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Home / Romance / Marked By My Best Friend's Dad / Chapter 161 - Chapter 170

All Chapters of Marked By My Best Friend's Dad: Chapter 161 - Chapter 170

227 Chapters

160

~ Iris Dinner was tense.Not because the food was bad. Or the wine lacking. Or even because the servants moved awkwardly around the long dining table.No. The tension was in the air, thick enough to taste.Kael sat across from me. Calm. Cold. Observing. Always observing.Duncan sat to my right, silent, brooding, his presence a controlled storm. Every so often his gaze flicked toward Kael, sharp, assessing.I tried to ignore the weight of it all and focused on my plate. I didn’t dare look at Kael too much; his eyes were like magnets, pulling me in, daring me to react.“So…” Kael’s voice cut through the silence, smooth, deliberate. “This is how your family dinners go?”I swallowed. “Eat your food, Kael.”Duncan’s fork paused mid-air. “Watch your tone,” he said.Kael didn’t flinch. Instead, he leaned back, fingers drumming lightly on the table. “I’m just trying to understand the family dynamic.”

161

~ Kael Twins?The word echoed in my head like a shot fired in a quiet room.I blinked slowly, trying to process what Mira had just said. Twins.She had… children?My mother? Dead. My father? Scarred by grief. And now… this?I leaned back in my chair, the polished wood of Duncan’s dining seat cold under my fingers. The table felt heavier than it should. The air smelled of roasted meat, wine, and something I couldn’t name… something sharp, like fear mixed with… inevitability.I turned my gaze toward Iris.Her hands were folded neatly in her lap. Calm. Composed. Elegant. Luna. The woman I had thought I understood in fragments,she was more than fragments now. More than any scheme I had imagined. She wasn’t manipulative. She wasn’t weak. She was… controlled. Calculated. And terrifyingly… beautiful.And she had children.A pang hit me,something I hadn’t felt in a long time. Unease. Confusion. And, strangely, a twinge of… jealousy.Jealousy? Of her children?I clenched my fists under the tab

162

~ DuncanThe council chamber felt… off.Too many voices. Too many questions. And one very obvious absence.“Iris isn’t here yet?” one of the elders asked, glancing toward the doors for what felt like the tenth time.My jaw tightened slightly.“She’ll be here,” I said shortly.But even I knew that wasn’t convincing anymore.The meeting had already started. Papers were laid out. Discussions had begun. And yet…No Luna.Another elder leaned forward. “This concerns the entire pack. The return of the heirs is not a small matter. The Luna should be present.”“I said she’ll be here,” I repeated, my tone colder this time.Silence fell briefly,but not for long…Because they were right.I pulled out my phone and dialed her number.Once.Twice.Three times.No answer.My grip tightened around the phone. “She’s not picking?” Varis asked quietly.I exhaled sharply, lowering the phone.“No.”A pause.Then I muttered, more to myself than anyone else…“She’s probably with Mira.”That made more sense. “P

164

~ Iris The moment the door shut behind us,Duncan turned. And I knew immediately…I was in trouble.Big trouble.“Where were you?”His voice wasn’t loud.It didn’t need to be.That low, controlled tone? It was worse than shouting.I exhaled slowly, setting the last of the bags down like nothing was wrong.“Out,” I said simply.His jaw tightened.m“Out?” he repeated. “You were supposed to be at the council meeting, Iris.”I leaned against the table, folding my arms.“And I will be,” I replied calmly. “When I choose to be. Didn't Mira tell you we went for shopping.”His eyes darkened. “This isn’t a joke.”“And neither is my life,” I shot back.A pause.Tension.Then…. His gaze shifted slightly.“To make it worse,” he added, voice colder now, “you walk in late… with him.”I knew that was the reason he was mad. Duncan will never be angry I went shopping. I rolled my eyes.“Oh, please,” I muttered.Duncan’s eyes snapped back to me.“Don’t dismiss this.”And then… Something in me snapped too.B

165

~ Lady Calista The room smelled like silk, sweat… and secrets.I lay on my side, one arm draped lazily across the sheets, staring at the ceiling as the candlelight flickered softly against the walls. My breathing had slowed, but my mind?Wide awake.Always awake.Behind me, Eunice shifted, the bed dipping slightly as she sat up. I didn’t need to turn to know what she looked like…composed, calculating, already thinking ten steps ahead.That was who she was.And maybe…That was why I liked her.“Calista,” she said softly.I hummed in response, still staring ahead.“You’re quiet.”“I’m thinking.”“Dangerous habit.”That made me smile faintly.Finally, I turned my head slightly, just enough to glance at her.“And what are you thinking about?” I asked.Her lips curved slowly.“Power.”Of course.I pushed myself up, sitting against the headboard, pulling the sheet loosely around my body.“Go on,” I said.She studied me for a moment.Like she was measuring something.Then…“Kael is failing.”M

