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    Chapter 0649


    Nina


    I couldn''t contain the storm of emotions that was raging inside of me.


    To think that my own father distrusted my judgment so much that he would hire a spy to follow me around made me feel almost sick, and furthermore, it made me begin to question everything I had seen or heard recently.


    I kept thinking back on recent instances, such as the yellow-eyed wolf that I saw on the road that one night, the burr, even the strange woman with the glowing eyes that I thought I had seen in the city.


    But it didn''t matter who it was exactly; not at the moment, at least. What mattered was that my privacy had been breached, and my better judgment had been challenged.


    I felt as though my father saw me as an invalid, someone who couldn''t be trusted to handle herself. Or like I was a naughty child who needed her parents to monitor everything.Content rights by N?velDr//ama.Org.


    As I made my way down the corridors, still wearing my party dress, a cool breeze flowing in through an open balcony caught my attention. With a sigh, I stepped through the double doors and onto the patio, where the scent of pineing off of the nearby forest filled my


    senses.


    I leaned against the cool stone railing. My tears had already begun spilling down my cheeks during my mad dash, and my father''s words echoed in my mind, each one like a dagger digging deeper and deeper in my heart.


    The weight of his revtion, the fact that he had been spying on me, overwhelmed me. I had thought I knew him, that I could trust him and that he could trust me, but this news shook the foundation of my understanding. The tears flowed freely as I grappled with the anger, betrayal, and confusion that were swirling inside of me.


    Had I really been so careless that my own father needed to spy on me? Or was this just all part and parcel to the stiptions of being, as my father had said, the one and only heir to the Alpha King?


    Just when I thought I was alone in my misery, I felt a hand gentlying to rest on my shoulder. Startled, I whipped around to see my mother standing there, her eyes filled with understanding and concern.


    "Mom..."


    She didn''t say anything; she just pulled me into a warm embrace, letting me cry against her shoulder. I let myself sink into her arms as I cried, needing thefort that only a mother could provide right now.


    "He shouldn''t have spoken to you like that," she finally said, her voice soft and soothing. "I''m sorry, Nina."


    I sniffled, still leaning on her shoulder. "It''s not your fault, mom," I whispered.


    There was a silence between us, and I felt a sense of calm and realization begin to wash over me along with the cool nighttime breeze. Maybe my father had been right, to an extent;


    maybe I was not as mature about some things as I could have been.


    But spying on me was a different story. "I just wish he would have talked to me," I blurted out. "Instead of sending spies to follow me around."


    My mother sighed. "He''s just worried about you, Nina," she said gently as she rubbed my back inrge circles. "He wants to keep you, Enzo, and your future child safe,"


    I pulled away from her embrace, and my anger began to bubble up to the surface once again. "But that''s not fair," I said. "Someone who ''cares'' wouldn''t send spies after his daughter. He should trust me."


    "Nina, he tries to trust you," my mother said. "But you''re young, and you''re stubbom. Think about what you did with Tyler the other day. You didn''t consider the consequences. You just did it."


    Her words, although true, cut deep. I stepped away, extricating myself from her arms, and turned back to face thendscape thaty in front of us.


    "Nina," she said gently after a few moments of hesitation, "you''re a brilliant young woman, but there are just some things that you don''t understand yet. I know it''s hard, finding out that you''re the daughter of the Alpha King, but there''s nothing you can do about it. And maybe it''s time you start acting like it."


    I scoffed. "It doesn''t mean I deserve to be spied on," I whispered. "And it especially doesn''t mean that Enzo and I, that our pack, doesn''t deserve respect. You were a member of the Peacekeepers when you were my age; you should understand that we''re not just a bunch of dumb college kids."


    My mother''s expression grew distant, and for a few moments, she seemed lost in her memories before she finally spoke. "The Peacekeepers fell apart for a reason, Nina," she said quietly. "We were all too inexperienced to lead, to make the right decisions. We were idealistic butcked the wisdom and understanding thates with age."


    I shook my head, my determination unwavering. "We''re not like that," I insisted. "My friends and I, we''ve faced unimaginable challenges, we''ve grown, we''ve proven ourselves. We''re not children."


    My mother''s eyes met mine, and there was a sadness in them that pained even me despite


    my anger.


    "I know you''vee a long way, Nina, and I''m proud of you," she said gently. "But the dangers you face now are far greater than anything we ever encountered. The fate of two realms rests on your shoulders, and your decisions have consequences that ripple far beyond what you can ever imagine."


    I wiped away my tears, my resolve firm. "I don''t care about the politics and power struggles of this realm," I dered. "If my friends can''t be epted here, if they''re seen as a threat simply because they''re human, then I want no part of it. I want to go home to Mountainview.


    My mother''s face fell, and she reached out to touch my cheek gently. "Nina, please, don''t make hasty decisions. Your father may be overprotective, but he loves you and wants what''s best for you."


    I shook my head, pulling away from her touch. "I can''t stay here, not after what I''ve learned


    tonight," I said firmly. "I won''t put my friends in danger anymore, and I can''t condone the fact that my own father has been spying on me for who knows how long. I''m going home. Where I belong."


    My mother''s eyes filled with sorrow, and she opened her mouth as if to protest, but I didn''t give her the chance. With a determined step forward, I raised my hand and summoned a portal. The swirling vortex of colors made me feel nauseous, but I couldn''t let that stop me.


    Just as I was about to step through, I saw him,


    It was Enzo, standing there, his gaze filled with concern and determination. I held my hand out to him, my heart aching with the need for his presence. I couldn''t leave without him. He hesitated for a moment, his eyes searching mine, and then he took my hand, his grip strong and reassuring.


    Together, we stepped into the portal, leaving my mother, my father, and the werewolf realm behind.