Chapter 0457
Hannah
I laughed stiffly at that. “Funny,” I said, bouncing Melody a little in my arms. “I know she has fairer looks than you, Marcus, but she is your granddaughter.”
Marcus said nothing. And as I met his cold, calculating gaze, the tightness in my chest deepened. The faint trace of amusement died on my lips as it hit me.
Oh, Goddess. He was being completely serious, wasn’t he?
“Of course she’s your granddaughter,” I said with a scoff, glancing at Noah–who was sharing in my shocked expression. “Who else would she be?”
“Hm. I’m not sure.” Marcus stepped forward, his sharp eyes narrowing on Melody.
His gaze wasn’t filled with the warmth or tenderness of a grandparent meeting a new addition to the family for the first time–it was a hard, piercing look, as though he were inspecting something wrong, something out of place.
He reached out a hand to touch her.
A primal instinct kicked in at that moment, and I clutched Melody tighter against my chest, pulling her away from him before he could make contact. As if I’d let him touch my daughter.
“Father,” Noah growled, stepping forward, “What is all this about? Why are you treating our daughter like a specimen?”
Marcus barely acknowledged his son, his gaze still fixed on Melody with a calculating intensity that sent a shiver down my spine.‘
“Oh, forgive an old man for simply being cautious,” he said, flashing me a thin smile that did nothing to ease my anxiety. “In matters like these, one must be certain.”
A sharp stab of anger cut through my growing unease. “Well, she is your granddaughter, Marcus,” I said, my voice colder now. “And one day, she will be the Alpha of Silvercrest–probably in your lifetime.”
I paused, eyeing him up and down with no attempt to hide my disdain. “If you’re lucky, that is,” I added.
That got his attention. His gaze snapped to mine, his eyes narrowing, a flicker of irritation breaking through his otherwise perfect facade.
“Ah. Silvercrest,” he repeated slowly, as though the name left a bitter taste in his mouth. He leaned back slightly, crossing his arms with a look of mild amusement on his face. “And a female Alpha, no less. How… progressive.”
Sarcasm dripped from his words, but I refused to be baited. A fire burned low in my belly, but I kept my composure, unwilling to give him the satisfaction of seeing my anger.
Noah moved closer, his hand resting gently on the small of my back. “Melody has the female Alpha gene. I’ve already explained this to you, Father. She’s as much an Alpha as any son might have been.”
Marcus’s jaw clenched at that, although he remained silent. His disapproval was palpable, thick enough to cut it with a knife; but for now, at least, he seemed to be smart enough to keep his thoughts to himself.
1/2
+25 BONUS
Chapter 0457
After that, we moved to the dining room in tense silence. The table was laden with delicious–smelling food: rare elk steaks, cream croquettes, glistening green asparagus. Noah hadn’t mentioned anything about his dinner plans, although I assumed he had asked the chef to prepare something that he knew
Marcus would like.
Why he would care, I wasn’t sure. Maybe he was trying to impress his father. But the food did look good.
I sat down beside Noah, my heart still racing from the earlier exchange. Melody gurgled softly in her high chair between us, oblivious to the tension as she played with her bib.
But as my gaze drifted toward Marcus, I noticed his eyes still on her, watching, calculating.
The first course began. Marcus uncorked the wine, insisting on pouring it himself, and for a short while, the clinking of silverware and quiet coos from Melody were the only sounds that broke the suffocating silence. My appetite had disappeared entirely, but I forced myself to eat for the sake of appearances.
But it wasn’t long before Marcus broke the fragile peace.
“I must admit,” he began, his voice deceptively light, “I’m still having trouble believing this child is truly my granddaughter.”
