The Rejected True Heiress (Liora and Callum) novel Chapter 267

“You shouldn’t have meddled, boy.” My father pushed away from the mantle and glared at me. “Ambrose is a highly respected member of the royal pack. The pack which you will be marrying into in a short amount of time.”

“Yeah. About that.” I ran my left hand through my hair, then looked at the ring. And pulled it off. “I don’t want to marry Bianca.”

My mother gasped, pressing her hand to her chest. My father looked like I’d just shot him.

“What did you just say?” he hissed.

I studied the ring in my palm for a moment. My finger already felt lighter without it. No, not just my finger, but my whole body. My hand, up my arm, into my shoulders. Like a great weight had been lifted off of me.

“I don’t think she is who she says she is,” I said, still staring at the ring. My eyes were reflected back at me, resolute yet tired. “And even if she is, she’s not the kind of person I want to marry. She’s cruel and selfish and—”

The punch cracked across my jaw before I could react, sending me flying back against the wall. Lights danced across my vision, and I slammed into the wood and slid to the ground. I tasted blood.

My father had crossed the room without me even realizing. He towered over me now, right fist clenched, chest heaving.

“You insolent little whelp,” he snarled. He snatched his pocket square and wiped his bloody knuckles on it. “This marriage was set in stone before you were out of diapers. What makes you think you can back out just because you feel like it?”

I wiped the back of my hand across my split lip. It came away red.

“I don’t think she’s really the princess,” I muttered. “Liora—”

“Liora, Liora, always fucking Liora!” My father landed a swift kick in my ribs. I coughed and doubled over, clutching my side. When I inhaled, pain lanced through the bone. My wolf snarled. My rib was cracked.

“One more word about that wolfless girl and I won’t hold back next time!” my father bellowed. He turned away, huffing through his nose like a dragon puffing steam. “You know what? Actually, mention her again, and she’ll be the one who suffers.”

“What are you saying?” I grit my teeth against the pain and forced myself to my feet, although I had to lean heavily on the wall, still clutching my rib. “I won’t let you hurt Liora. She hasn’t done anything wrong.”

Alone, I leaned my head back against the wall and shut my eyes. I dug deep for my wolf, tangling my thoughts with his.

“I want to call off the wedding. And run away.”

“Then do it,” he said. “Ask Liora to come with you.”

I shook my head. “She’d never say yes. Besides, I can’t do that. Not now.”

If she hadn’t been at risk, it might have been simple to run away, never to be seen again. But now I needed to protect her from my own family.

And the only way to do that was by cutting her off entirely and going along with this marriage that I didn’t want.