The Lycan King's Second Chance Mate: Rise of the Traitor's Daughter
Chapter 47: Missed Opportunities

Chapter 47: Missed Opportunities

Griffin~

I barely remembered getting into my car, but my hands gripped the steering wheel with white-knuckled intensity as I sped toward my grandfather’s house. The Golden city lights blurred past, but my mind was stuck on one thing—Natalie.

The Celestial Princess.

The thought alone made my stomach churn. It couldn’t be true. It just couldn’t.

Next to me, my father, Michael, sat rigid in the passenger seat, his gaze sharp and calculating. The only indication of his unease was the way his fingers drummed against his knee, a rare show of nervousness from the man who had never feared anything.

"I contacted your grandfather through the link," he said suddenly, his voice calm but firm. "He’s expecting us."

I swallowed. "Good."

For a long moment, silence settled between us, then, my father exhaled sharply and muttered, almost to himself, "I hope all this Natalie business is just a lie."

He didn’t finish his thought, but he didn’t need to.

Because if it wasn’t a lie...

My chest tightened, and suddenly, it felt unbearably hot inside the car. My grip on the steering wheel faltered, my breathing turned shallow. My vision blurred slightly at the edges, and a strange weight settled over me like I was being crushed from the inside out.

Could werewolves experience panic attacks? Because I was pretty damn sure I was having one.

I forced myself to focus. Breathe. Inhale. Exhale.

By the time I pulled up to my grandfather’s house, my heart was still hammering, but I shoved my emotions down, locking them away.

The house was massive—just as grand as my father’s, but where my father’s home was cold and intimidating, my grandfather’s home was different. Warmer. More lived-in.

We didn’t bother knocking. My father led the way, moving with purposeful strides through the grand entrance hall. The butler barely had time to acknowledge us before we were already halfway up the marble staircase.

"He’s in his office," my father said over his shoulder.

I followed him up the stairs, my heartbeat quickening as we neared the door.

Inside, my grandfather sat behind an enormous mahogany desk, dressed in a sharp black suit that screamed authority. His silver hair was combed back, and despite his age, he looked impossibly strong. There was a quiet, lethal energy about him—the kind that made people think twice before crossing him.

A true alpha.

A king without a crown.

His sharp gray eyes flickered to us as we entered, and he leaned back in his chair, steepling his fingers.

"Goddess be praised," he mused. "To what do I owe this unexpected visit?"

My father quickly greeted him, and I did the same before sinking into the chair across from his desk.

Grandfather’s gaze settled on me, and for a long moment, he studied me in silence. Then, he shook his head.

"There is a large cloud of sadness and regret hanging over you, boy." His voice was calm, but his words hit me hard.

I stiffened. My throat tightened.

"Tell me," he continued, his sharp eyes narrowing. "What did you do to have such a shadow following you around?"

I didn’t answer. Couldn’t.

My father, however, let out an aggravated sigh before pushing up from his chair. He placed one hand on his hip and ran the other through his graying hair, muttering a string of curses under his breath.

Grandfather arched a brow. "Michael," he drawled, "if you’re going to pace around like a lunatic, at least tell me what the hell is going on."

My father exhaled sharply and sat back down. "Griffin will explain."

Fantastic.

I swallowed and forced myself to start from the beginning. "I was at Uncle Darius’s pack, following orders as you and my father instructed," I began. "That’s where I met a girl named Natalie Cross."

My grandfather gave a slow nod. "And?"

"She was my fated mate."

For the first time since we walked in, something akin to happiness flickered across his expression. He straightened slightly. "Ah! That’s wonderful news, boy! Congratulations!"

His excitement made my stomach churn with guilt.

I clenched my jaw and shook my head. "No. It’s not wonderful. Because I rejected her."

The room fell into silence.

Grandfather’s face darkened, his expression hard to decipher.

Finally, he spoke. "Why?"

I hesitated. "She was wolfless... and Uncle Darius had already marked her as his."

That was it. That was all I needed to say.

A dangerous stillness settled over my grandfather. Then, in an instant, he was on his feet, slamming his hands onto the desk.

"What the actual fuck, Darius?!" he snarled, his voice like thunder. "That son of mine is a—" He cut himself off, but the rage in his eyes was unmistakable.

Marking someone else’s mate was one of the biggest crimes in our world.

I shifted uncomfortably. "He claimed that Natalie begged him to mark her because she was wolfless."

Grandfather scoffed. "And you believed him?"

I hesitated.

"Darius is a ruthless bastard," he continued. "He might have forced himself on that poor girl, and you just accepted what he said?"

I ran a hand down my face. "At the time... I didn’t care what she had to say. She was already soiled."

Grandfather let out a slow, heavy sigh. "You and your father are always too damn hotheaded for your own good."

Beside me, my father scowled. "Oh, shut up, old man."

Grandfather ignored him. "And now, Griffin, what is it that you need from me? Are you here because you regret rejecting your mate?"

I opened my mouth, then closed it.

Finally, I exhaled. "I met a man yesterday. He claimed to be Mist, the wolf spirit."

Grandfather’s entire body went rigid.

I continued. "And Mist was with Natalie."

There was silence, then, in a blur of movement, Grandfather was back on his feet, his chair scraping loudly against the floor.

"Explain," he demanded.

