Dominic grabs the front of Derrick’s shirt and slams him against the car. “Let’s get one thing clear Derrick, you do not know me. But I know you. You’re a man who would abandon one family to start another, then have your mate reject hers while you took another. Everyone has ghosts that shadow them, but yours haunt you, I can see it.” Dominic leans closer, his canines slipping and I grab Andrei’s arm as he goes to defend his father. My nails sink into his arm.
“Mine don’t haunt me. Everything I do, I do for my family.” He shoves off Derrick and Andrei grabs him, jerking his father behind him and glaring at him to shut his damn mouth. Alpha Dominic straightens out his suit as if nothing happened and wipes some dust off, fixing his twisted cufflink as he speaks.
“Your sister made an enemy of the wrong man, Andrei,” Dominic tells him, and I suck in a breath.
“I couldn’t have that, so when I received an email the other day looking for blood relatives of Jonah and that you were seeking to adopt him, I couldn’t help myself. Originally, I was planning on signing those documents for you until Katya humiliated me, so I made a few calls. Can’t waste an opportunity to get revenge, and since I can’t get to Katya right now, I went after the next best thing – her family.” The pride that drips from Dominic’s words for his evil plan sickens me. How far could a power-hungry man go to get revenge for something he deserved?
It wasn’t Kat’s fault, what happened at the Alpha meet. We all know Dominic invited her to challenge her power and he got just what he wanted. Maybe not the outcome he expected, but he did want it. It’s no one’s but his fault.
“You would really give an innocent child over to this man. You are a fucking father. Would you trust your kid in his possession?” Andrei asks him.
“Not my kid, not my problem. I couldn’t care less what becomes of the boy. All I care about is showing Kat who has the actual power and influence. She may be the Queen now, but she can never rally the packs behind her. She will never have control, and this is just one way I am showing her that.” Dominic shrugs.
“You fucking asshole! He is a boy,” Derrick spits at him.
“And what about you, Derrick? You are hardly winning father of the year. Didn’t you toss Andrei here aside? That alone shows me what kind of man you are. You are not one to judge, Clive. I have the documentation here,” he says, clicking his fingers.
“Fight all you want in the courts for the boy.” A man gets out of the car, passing him a folder, and Dominic hands the folder to Andrei.
“You will never get him back, not unless you tell Katya to rechallenge me and stand down from her title. That folder contains Clive’s references saying he is a reformed man, the parenting courses he has completed, or it says he completed anyway, times and dates can be changed with a little influence, records can become lost. Clive looks like a very respectable man and a suitable candidate for little Jonah on paper. I’ve even written my recommendation on what I believe is in the boy’s best interests, which is Clive. You have money, Andrei, but you don’t have the power I have to change what I have done.” Andrei looks over the documents.
“Now you want the boy. Tell Katya to admit defeat and announce that she is stepping down. Then and only then will I have the ruling overturned. Until then,” He looks over at Malik, his Alpha aura rushing out. “Bring the boy,” Dominic demands. Andrei steps toward Dominic as his hands clench into fists.
“I wouldn’t recommend doing whatever you are thinking of doing, Andrei. Or would you like me to show you what having true power is? I could command your entire pack to kill themselves, and they would have no choice but to obey, or I could order you to give me your lovely mate, and you would be forced to watch me take her.”
Andrei pushes me behind him as my blood runs cold at his words. Dominic smiles at me, his eyes darting back to Andrei. “Don’t tempt me because I could destroy you in ways you never thought possible. The boy isn’t even yours. Don’t make me take everything from you just to prove a point. Do as I ask, and I will have the boy returned to you. Until then, he belongs to Clive.” Malik is drenched in sweat when he walks a short distance toward us. His movements are painful and robotic as he tries to fight the command unsuccessfully.
Jonah reaches for me, and I take him from Malik. Malik lets out a breath, and Dominic’s aura slips off him. “I don’t want to go,” Jonah whispers, and I clutch him to me.
“I know. It’s only for a little while,” I tell him while glaring at Clive. Jonah hugs me tighter, and I bite my lip to stop it from trembling and squeeze my eyes shut to stop the tears from spilling. If we break, it will scare him more than he already is.
I rub his back, and after a few minutes, Andrei takes him. He looks so small in Andrei’s arms, but right now, we put the entire pack at risk if we disobey. But now we know who we are up against, we can figure out a way to get him back.
Casen brings his bag over, and I hand it to Clive. “There are clothes and some toys, his vitamins the pack doctor recommended he take,” I tell him. Clive snatches the bag from my grip and walks over, tossing it in the car window.
“Hurry up, I haven’t got all day,” Clive tells Andrei, who growls at him. Andrei places Jonah on the ground and pulls the phone from his pocket.
“I will call you every day. Make sure you charge it as I showed you,” Andrei tells him. Jonah nods, taking the phone. Andrei also slips a small piece of paper folded up with his number in Jonah’s pocket.