction. Not this time. He steps into view, his towering figure like a shadow swallowing the light. His eyes—those ice-blue eyes—are as unforgiving as ever. The same eyes that once held love, are now replaced by something colder. Deadlier. “I’m not here for a reunion, Rowan.” My voice shakes, but I force the words through clenched teeth. “Then what are you here for?” He steps forward, closing the distance, his presence overwhelming. I hold my ground. My fists ball at my sides. I’m not afraid of him anymore. “I’m here to end this.” The silence stretches, thick and suffocating. My heart pounds. He can feel it—how much I hate him. How much I want him to feel the weight of my rage. And then he smiles. A dark, cruel twist of his lips. “I’m afraid it’s already too late for that.” “You think you can do whatever you want, without any consequences, don't you?" My voice shakes, but it’s not from fear. It’s from the raw, burning anger that’s coursing through me, twisting my insides, poisoning every thought. My wolf roars inside me, demanding retribution—demanding blood. But I fight it back, forcing myself to keep control. Rowan’s expression doesn’t change. He stands there, all arrogance and indifference, like nothing has ever really mattered. Like none of it—none of us—ever truly meant anything. “Oh, stop with the drama, Kiera," he says, his voice too calm. "You never understood the weight of the decisions I had to make." My chest tightens at the sound of his words, a cold, biting laugh escaping before I can stop it. Drama. That’s what he thinks this is? “Decisions?” I spit the word out like it’s a curse. “You slept with my sister, Rowan!” The words sting my tongue, every syllable laced with the agony of betrayal, the memory of that night—walking into the one place I thought was mine, only to find them tangled together. The betrayal is still raw, a wound that won’t heal. “You didn’t just break my heart,” I continue, my voice growing colder, harder, like shards of ice slipping from my lips. “You shattered the mate bond. You ripped out everything that kept me alive. And now you’re standing here, so cold and nonchalant—like you didn’t destroy everything that ever mattered to me.” I can see the flicker in his eyes for a split second, but it’s gone too quickly to catch. Nothing touches him. Not the words, not the hurt. The Alpha mask is in full force, impenetrable. He knows he’s right—knows he doesn’t have to answer for what he’s done. And somehow, that makes the pain worse. He shrugs, as if it’s nothing, as if I’m nothing. “If you think I’m going to apologize, you’re wasting your time,” he says, his tone colder now, harder. “I did what needed to be done.” “What needed to be done?” I take a step forward, my breath ragged, my chest heaving. “You think sleeping with my sister was something you had to do? You don’t get to act like it was some grand sacrifice, Rowan. You’re just an arrogant bastard who did whatever suited you, no matter who it hurt.” The silence stretches between us, heavy and suffocating, before he finally speaks again, his voice lower, dangerous in its calmness. “Maybe it was your sister I needed, Kiera,” he says, eyes narrowing as if the words themselves are a challenge. “Maybe she was the one who understood what I needed. Maybe she is the one who could accept what I am.” His words hit like a slap, a physical blow that sends my wolf into a frenzy, clawing at the edges of my mind. My hands ball into fists, nails digging into the flesh of my palms, but I don’t let the rage take me. Not yet. “You don’t get to twist this into something it’s not, Rowan,” I growl, the edges of my voice sharp, like broken glass. “You slept with my sister because it was easier. Because I wasn’t enough for you. Don’t you dare act like you were doing anything noble.” His gaze hardens, his jaw tightens, but there’s no apology in him. No remorse. Just the hollow emptiness of someone who believes they’re untouchable. And in that moment, I realize something I hadn’t fully accepted before. He’ll never apologize. He’ll never regret what he did. And that… that means it’s time for me to take control. “I’m done waiting for you to feel sorry,” I mutter under my breath. And just like that, my anger shifts—like a predator closing in on its prey. Revenge is a cold thing, but it feels right now. Necessary. He watches me, his expression unreadable, like he’s daring me to take the next step. I won’t back down. Not now. I turn away, my steps deliberate, each one a silent promise to myself. Words won’t break him—nothing will. But actions? That’s what he’ll remember. He won’t see it coming. And when it hits him, it will be too late. As I walk, the satisfaction of control starts to settle in, a cold, calculating force within me. I’ve already won. I just need to wait for it to unfold. But then I stop. My pulse quickens as I feel the presence before I even see him. Rowan’s father. The Alpha. He stands in front of me, blocking my path, his gaze colder than anything I’ve faced before. His eyes flicker, and for a moment, I swear I see a smirk tug at the corner of his mouth. I stop dead in my tracks, my pulse quickening, and as if on cue, his deep voice cuts through the tension. “With that much fury on your face, I’d hate to be your enemy,” he says, his gaze briefly lingering on me, sharp and calculating. “But I have to admit... you’re even more striking when you're angry." The words land like a blow to my chest. A cold shiver runs down my spine, and for the first time, I feel the weight of my plan shift. I knew this was my one shot at making it work, or at least begin. Damian—Rowan’s father—standing before me, was the final piece of the puzzle. And in that moment, I realize: this is the key I’ve been waiting for.