"Reduced to this sorry state, and NOW you remember you have a father?"
He stood in the archway, shoulders filling the frame, his aura pressing outward like the weight of a coming storm. The scent of ancient pine and frozen granite rolled ahead of him. He held no weapon, but his claws had half-extended, the tips catching the light.
"Your daughter knows she was wrong. Beat me, kill me, do whatever you see fit."
"I regret not listening to you back then. I put my trust in the wrong man."
Tears streamed down my father's weathered face. He didn't strike me. His claws retracted. He threw nothing to the ground because there was nothing to throw, but his hands were trembling when he pulled me to my feet.
"You were so heartless back then. You severed your own blood-bond and abandoned your pack for a man. But since you know you were wrong, cut those ties clean and come home where you belong!"
"As long as you sever that cursed mating bond completely, you are still a daughter of the Silvercrest bloodline, and this territory is still yours."
He told me to change out of my rags, but I shook my head.
His expression shifted. "Don't tell me you still intend to have dealings with that man?"