"All those pretty words, and he's just bitter about losing his claim. He'd drag his own uncle's name through the mud for territory rights—shameless!"
"If you ask me, his uncle probably saw through him long ago. Knew he was nothing but an ungrateful pup. That's why he didn't pass the pack to him."
"Alpha Fenris raised him for twenty years, treated him like his own son. And this is how he repays him? Slander after death. The Alpha deserved better."
"Disgusting! A greedy, faithless cur. Get out—don't dirty our den with your presence!"
One of the servants grabbed a broom and swept furiously at my feet, driving me toward the entrance of the great hall.
Waves of humiliation and grief crashed over me. My eyes burned red as I swept my gaze across the room, my voice breaking.
"I'm not doing this for the inheritance! I just want to understand why my uncle did this. Did something force his hand? Was it something I did wrong? Were these twenty years of bond between us—father and son in all but blood—were they all lies?"
"Even if the truth turns out to be that this was truly his wish, I'll accept it willingly. I just can't bear living in this fog of confusion, powerless to understand anything!"