Chapter 17: Chapter 17 I Am Already Dead
Phoebe’s POV
I couldn’t make sense of my emotions. Conflicted feelings churned through me as I prepared to abandon the Obsidian Claw pack. This was supposed to be what I craved. I’d spent years yearning for the moment when I’d never have to face the people I despised.
Yet, even in my most desperate fantasies, I never pictured leaving like this. Second mates were practically mythical—nobody even talked about them happening.
What made it worse was that my second mate happened to be the Mad King. The universe had a twisted sense of humor.
"So, you’re really going?"
I glanced up to find my father lingering in the doorway, arms folded across his chest. Not from arrogance, but from unease. His forehead wrinkled as he struggled to find words.
I kept stuffing my few possessions into my bag, pretending he didn’t exist. Everything I owned could squeeze into a single backpack.
"You need to reject him," Cameron declared, his tone rigid like he was barely containing something explosive.
I continued ignoring him, acting like the room was empty. But I knew this tactic had limits—my father’s patience had always been paper-thin when it came to being dismissed.
Sure enough, I was right.
Within moments, Cameron stormed across the space and seized my arm, yanking me around to force eye contact. The lines on his face deepened.
"Reject him. You can’t seriously want to leave with him." His voice stretched tight. He ground his teeth together, his fingers digging into my skin.
I didn’t even flinch. This wasn’t my first rodeo with pain. I’d grown accustomed to being hurt.
I remained silent, letting my father grip my arm, letting him cause me pain. Nothing unusual here.
When Cameron realized how stubborn I was being, his anger erupted. He lifted his hand, preparing to strike me across the face.
But I met his gaze directly, seeing what was coming, and I didn’t even blink. I was ready to take it, which made Cameron freeze mid-swing as something cold settled in his bones.
"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Cameron exploded. "You think your life gets better with that Mad King?" He practically whispered the title "Mad King," still paranoid that someone might overhear and report him.
"Anywhere beats here," I replied icily.
This marked our first real conversation in months. Cameron had never bothered checking on me, though I hadn’t expected him to either.
We only crossed paths in common areas since, as the former alpha’s beta, he frequented the pack house. But that never meant he’d pause to see how his daughter was doing.
"Don’t be stupid! You have no clue what you’re getting into!"
I went quiet again, simply staring at my father while ignoring the throbbing in my arm where his grip was cutting off circulation.
When I didn’t respond, Cameron launched into his speech.
"That man embodies pure insanity. He slaughtered the entire royal family out of greed for power. You think he’ll treasure you and let you live long?"
I was aware of that. The thought of the Mad King killing me for any mistake terrified me, but staying here meant Kevin would destroy me slowly.
I couldn’t stomach the idea of his hands on me anymore. That would finish me off before they ever buried my body.
"He’s going to murder you." Cameron grew more frustrated when I didn’t react the way he wanted.
"Death doesn’t scare me. I’d embrace it gladly." I lifted my chin. "Don’t you get it? I’m already dead. All of you killed me. I’ve died over and over."
"What garbage are you spouting?" It occurred to Cameron that maybe his daughter had lost her mind too. Could madness be contagious from the alpha?
"I died inside every time Kevin put his hands on me. I died inside every time they treated me worse than a slave. I died inside when you stopped being my father, ignoring me, doing nothing when you knew he was raping me!"
Cameron’s eyes went wide, his jaw locking tight. "You wanted it."
"I wanted it?" I narrowed my eyes. "I wanted him to rape me?"
"Don’t use such crude language. You desired Kevin, didn’t you? You even tried to seduce your stepbrother," Cameron said with revulsion.
"And you buy that story. You still believe it even after I told you he came after me and tried to force himself on me."
"He’s my son, naturally I believe him." His voice hardened until it sounded strained.
Cameron always stressed that Reginald was his son, despite no blood connection, and I figured it was because he desperately wanted an heir.
Someone to carry on his legacy.
The realization made my resentment burn hotter, knowing I’d failed him by being born female.
"What about me? I’m your daughter. Don’t I count as your child?" I wrenched my hand free from his loosened grip, then added, "I forgot. You don’t consider me your child anymore."
After saying that, I didn’t linger. I bolted from the bedroom straight to the main garden, where the royal beta had instructed me to wait.
I gripped my backpack tightly while my father watched from a distance. I had no idea what expression he wore right now, and I didn’t want to find out.
"Get in," one of the warriors commanded, pulling open the car door for me.