I swallowed hard and told him everything. The way Mist had spoken to me. The way he hinted that Natalie might be the Celestial Princess.

Grandfather’s mouth fell open slightly. Disbelief. Shock. Maybe even... fear.

"Show me a picture of this girl," he ordered. "If she has celestial energy, I’ll be able to tell."

I stiffened. "I... don’t have a picture of her."

Both Grandfather and my father gave me identical unimpressed stares.

"For fuck’s sake, Griffin," my father muttered.

"I can get one," I said quickly. "Give me a minute."

I swallowed hard, steadying myself before sending a mind link to Marcus.

"I need you to get me a picture of Natalie Cross. And every bit of information you can find on her. Send it to my phone—immediately."

Marcus’s response came almost instantly. "What the hell, Griffin? Why do you need that? What’s going on?"

I clenched my jaw. I didn’t have time to explain. Not now.

"Just do it, Marcus. I’ll explain later."

A pause. Then a sigh. "Fine. Give me a few minutes."

I ended the link and exhaled, feeling the weight of my grandfather’s and my father’s stares. The silence in the office was heavy. My grandfather, Seer Alaric, leaned back in his chair, his fingers steepled together, his gaze sharp like ice. My father, stood beside him, arms crossed, his expression just the same as his father’s.

Minutes felt like hours, but finally, my phone dinged. A message from Marcus.

I fumbled to open it.

There she was. Natalie Cross.

Her picture filled my screen, and for a moment, I couldn’t breathe.

She was beautiful. wavy red hair cascaded over her shoulders, her delicate features frozen in an expression that was both strong and haunted. Her blue eyes—sharp, yet hollow—pierced straight through me, like they could see the regret that had begun to fester inside me.

The message contained more than just a picture. There were details about her life, her tragic past, her rejection, her suffering. It made my stomach turn.

I handed the phone to my grandfather without a word.

My father stepped closer, peering over his father’s shoulder as he took in the image. A beat of silence.

Then, they both turned to each other, their faces pale with shock.

My father’s voice was just a whisper. "She’s a splitting image."

My grandfather nodded stiffly.

Confusion twisted in my gut. "A splitting image of who?"

My father’s throat bobbed as he swallowed, his eyes never leaving the screen. "Princess Katrina."

The air was sucked from my lungs. My entire body tensed as I shot up from my chair. "What?!"

My father didn’t respond. Neither did Grandfather.

Instead, my grandfather scrolled through the information Marcus had sent until he found something. Then, I saw it—the moment his breath hitched. His grip on my phone tightened. My father’s face went ghostly pale as he stared at the screen.

"What?" I demanded, my heart hammering against my ribs. "What is it?!"

My father slowly turned to me, his voice hoarse. "Princess Katrina... is Natalie’s mother."

A thick, heavy silence fell over the room.

My grandfather continued staring at the images on my phone. After a moment, he closed his eyes and muttered something under his breath, a chant so low I could barely hear it.

When his eyes snapped open, I shuddered at the intensity in them.

My father stepped closer, his voice hesitant. "Father... what did you see?"

My grandfather’s gaze locked onto mine.

"The man you met was right." His voice was firm, unwavering. "Natalie carries the celestial energy in her."

I felt the blood drain from my face. My lips parted, but no words came out.

My father, however, staggered backward like he’d been struck. His legs gave out, and he collapsed onto the floor.

The first words out of his mouth were a breathless, broken whisper.

"She... she was supposed to be my daughter."

Grandfather exhaled slowly, shaking his head in disappointment. "The Moon Goddess intend for you to be Natalie’s father, Michael. But you rejected her mother. The Goddess found another mate for Katrina."

My father ran a shaky hand down his face, his breathing uneven. "I was a fool."

"Yes," Grandfather agreed without hesitation. "But the Goddess, in her mercy, gave us another chance to have Natalie in our family—by making her Griffin’s mate."

My entire body went rigid.

"But," Grandfather continued, his eyes boring into mine, "you were as short-sighted as your father. You rejected her as well."

A sharp pang of regret stabbed through my chest.

Grandfather’s voice turned somber. "Now, unless you find a way to earn Natalie’s forgiveness and reclaim her as your mate, the opportunity for our family to be tied to the Celestial Princess will be lost forever."

A desperate urgency seized me. "How?" I demanded. "How do I fix this?"

My father shot up from the floor so fast I barely saw him move. "We need to find her parents. Especially Princess Katrina." He turned to Grandfather. "I need to apologize. I need to make things right. Maybe from there, we can take the steps to help Griffin earn Natalie’s forgiveness."

I swallowed hard, my fists clenching at my sides. "We... we can’t."

My father’s brow furrowed. "What do you mean we can’t?"

I forced myself to look him in the eye, my voice cracking slightly.

"Natalie’s parents are dead."

My father’s mouth opened slightly, his expression blank.

I took a deep breath. "Uncle Darius killed them."

Total silence fell on the room and then—

"WHAT?!"

Both my father and Grandfather shouted at the same time, their voices shaking the very walls.

The air in the room turned electric, thick with anger, grief, and something else—something far more dangerous.

And just like that, I knew.

This wasn’t just about me anymore.

This was about anger. About vengeance. About a fate that had been stolen.

And somehow, I had to find a way to make it right.

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