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I grasp at Arden as he advances towards my father. But it’s no use, I’m dragged along as Arden snatches the front of my father’s suit and holds him a foot in the air. My father yelps, clutching at the hand that holds him up.

“You have no place to speak to me. On my mountain. Against my mate.” Arden’s voice is too calm, too cold for the fire spreading from his words. “You come into my cabin. You take what belongs to me and expect me to give you respect?” Arden chuckles. “I’m a forgiving man, Doctor. But my forest isn’t. Do you know how many people have gone missing in these hills?”

My father shakes as Arden places him back on his feet. I watch in fascination at the man who’s tormented me, punished me, controlled me, stumble to the floor in a heap. His navy-blue dress pants bloom with a darkening wet patch between his legs.

Arden steps aside, letting me face my father. With the wind taken from his sails, he’s just an old man. An old man with all the money in the world but a life full of empty memories and grief.

My heart pounds, thundering in my ears as I shake with adrenaline. My mind races with all the things I want to say. All the hate, the pain, the despair I feel towards my father. But I know yelling at him is no use. Mom wouldn’t yell. She’d stay calm.

I sink to my knees before my father, and Arden’s hand lands on my shoulder, grounding me as I suck in a shallow breath.

“Father,” I begin. “I’ll never be the person you want to mold me into. I’ll never be a lawyer. I’ve never wanted to be who you are.”

He scoffs, right in my face. “Don’t be ridiculous. That’s all you know.”

“It is,” I nod. “But I know so much more now. And I know I can make my own decisions.”

Arden’s fingers tighten against my skin. I can feel his support flowing through me. This is a conversation I should have had years ago.

“All the money I spent on you. All the time I’ve sacrificed just for you to throw it all away. And for what? Some mountain shack with…” My father nods up to Arden. He’s smart enough to not call my mate a beast again.

My mate.

The realization fans the fire inside me. It pours so much love into my veins that I feel invincible. I can do this.

I swallow. “I’m sorry I let you down, but I’m my own person. And whether you support me or not, this is the life I choose.”

“You could have become someone great, boy. But instead you’ll be a nobody. No one will look up to you, respect you. You’ll regret this.” My father spits a glob of frothy saliva before me. “Your mother would have wanted better.”

I roll my shoulders, cracking the joints in my neck. Maybe my father is right. Maybe one day I might regret my decisions. But for the first time in my life, I’m standing up for myself. And that, I won’t regret.

“Go back to your empty house. Go to your gala dinners. No one there respects you. They too have nothing. Just like you.” I rise to my feet, and Arden wraps a protective arm around my shoulder.

Looking down at my father I smile, a stray tear leaking from my eye. “Mom would have wanted me to be happy. She’d be ashamed of you.”

I back away, unable to fight the sobs that strain in my chest. My throat closes up, but I can’t let my father see me break.

“BLAKE!” He yells behind us. “When you come running back, don’t expect me to answer. You’re no son of mine! You’ll get nothing from me! No money, no help! NOTHING!”

Arden’s arms are around me before my knees can give out. He holds me against his chest, his body shielding me from the world.

“Take me home,” I whisper.

Arden carries me from the life I once lived. Away from the man who used to be my father. Away from the life that wasn’t mine, and into a new one. One where I make my own choices. One where I can finally be imperfect.

CHAPTER 21

ARDEN

Blake is sound asleep in my bed. I’ve barely moved an inch as I cradle his head in my lap. His lashes flutter against his cheeks as he stirs but his breath is even and he slips deeper into a dreamless slumber.

My phone vibrates in the kitchen where it charges but I don’t want to leave my mate’s side. Not after what happened today.

The kidnapping, the crash, and his father disowning him in the matter of a few short minutes.

I shiver at the memory of coming back to the cabin from my hunt, only to find the door wide open. I hadn’t even made it three feet from the forest when I noticed the struggle left in the snow.

At first I thought maybe Blake had gone for a wander, maybe fallen in a deep patch but then I smelt the iron tang of his blood. Only a few drops but the smashed dish was evidence enough something had gone terribly wrong.