CHAPTER 271: GIVE ME A CHANCE.

"I was born in the central house?" Angela managed to ask. The words came out weakly. It was shocking news she never thought she would hear. On her first day in the academy, Stales had told her about the student who died in the central house, but he never mentioned that someone was born there. It was hard to believe, but her father was saying it, and he surely knew what he was talking about.

"Yes..." Marcus nodded, his eyes filled with regret. He looked around before speaking again. "I never knew she was pregnant. If I had known, I swear I would have protected and cared for both of you."

"So what happened? Were you in love, or was my mother just a one-night thing?" Angela asked, staring at him. Deep down, she knew it wasn’t just that. From the way he spoke, from the pain in his eyes, she could tell he truly cared about her mother. But she wanted to hear it from his mouth.

"We were deeply in love, Angela," Marcus said softly. "I loved your mother like no other. We were supposed to get married after her final year at the academy."

"Wait," Angela frowned. "Was the academy a unisex school?"

"Yes," he replied with a sad sigh. "But after her death, the werewolves decided there should be separate schools for boys and girls. That’s how the Luna All Girls’ School was created."

Angela nodded slowly. So she was the reason for the separation of the schools. If the students ever heard this, they would come at her again. Her voice trembled as she asked, "So how did she get pregnant and not tell you? You both loved each other. Were you fighting?"

"No, we never had misunderstanding. I made sure I did everything she wanted, and even when our likes and dislikes clashed, I made sure it was sorted out immediately," Marcus told her. His voice carried regret, and his eyes softened with memories he wished his daughter could see. He wanted Angela to understand how much he had loved her mother.

"Fine, I believe you. But why would she hide the pregnancy from you?" Angela asked, her curiosity mixed with confusion. What could make a woman hide something so important from the man she loved?

"I had no idea. She cut me off when she was six or seven months gone," Marcus said, trying to recall every detail as if searching for a reason he might have missed. "I even spoke to her father since he was the Alpha of the Central Pack then. He promised he would talk to her once she returned from school."

"Did he talk to her?" Angela asked quietly.

"No," Marcus said bitterly. "I later discovered he was part of it. That same year, Principal Valois became the head of the academy. On the night your mother died, I felt it. She was my mate, so I knew something was wrong. I stormed into the academy grounds only to find out she was already gone."

"What?" Angela’s eyes widened in disbelief. She was shocked even though a part of her wasn’t surprised. It had to do with Miss Valois. That woman was capable of anything—she could kill her own son to reach her goals and wouldn’t hesitate to hurt anyone who stood in her way. But would her mother’s father behave that way?

"I tried to find out what happened and why this was kept away from me but the board refused to tell me anything, I left the academy board. I stopped sponsoring them until I heard that you were alive, then I started funding both schools again for my daughter’s sake," Marcus said, his voice heavy with regret.

Angela wanted to tell him that he did the right thing, but she kept quiet. Maybe her father wasn’t the bad man everyone made him out to be. Maybe she could give him a chance to prove himself. "I watched a CCTV footage of you and Miss Valois talking about this a day before my kidnap," she finally said.

"Really? There was a CCTV camera in her study room?" Marcus looked surprised. He never noticed it that night, maybe because he had been drinking before he went to the principal’s house.

"Yes. She doesn’t know about it, and it’s a long story how it got there," Angela said. He could tell she wasn’t going to explain further, so he didn’t ask. "I’m going to find out what really happened to my mother."

"No, child, you should leave that to me," Marcus said with worry written all over his face. He didn’t want anyone to harm his daughter or come after her again. "I will handle it."

"I want to do it. She was my mother, remember?" Angela said firmly, her voice shaking slightly but filled with determination.

"Yes, I do, but I don’t want you to get involved in that. You should stay away from it, and I will—"

"I said I will do it," Angela cut in, her eyes burning with emotion. "I know you. You’ll kill people just to get to the truth, and I don’t want that. I will find out what happened and tell you. Only then will we decide what to do with those responsible."

"You think she was killed too?" Marcus asked, his voice low, almost afraid of her answer.

"Yes. As long as it involves Principal Valois," Angela said, shrugging lightly as she looked at him. "Let’s talk about ourselves instead. You’ve been looking for me all this time... now that you’ve found me, what do you really want?"

It was a heavy question. Marcus stared at her, surprised by how she spoke. His little girl was not so little. She was stronger, wiser, and far more mature than he had imagined.

"I want... no," he paused, struggling for words. "If you permit it, or if you think I deserve it, let me be in your life. I know I don’t have the right to ask, but please... give me a chance to be a father to you."