Stolen Fate: Bound to Seven Alphas

Chapter 23: Teenage hormones running wild

ERIC

Weakling. Idiot. Useless. Too dull.

You are a disgrace to the Callahan name, Eric.

A Callahan has never been second best—until you came along.

How do you expect to become an Alpha when you can’t even excel at what you claim to be good at?

Perhaps the goddess made a mistake bringing you into this family.

One son was enough. I never needed more.

"You fucking bastard!"

Lance’s growl dragged me back to the present as his fist clenched in my jacket, pulling me forward.

Everything I had buried for nineteen years surged at once.

All the anger with nowhere to go, all the resentment, all the pain crashing through me like a tidal wave I couldn’t hold back anymore.

I grabbed his wrist, wrenching his grip apart before shoving him hard. He staggered, but I didn’t stop there. I drove my foot into his stomach with enough force to send him flying back toward the raised platform.

He hit it hard.

The impact echoed through the room before he slid to the floor, groaning as he clutched his stomach and coughed up blood. fгeewebnovёl.com

Just because I held back at the party didn’t mean I would now. Screw keeping appearances.

I could deal with Elyse later. Apologize to her. Only her.

Her reaction hit me harder than anything else.

Her eyes widened as she looked at me, her hand flying to her mouth as she took a step back.

I went still. Damn it. She was afraid of me. But I couldn’t stop now.

Raze kept pushing, urging me forward, demanding that I finish it, that I make sure Lance would never speak to me like that again.

I tore my gaze away from Elyse’s pale face and took another step toward him.

Then a voice cut through the room. Cold. Commanding. Familiar. It stopped me instantly.

The hairs at the back of my neck rose. A chill sliding down my spine as my breath caught and stayed there, trapped in my chest.

My eyes remained fixed on Lance, but my ears sharpened, catching the precise sound of shoes striking the marble floor. Each step measured, controlled, balanced.

The presence alone was enough. Heavy. Unmistakable. It was him.

"Lord Callahan."

Headmaster Alaric, the house heads, the deputy, and the enforcer all rose to their feet at once, bowing in respect as the atmosphere in the room shifted.

He stopped in front of me. My father. A reflection of what I would become, or what I was expected to be.

His hair, slightly lighter than mine, streaked with silver, his crimson eyes fixed on me, not with anger, not even with interest, but with something far worse.

Indifference. His jaw tightened, and in that single look, I saw it. Disgust.

He didn’t need to say it. He never did.

I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding, forcing a smile onto my face. "Father. You’re here."

He didn’t return it. I hadn’t expected him to. His gaze slid past me as if I weren’t even there, shifting toward Kol instead.

"Lord Callahan," Kol greeted.

That was all it took. My father’s expression softened. A faint smile appeared as he stepped toward Kol and rested a hand on his head in approval.

"You’ve gotten yourself into trouble, haven’t you?" he murmured.

Kol said nothing.

My father continued, his tone calm, almost reassuring. "Don’t worry. I promised I’d get you out of this mess."

My chest tightened as I watched them. The certainty in his voice cut deeper than anything else.

He had never spoken to me like that. Not once. I swallowed, my hands curling into fists at my sides.

Without sparing me another glance, my father walked toward the platform and took his seat. At his quiet nod, the others followed, settling back into their chairs.

Now there weren’t just six pairs of judgmental eyes on us. There were seven. And the seventh lingered on me longer than the rest.

"Explain," my father said, flipping through the paper that had been handed to him.

Headmaster Alaric cleared his throat before rising to his feet. "Last night, at an unauthorized gathering within academy grounds, a bond was triggered. It’s not unusual at their age, but..." he trailed off.

His brows drew together as his gaze shifted toward Elyse.

She kept her eyes lowered, her fingers gripping the pendant at her neck as though it could shield her from whatever was coming next.

"But what?" my father pressed, impatience threading through his voice.

Headmaster Alaric turned back to him, doubt flickering across his face. "It’s... different. She bonded with three of them. At the same time."

"That is impossible," my father said, disbelief lacing his tone.

My jaw clenched.

"It could simply be teenage hormones running wild," he added in a dismissive tone. "They have only one year left in the academy. Of course they’re trying to indulge before facing the real world."

"But—"

"You know better than that, Alaric," my father cut him off, shifting slightly in his seat as his gaze moved from me to the others. "Ask them what a bond truly means. They know nothing."

Then his eyes settled on Elyse.

"They saw a pretty girl who looks like a good fuck," he continued, his gaze dragging slowly down her form, "and acted on impulse."

Anger surged through my veins at the implication.

Elyse tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, a faint flush spreading across her cheeks, though she kept her head lowered.

"No offense, Miss Maddox," he added casually.

"Offense taken," I muttered under my breath.

My father’s gaze snapped to me, irritation flashing across his face. He had heard. "Did you say something to me, boy?"

I said nothing. Our eyes locked, and I didn’t look away. He took that silence as defiance.

His palm slammed against the table, the impact sending files scattering, some slipping off the edge and hitting the floor. fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm

"I asked you a question," he said, his voice low and dangerous, "and I expect an answer."

All eyes were on me now.

I could still refuse to answer and deal with whatever followed. It wouldn’t be anything new.

But he was my father, an Alpha, a council member, and defying him in front of everyone wasn’t something I could afford.

"No," I said.

"Did anyone hear something?" my father asked, through clenched teeth.

"No, sir," I repeated, louder this time, grounding my teeth.

He was lucky he was my father. If he weren’t, I would have already given him something far worse than words.

"Good," he murmured. "And—"

His words were cut short by a sharp cry. Elyse doubled over, clutching her stomach.

At the same time, a piercing pain shot through my side. I groaned, grabbing hold of it as it spread.

Elyse’s knees gave out, her body starting to collapse.

I didn’t think. I didn’t care about the distance rule or the pain clawing through me.

I moved. So did Lance. So did Kol.

All three of us reached her at once, catching her before she could hit the ground.