At the Halloween Parade, I Caught My Father Cheating

At a Halloween costume parade, I suddenly spotted a familiar figure. I watched him with a she-wolf. They couldn't keep their hands off each other. The she-wolf was draped against him in a succubus costume that showed off her curves. The male wolf was dressed as a lord of Hell. His face was flushed, his body tense, and his hands gripped the she-wolf's waist tightly. The people around them laughed good-naturedly. I froze. That was my father, Elias Thorne, the stiff, conservative man who had rushed off to work late even on Halloween. I called him right away and kept my tone casual. "Dad, can you come pick me up in a little while?" His voice faltered for a moment, then returned to its usual warmth. "Sorry, sweetheart, I'm at the office working late. I can't come get you. When I get home tonight, I'll make you the apple pie you love." I didn't argue. I said yes like a good daughter and smiled into the phone. When the call ended, I let out a breath and walked toward the couple who should never have been together. Chapter 1 I went over to them and looked at the she-wolf dressed as a succubus. She was beautiful. Red lipstick, a gorgeous figure—and she knew it. No wonder my father, who normally wouldn't leave the house in anything but a suit and tie, was willing to wear matching costumes with her. Instead of pushing her away, he flirted with her in front of everyone. Right then, I was glad I'd come as a plague doctor. The long-beaked mask covered my face, and the black robe hid the rest of me. So even though I was standing right in front of him, my father didn't recognize me. I kept my tone light. "Hi! You look gorgeous as a succubus. Is this your mate? The two of you look perfect together." My father and the she-wolf both turned to look at me. I clenched my fists out of sight. Luckily, neither of them noticed anything. Resentment flickered in the she-wolf's eyes at my question, but she quickly hid it. She smiled shyly, clearly pleased. "Not officially mates yet, but we're very good together." My father looked a little guilty as he bent down to give her a gentle kiss. "Sylvia, bonded or not, you're the one I love most." Behind my mask, I bit down on my lip until it hurt. 20 years ago, my mother had defied her entire family to become the mate of a penniless man from an Omega bloodline. She used to say that he had no money, but when she mentioned liking yellow roses, he spent half a month searching every inch of the pack’s territory for the most beautiful bouquet he could find. She also told me how, when rogues attacked them on a trip, my frail-looking father had stepped in front of her without hesitation. My mother escaped unharmed. My father was left with a scar down his back that would never fade. So she had always said she married for love. Just a few days ago, he'd made a pair of matching rings by hand for their 20th anniversary. Hers wasn't quite the right size, but seeing the matching ring on his hand made her happy anyway. She put hers away somewhere safe. My gaze dropped to the she-wolf's hand. She was wearing an identical ring. Except this one fit perfectly. So my father hadn't forgotten my mother's size. He'd just found someone he'd rather share matching rings with. I swallowed my anger and kept going. "Not mates? The two of you are so good together, I assumed you'd been married for at least ten years." My father's smile froze for a second. He looked at her with guilt and tenderness in his eyes. "That's my fault. I was young and didn't know what I really wanted, so I made a few wrong turns. "I'm lucky she doesn't hold one failed relationship against me. She waited for me and took me back." For a second, I almost laughed. He was the one who went after my mother in the first place. He was the one who wanted to be her mate. After they became mates, he kept saying he felt guilty for not being able to give her a better life. So my mother gave him money, introduced him to her contacts, and built the company he ran. So that nobody would ever laugh at him again for being an Omega. My mother never kept track of what she gave him. She thought that was what mates did for each other. And now he was calling it a failed relationship. He'd written off 20 years with my mother and destroyed whatever was left between him and me. I nodded. I didn't want to say another word to a man who'd lied to my mother and me for so long. "Is that right? Congratulations on finding each other, then." With that, I walked away and went to the nearby restrooms to swap clothes with a friend. When the event ended, I followed my father and that she-wolf, blending into the crowd. I had inherited my mother's Beta bloodline, which made me the strongest wolf my age. They walked to a deserted corner without noticing me behind them. My father looked around, then pulled the she-wolf into his arms. "Sylvia, did you have a good time today?" She put her arms around his neck and kissed him. "I did, honey. Thank you for coming with me." They kept kissing for a long time. I quietly aimed my