Father's Love

The atmosphere in the hall became charged as King Rexinal was angry now. He kept walking up and down the hall thinking of the appropriate punishment for the clan head for daring to question his choice.

Jasmine could only watch with confusion in her eyes. She was still yet to recover from the decision of the king to choose her yet other unsettling events were still unfolding before her eyes. The King had barely spared her a look since his interaction with her father who was still on the ground unable to stand up without the order of the king.

"Your Majesty I am sorry" The head of the clan apologized with his face to the ground but not after he had been slapped twice by King Rexinal's men who seemed to be more angry than the king. Jasmine wonders what will happen to her father in the present state of the king.

"This clan will need some cleanup, first a head that disrespects the choice of the king and a father who is embarrassed by the state of his daughter. I don't know what to do with you people" King Rexinal said looking like he was about to make a big decision. Jasmine didn't know how to feel.

No matter what had happened in the past the man on the ground before the king was still her father and she was scared for his life.

"My dear, what should I do to them? The King suddenly asked turning to Jasmine

"Whatever you say now that is what I will do even if you want their head on a spike, " King Rexinal asked this time a wicked smile playing on his face. Jasmine reasoned that putting people on a spike must be something be can do easily without thinking about it.

She looked at her father and the clan head and felt pity for them. Two men who have never been kind to her. Now their lives were in her hands. She would never have thought of such a day. For the first time in her life, she felt powerful about something. She turned around to see Clara and Tara crying and pleading with her silently to let her father go while Feeks had no emotion on his face. He was probably tired of his father. No one was there to beg for the clan head but she had never had an encounter with him apart from today so he was of less concern to her. She was used to whatever he had said.

She decided it was smart to return the final decision to the king

"Your Majesty, please don't put me in this position. I don't know what you should do to them " She finally replied.

"Fine, take them to the holding cells till she decides what to do. Feeks you can come with me. There are some things we will need to discuss before the moon ceremony." King Rexinal Said as he seemed disappointed with the decision she took. She watched as the king and Feeks her brother walked out of the hall.

King Rexinal's men moved to carry the head of the clan and her father to the cell but he objected.

"Please let me speak to my daughter before you take me" Her father pleaded with the soldiers who agreed reluctantly. They seem to already developed a sense of respect for Jasmine.

Jasmine wondered what her father wanted to say to her. He probably wants to apologize and plead with her to spare his life. But when he came closer to her his voice developed into a whisper as he stood before.

"I know you hate me for all those times I have been unfair to you but I want you to remember there were days when I took care of you" he reminded me with tears in his eyes.

Jasmine could remember very well. Her father's attitude toward her has never been this bad. It all started when she got passed the age of eighteen and she was still yet to shift form. That was also the period when everyone else in her clan began to treat her with disdain.

"The decision not to present you today, if I have another chance I will do it again. You will think I was being wicked but I was protecting you" He said

Jasmine became upset. She could see her father had no intention of apologizing for his actions but wanted to defend his decision.

"How were you protecting me? Jasmine asked trying to swallow her anger.

" There are a lot of things you don't know about being a werewolf or about having a mate. The...

"How were you trying to protect me? She repeated the question cutting him short in his explanation.

" I was trying to save your life" He replied

"How? She asked impatiently

" What do you think will happen on the night of the moon ceremony?

"I don't know" She replied as she had no idea what he was trying to say

"After the ceremony, you will be expected to sleep with the king. Do you think your body will be able to survive under him? He is the alpha of alphas. An alpha needs a strong beta woman to mate with. Only a wolf who has shifted can survive the first sex with him. Even some that have shifted have died in the process. What do you think will happen to you, can you withstand the energy that will come from him? He asked tears now freely dropping from his eyes.

Jasmine immediately became afraid. She has heard stories like that while growing up. Some women have explained to her that without shifting she would never find a man who would marry her. So this was the reason her father didn't want her to come to the ceremony.

" Time up, we have to go now we have given you people enough time," one of the guards said as they moved in to take him away. Jasmine was too weak at this point to protest.