166

~ Lady Calista The kitchen was quieter than I expected.Not silent,but controlled.Servants moved carefully, utensils clinked softly, and the scent of herbs and roasted meat lingered in the air. It was organized. Efficient.Disciplined.Just like everything else in this house.I leaned casually against the counter, a glass of water in my hand, observing.Learning…Because that’s what I did best.Observe first.Move later.I went to the fridge and took an apple.“Enjoying yourself?” The voice was sharp.Dry.Annoyed.I didn’t need to turn to know who it was.Still… I did.Mira.Standing across from me, arms folded, eyes narrowed like she had already decided she didn’t like me.Interesting. I wanted everyone to hate me apart from Duncan and the elders.I smiled politely. “Very much.”She didn’t smile back.“Good,” she said flatly. “Because you won’t be here long.”Straight to it.I liked that…I took a slow sip of my water before responding.“That sounds less like a statement… and more l

167

~ Iris I pressed the phone tighter to my ear as I paced across the room, my heels clicking softly against the polished floor.“Mira, how is the decoration of the hall going?” I asked, already bracing myself.On the other end, chaos.“Wonderful…wait! Thorne, not blue! I said white, WHITE! do you want Luna to kill us?!”I stopped walking,Closed my eyes and took a deep breath.“Hmm,” I said slowly. “I can see.”A crash echoed faintly through the call.“Mira,” I continued, my tone tightening, “please let it be perfect. Are the foods ready?”Silence.Then…“Oops.”The line went dead,I stared at my phone.“…Seriously?”I sighed, dragging a hand through my hair.“Nothing is set,” I muttered under my breath. “Absolutely nothing is…”“Hey.”I turned.Calista, she was Standing by the door like she belonged there. Composed. Calm. That same irritating elegance wrapped

168

~ Rowan The road stretched endlessly ahead of us, cutting through forests and hills like a promise waiting to be fulfilled.Home.The word felt… strange in my chest.It had been years since we left. Years of training, discipline, control. Years of being watched, studied, tested.Years of being told I was… different.Beside me, Alice shifted for what felt like the hundredth time in the last ten minutes.“Ugh,” she groaned dramatically, tossing her head back against the seat. “If this car doesn’t get any faster, I swear I’m jumping out and running the rest of the way.”I didn’t look at her.“You said that twenty minutes ago,” I replied calmly.“And I meant it twenty minutes ago,” she snapped, turning to glare at me. “Don’t test me, Rowan.”I allowed the smallest smile.“You won’t jump.”Her eyes narrowed. “Try me.”“You hate getting dirty,” I said simply.She opened

169

~ Iris The room was quiet.For once… peaceful.Soft light filtered through the tall windows, catching the gold embroidery of the dress laid out before me. White. Elegant. Fitting for the occasion.My children were coming home.A small smile touched my lips as I lifted the fabric, running my fingers over it. It had been years… too many years.A knock came, but before I could answer, the door opened.Of course.Duncan.He stepped in, already dressed, his presence filling the room like it always did.strong, steady, commanding.But the moment his eyes landed on me…They softened.“Wow,” he said quietly.I turned slightly, raising a brow. “What?”He walked closer, slower this time, his gaze moving over me like he was taking everything in.“You look…” he paused, then smirked faintly, “…dangerous”I scoffed lightly. “That wasn’t what I was going for.”“It should be,” he re

170

~ Iris The moment the doors burst open…Everything fell apart.Screams ripped through the hall. Glass shattered. The soft music that once filled the room died instantly, replaced by chaos.“ROGUES!”The word echoed like a gunshot.My body reacted before my mind could catch up.“Guards!” I snapped, stepping forward. “Protect the guests!”One rogue lunged at me….I moved.Fast.I caught his wrist mid-air, twisted hard, and drove my knee into his ribs. I heard the crack before I shoved him aside like he was nothing.Another came from behind…I spun, my elbow connecting with his face, sending him crashing into a table.God! I could fight.I flash back to when I was a lone omega.For a split second…Everything slowed.The screams faded,the chaos dimmed.And I wasn’t in the hall anymore.I was back there.Cold ground. Empty stomach. No one beside me.“Stay down, omega.”I remembered the voice,I remembered the laughter.And I remembered the moment I chose not to listen.I never stayed down,The

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