phone's camera at them. When they finally broke apart, Sylvia caught his sleeve and asked him quietly, "Elias, when are we actually going to be together? "I'm a possessive she-wolf, Elias. I don't want to share you with that she-wolf." My father kissed her forehead. "Just a little longer. We can't go public yet. Tomorrow's funding depends on her father's support. "Once this deal closes, I'll have full control of the company and won't have to rely on anyone. "Then I'll break my mate bond with her right away, and we can be together openly." What a pair of shameless scumbags. That was the phrase that came into my head. Once I'd recorded everything, I turned and left. I didn't want to hear another word from them. Then I took out my phone again and messaged my grandfather's assistant, asking him to find out everything about my father and that she-wolf. I was almost home when I got a message from my mother. "Selina, when will you be back? I made the apple pie you like." I typed slowly. "On my way now." Chapter 2 When I got home, the table was already set with all the food she'd made. Half the dishes were my favorites. The other half were my father's. She smiled when she saw me. "You're home. The pie is almost ready." And then a trace of bitterness crept into her smile. "Your father is working late tonight, though. He can't make it home for dinner." Watching her struggle to smile made my eyes sting. My father had kept up the act so well all these years. He worried about my mother's stomach, so he had breakfast ready for her every morning. When I was in high school, he worried that the pressure was too much for me. He put his career on hold to stay by my side for an entire school year. Just a few days ago, my mother had happily told me she wanted them to spend their 30th anniversary on an island somewhere. There would never be a 30th anniversary. Those 20 happy years suddenly felt like nothing but an illusion he'd created for us. She reached over to wipe my face, looking heartbroken. Only then did I realize I was crying. "What is it? Selina, did something happen?" I bit my lip. It took me a long time to get the words out. "I saw... I saw Dad cheating on you." She went completely still and stared at me in disbelief. "What are you saying? Really? This... this is a joke, isn't it?" I slowly handed her my phone. "There's a video on it. Watch it. "I saw them at the costume parade. He was kissing her. "And he said she's the one he loves most. "For wolves, that's the worst betrayal there is. Mom, we can't forgive him for this!" Her hands shook as she took the phone. Then she covered her mouth. "How can this be happening? How can it be her?" I caught her as she swayed. Confused, I asked, "What is it, Mom? Do you know this she-wolf?" My mother nodded. "Her name is Sylvia Kemp. Years ago, when she was about to be fired, I helped her. I sent business her way and helped her become a manager. "Her company is the one Elias is working with now. "And I was the one who introduced them ten years ago..." She covered her face and couldn't stop crying. All I could do was put my arms around her and give her something to hold on to. For as long as I could remember, my mother had been careful never to hurt my father's pride. When people said he wasn't smart, she helped him earn a master's degree in finance and never once mentioned her own two doctorates. When people said he was too weak, she learned to cook and studied nutrition until he was as strong as an average wolf. When people said he'd married up, she taught him how to run a company, step by step, so others would praise him as a self-made wolf. Back then, she'd kept working through her pregnancy to land his company's biggest deal yet. In the end, she collapsed from exhaustion. My father knelt by her hospital bed, holding her hand, his face full of regret. "I don't want a company, money, or status. I only want you. "This is my fault. You've been through all this because of me. "I swear to the Moon Goddess that I will never betray your love." When my mother used to tell that story, her eyes would fill with tears, her voice full of love. Now a single video had shattered all that so-called devotion. I didn't know how much time had passed when a ringtone broke the silence. My mother wiped her face and answered. My father's voice was warm. "Sorry, love, I can't make it home tonight. There are still things to prepare for tomorrow's press conference. "You must both be tired. Don't come to the event tomorrow. Stay home and rest." My mother looked at me, unsure what to say to him. I lifted my phone and showed her everything my grandfather's assistant had sent over. She looked down and answered quietly, "All right. Understood." When she hung up, I held her tight and whispered in her ear, "Don't worry, Mom. I'll make them pay at tomorrow's press conference." Chapter 3 Early the next day, my mother and I were on the second floor, watching people come and go below. My father was sitting far too close to Sylvia when he called me. "Selina, did the two of you eat breakfast? Your