Something I should point out is that he had not tried to intimidate me with his influence as leader, and I did not know why. An “alpha” as dominant as my father did not tolerate anyone contradicting him, and I did so at least twice a day since I had come back. We owed each other a conversation. Mama had already spoken with me about how disappointed she had been in me when I ran away with Anya, and how happy she was to know that I had not died; and my brother Mikhail had been next to air his feelings on the same subject, but even he was holding something more back. Everyone seemed delighted with my children, and that was something that relieved me a great deal.
But I had been waiting since December for my father to let out what he was keeping inside, and the opportunity did not come. He sh
