The Alpha’s Daughter Chapter 09
I tried to play dumb, but Luna Evangeline saw through me.
“You want to inherit the Blackwood Pack.” Her voice was sharp.
Since she had exposed me, I no longer bothered hiding it.
“Yes.”
Luna Evangeline’s face changed. “You are a woman. How can a pack be inherited by a woman?”
I raised my head high.
“Exactly. Because I am a woman.”
“Mother, you know better than anyone how hard it is to be a woman. You are Luna Evangeline, but only because Alpha despised you, neglected you, and never allowed you to bear his pup. You could only raise the pups of his other women. Don’t you feel wronged?”
“Other than the title of wife, what has he ever given you? Does it not hurt?”
“I refuse to live like that. I refuse to let my life be decided by a single word from men. I will fight. I will take what I want. I will stand at the highest place in this pack.”
“Mother, I am your daughter. I will always be your daughter. I hope you will support me.”
Luna Evangeline was stunned by my words.
She paced around the room several times. Then, suddenly, she calmed down and sat.
“I have some people under me,” she said. “Not many. Around two thousand. Take them. Those elders look down on women. You need to teach them a lesson.”
I met Luna Evangeline’s eyes, and the corners of my mouth lifted.
“I will.”
With Luna Evangeline’s help, moving within the pack council became much easier.
After all, over the years, Luna Evangeline had quietly promoted people of her own into the council.
Cassian’s poison accumulated day by day, and Father’s body grew weaker.
His suspicion toward his sons reached its peak. Only I, his daughter, escaped his doubt.
Because he firmly believed women could never accomplish anything significant.
Every day, I helped him handle ledgers and intelligence reports. In secret, I had already taken control of part of the council.
Cassian did not know either.
Because the heroine had been too weak in the past, he never thought to guard against me.
One day, I went to see Cassian again, but he was not there.
I told the steward I would wait inside. After waiting for a while and still not seeing him, I went to the back garden.
There, I happened to run into Selene admiring the flowers.
She wore a custom crimson gown and a full set of jewels. She looked lavish and pleased with herself.
It seemed Cassian really did favor my cousin.
The moment Selene saw me, the fear she once had disappeared. She looked down at her red-polished nails with satisfaction.
“Miss Blackwood, you never expected Cassian would save me and bring me here, did you?”
I looked her up and down.
“You seem to be doing well.”
“Of course. Cassian says he likes me very much.”
I said nothing.
Selene took my silence for heartbreak. Her lips curved.
“Aurora, so what if you are the daughter of the Blackwood Pack? None of the men you like actually like you. Even if you use power to force them, the one they like is still me.”
The more she spoke, the happier she became. She approached step by step, full of hatred and pleasure.
“Do you really think Cassian likes you? Do you know that every time he says he bought you honeyed berries himself, the servants bought them? Every time you leave, he washes himself in disgust. He doesn’t like you at all. You fool. No man likes you.”
“So what?” I said calmly. “Why do I need men to like me?”
“I am the daughter of the Blackwood Pack. I can have anything I want. What can a man’s affection give me?”
Selene choked, then gritted her teeth.
“Stop pretending to be strong. You know exactly how pathetic a woman is when no man likes her.”
I said lightly, “No, I don’t. Whether any man likes me or not, I am still the daughter of the Blackwood Pack. The most honored daughter.”
“Cousin, I suggest you show me some respect. If this becomes a bigger issue, Cassian is still only a hostage. He will not be able to protect you.”
“He might be punished too.”
Selene’s expression changed. “You wouldn’t. Cassian has always been so good to you. How could you bear it?”
I smiled.
“I have already sent away two men. You, of all people, should know whether I can bear it.”
Only then did Selene seem to realize I was no longer the Aurora from before.
A trace of fear appeared in her eyes. She was about to speak when Cassian’s voice suddenly came from behind her.
“What are you two talking about?”