mother has a sensitive stomach, so make sure she has some hot soup." I scoffed inwardly. Was he really worried about my mother's health, or was he just making sure we were at home and wouldn't show up to ruin his plans? Only he knew. I smiled mockingly but kept my voice casual. "Don't worry, we're eating right now. I'll make sure she has her soup." He was visibly relieved. "Good. The event is about to start, and I have things to do here. When it's over, I'll take you both out for a nice dinner." As soon as the call ended, Sylvia quietly took his hand. My father hesitated but didn't pull away. Instead, he closed his hand around hers. Disgusted, I looked away and turned to my mother. She stared at their joined hands without blinking. "The last time he and I went to a board meeting together, I reached for his hand on the way out without thinking. "But he wouldn't let me. He said it looked bad at work. That a wolf shouldn't be that clingy. "So it was all just an excuse." I took her hand and wiped her eyes for her. "Don't waste any more tears on him, Mom." She gave a bitter smile. "20 years of marriage. And here we are." Not long after, the press conference started. My father sat in the middle of the panel and spoke with easy confidence. Beside him, Sylvia added with a smile, "Elias isn't only the best partner I've ever worked with. He's one of the dearest friends I could ever ask for. "Ten years ago, the first time we worked together, I found a small problem in a contract. Ten minutes after I called him, he was standing in front of me." My mother trembled at that. "Ten years ago, the night your fever wouldn't come down, I called your father. I was out of my mind with worry. "I called over and over, but he never picked up. "In the end, I carried you on my back to the hospital, alone in the pouring rain." Still smiling, Sylvia went on. "Three years ago, a crooked landlord unfairly evicted me, leaving me with nowhere to go. "Elias stood up to him and made things right. Then he bought me an apartment so I'd have a stable place to live." My mother's eyes went red. "That year, your father said the company had hit a wall and needed three million dollars immediately to keep going. "We didn't have that much cash on hand, so I sold my jewelry to help him through it." Sylvia looked at my father with pure love in her eyes. "And five years ago, when my father was seriously ill in the hospital, Elias made time to sit with him every day for a full month." That finally broke my mother. Her voice caught. "Five years ago, your grandmother died. He said he was away on business and couldn't get a flight back. He put off coming home until after the funeral. "I thought... I thought... he really did have a reason..." I squeezed her cold hand, trying to comfort her without words. I looked down at the mild smile on my father's face, and hatred surged through me. Sylvia spoke again, her voice sweet and her pride barely concealed. "At the end of last year, I was working late at the office on my birthday. Elias felt bad that I was working so hard, so he chartered a yacht and threw me a party." My mother turned to me, her eyes red, her face devastated. She didn't have to say it. I knew. At the end of last year, the three of us had planned a camping trip. Just before we left, my father said something had come up at work and told my mother and me to go ahead. On the way there, we were in a car accident. The doors crumpled, and we nearly died trapped inside. Even as wolves, we got a door open barely 30 seconds before the car exploded. The blast threw us to the ground and knocked us both out. While our wounds were being dressed at the hospital, my mother called my father 17 times. He never picked up once. She stared at the call log for a long time, then forced a smile to reassure me. "Your father is probably busy with work. We'll have him come get us in a while." We waited at the hospital until dark before my father finally arrived in a panic. His eyes were red. He slapped himself and said it was all his fault—that he should never have put work ahead of us. My mother even comforted him, saying injuries like ours were nothing to a wolf. So in his eyes, whether my mother and I lived or died mattered far less than Sylvia's birthday. As the event wound down, my father stood up to pose for photos with Sylvia. A reporter from a newspaper I'd never heard of snapped pictures and flattered them. "We've all heard that Mr. Thorne is married and devoted to his wife, and that he keeps his family life private. "So Ms. Kemp must be your devoted wife? "You two look perfect together." His words drew a round of good-natured teasing from the crowd. Up onstage, my father didn't deny a word of it. He just looked down at Sylvia, and they smiled at each other. There was something sickening in that look. I let out a cold laugh and got to my feet. I walked onto the second-floor balcony and picked up the microphone I'd had someone set out for me. "Dad, if the she-wolf next to you is your wife, then what is my mother, who has been your mate for 20 years?"