CHAPTER 224: THREATS

Dane’s POV

I nodded to the greetings of the staff as I made my way toward the living room.

The moment I arrived inside I met Catherine fuming in the sitting room, waiting for me.

"And where the hell are you coming from, Alpha Dane?" she snapped, rising from her seat.

I sighed, running a tired hand through my hair. "Catherine, not now."

"Oh, it’s now," she shot back, stepping directly into my path. "You’ve been gone since yesterday. You ignored my calls, my mind links, but somehow you had time to respond to your Beta?"

I clenched my jaw. I wasn’t in the mood for this. Not after the last twenty-four hours. "I was at the pack hospital," I said evenly. "And I don’t need your stress right now."

Her eyes widened, then narrowed angrily. "You don’t need my stress? Do you even hear yourself?"

I tried to step past her, but she moved again, blocking me. "You’re not leaving until you tell me where you’ve been and why you look like you’ve seen a ghost."

I exhaled sharply, my patience wearing thin. "Catherine, enough. You want to know the truth? Fine."

Her brows arched, daring me.

I met her gaze. "Just yesterday, I found out I have a son."

The words hit like a thunderclap. For a moment, she just stood there frozen. Then she let out a short, bitter laugh. "You must be joking."

"I’m not," I said quietly. "He’s almost ten. His mother is Hailee."

Her expression changed instantly—disbelief twisting into anger. "Hailee?" she repeated, her voice rising. "You mean that Hailee? The woman you used to talk about like she hung the moon? The one who disappeared and left you broken for years?"

I didn’t answer. I didn’t need to. My silence said enough.

She laughed again, but this time it cracked at the edges. "So now she shows up with a child and expects you to believe it’s yours?"

"I don’t need to believe it," I said, my tone firm. "I know it."

Her face darkened. "Oh, please. Don’t tell me you actually—"

"Yes," I cut in, my voice sharp. "He’s my son. And I don’t care what you think. I’m not turning my back on him."

Catherine’s nostrils flared. "That bastard child is not coming into this house!" she shouted. "Do you hear me? Not now, not ever!"

Something in me snapped.

I turned to her, my voice calm—too calm. "Watch your words."

She stepped closer, fury in every line of her body. "No, you listen. I’ve stood by you for years, Dane. I married you, supported you, and my father handed you this throne because of me. And now you want to throw that away for some bastard child from your past?"

"That ’bastard,’" I growled, "is my blood."

Her hands shook with anger. "You refused to have a child with me! You said the time wasn’t right! And now you’re telling me there’s a ten-year-old out there—your firstborn—who you’re going to bring here? To my house? To sit on my father’s throne someday?"

I stared at her, stunned by the venom in her words. "This isn’t about thrones, Catherine. It’s about a child. My child."

She scoffed. "You think your precious Hailee didn’t plan this? She hid that boy for years, waiting for the right moment to ruin us. And you’re walking right into it."

I took a step closer, my voice dropping low. "Careful."

Catherine folded her arms, chin lifted high like a queen scolding a servant. "You know what, Dane?" she said, her voice filled with anger. "If you bring that boy into this house—if you dare—I’ll divorce you. I’ll marry someone the Council approves of. Someone who actually deserves to be Alpha of this pack."

I froze for a moment. Then a low, humorless laugh escaped my lips. "You’re threatening me now?"

Her eyes flashed. "It’s not a threat. It’s a promise. You forget, Dane—this throne belongs to my family. My father built this house. My bloodline runs through these lands. Without me, you’d still be a Beta in the shadows."

I scoffed, shaking my head slowly. "You really believe that, don’t you?"

She tilted her head, glaring at me. "It’s the truth. You wear the Alpha title because my father gave it to you. You married me because it gave you power."

My jaw clenched. "Power?" I stepped closer, my voice dropping into that low, dangerous tone that made even warriors hesitate. "You think I needed you for power? Catherine, I became Alpha because the people chose me."

Her expression faltered slightly, but she covered it with another scoff. "You’re lying to yourself."

"No," I said sharply, pointing toward the window overlooking the pack grounds. "Every wolf in this land bowed to me long before I married you. Your father begged me—begged me—to take you as my mate because he wanted his weak bloodline tied to strength again. And I agreed because I thought maybe, just maybe, there could be peace."

Catherine’s face twisted with rage. "You ungrateful—"

"Ungrateful?" I cut in, my voice rising. "I gave you respect, Catherine. I gave you a title, a crown, and a life most women would die for. But you? You’ve turned every blessing into poison. You can’t stand that my heart still remembers Hailee—that even after all these years, the woman you hate still has more honor in one breath than you’ve shown in all your years as Luna."

Her face went pale, her lips trembling. "You dare speak to me like that?"

"I just did," I said coldly.

For a long moment, neither of us moved.

Finally, I took a slow breath and straightened my jacket. "Divorce me if you want, Catherine. Run to your Council friends, cry about how the Alpha wronged you. I don’t care. But understand this—the boy stays. He is mine. My blood. My responsibility. And I will not let anyone—not you, not your family, not the Council—stand between me and my son."

Her nostrils flared, but before she could speak, I took a step back toward the door.

"And as for your empty threats about the throne..." I smirked. "You forget one thing—the pack follows strength, not last names. If you think anyone here would trade me for you or your next husband, try them."

I turned. "But be warned, Catherine—challenge me again, and you won’t just lose your marriage. You’ll lose the Luna title too."

Without waiting for her reply, I walked out, leaving her standing there, shaking with rage.

As the door slammed behind me, I exhaled slowly, my wolf growling inside me.

When I reached my room, I slammed the door shut and leaned against it, letting out a long, tired breath. The anger that had carried me this far was fading, replaced by a dull ache that settled deep in my chest.

I sat on the edge of the bed, elbows on my knees, staring blankly at the floor. For a long time, I didn’t move. The silence in the room was loud—too loud.

Catherine’s words kept replaying in my head, over and over. Her shouting. Her threats. But the worst part? She wasn’t completely wrong.

I wasn’t the perfect husband—not even close. I had given her a title, a life of luxury, and a name that carried power, but never love. And I never pretended otherwise. From the very beginning, I told her the truth—that my heart belonged elsewhere, that I could give her respect and protection, but not affection. She accepted it then, or at least pretended to. But over the years, her pride, her arrogance, and her constant need for control had made it impossible to even try.

Catherine was spoiled—entitled to the core. And yet, part of me still wondered if she had ever truly wanted me, or just the title that came with me.

I ran a hand down my face, sighing heavily. "What a mess..." I muttered to myself.

The Council’s involvement was now inevitable. Peter had made sure of that. And I knew the moment this case went before them, everything would turn into a political battlefield—bloodlines, laws, alliances.

I stared out the window at the dark sky, my thoughts drifting back to Hailee.

I was supposed to hate her—for keeping my son a secret, for disappearing, for letting me live a decade without knowing. But sitting here now, I couldn’t summon the anger. I didn’t hate her. I never could. My feelings for her hadn’t changed. I still wanted her. I still loved her.

My wolf’s voice broke through my thoughts. "You should accept it, Dane... you and Hailee aren’t meant to be together."

I frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"Yes, she had feelings for you, but..." He paused as if he didn’t want to say what he needed to say.

"Say it," I demanded.

He hesitated for a moment, then whispered, "You’re no match for Callum and Nathan. Hailee will always choose them over you. I’m sorry, Dane... but the real competition lies between Callum and Nathan."