When Clive grabs Jonah’s arm and pulls him toward the car, Andrei reacts quickly at the man’s harsh treatment, punching Clive in the face before his father jerks him off a stunned Clive.
“He has to leave with him. Don’t make it worse for him,” Derrick growls in Andrei’s ear.
“Are you just going to let him do that?” Clive spits at Dominic while opening the door and pushing Jonah toward it. Jonah gets in the car, and Clive slams the door. I step past Clive to calm down Jonah, who is crying hysterically, and open the door, plugging his seatbelt in and wiping his tears.
“Shh, you will be okay. It’s not for long. We will get you back,” I whisper to Jonah. He nods, and I pass him his little tote bag, and he hugs it to his tummy like it is a safety blanket.
“Don’t forget to call us if you need us,” I tell him.
Yet, his following words nearly break me. “I need you now,” he whispers, glancing out the windshield at his uncle.
“I know, I know, buddy, but for now, we can use the phone okay? We will see Kat and make this all better. But for now, I need you to be on your best behavior and stop the tears because it’s only for a little while,” I tell him.
How exactly do you explain to a child not to provoke the person who has now been given custody of him? Those words should never be spoken to a child. They should not have to fear the person caring for them. We are supposed to be their safe place, the first person they run to. Not the person they hide from and cower from. Yet, I know he won’t be getting cuddles and his tears wiped by this man.
“That’s enough. Get away from him,” Clive calls out.
I press my lips together to stop saying what I truly thought of him. I don’t want to make things worse for Jonah, but Andrei grips Clive’s shirt, ripping him back. “If you lay one finger on that boy, I will hunt you down, and you will meet the man I used to be,” Andrei growls the warning at him before letting him go.
“Get your hands off me, what? Still nothing? What use are you if you are going to let him toss me around like that?” Clive spits at Dominic.
Dominic’s aura rushes out at the disrespect he is showing. Clive drops to the ground, clutching his head. “Don’t forget who you are speaking to, mutt, but most of all, don’t forget I am also a father, and I don’t like child abusers, so heed his warning, Clive. I let you have the boy. I never said you can hurt him,” Dominic sneers at him.
Then he looks at Andrei. “Speak with Kat, then you get him back. You and I both know the boy stands no chance at a future with him,” Dominic says as Clive gets up and walks over to the car, and climbs in.
“And that’s exactly why my daughter is better off as Queen. She would never sacrifice a child for her gain,” Derrick tells him.
“Your daughter is a small girl that entered the game of politics with men she can never compare to or control. There are other ways to dethrone a Queen. I am offering her the easy way out. Tell her to do what I said, then you get the boy back,” Dominic says, turning on his heel and getting in his car.
Clive smirks, starting the car and reversing out before taking off in a cloud of dirt and dust and taking our hearts with him as we watch helplessly.
Katya
Andrei called me and told me the news about Jonah last night.
But, I wasn’t expecting a call from him at lunchtime to say Dominic had interfered, and he stands behind all of it. How the heck did he manage that within a few hours of the Alpha meeting?
Andrei told me of his demands, and I am half tempted to go through with it.
Especially after what I heard about this Clive from Andrei, it makes my blood boil. Andrei said to look for any dirt I can find on him, and I have already petitioned for the laws to be changed.
Not even an hour later was it rejected, saying I needed support from other Alphas. Sitting at Ezra’s desk, I comb through the pack laws, looking for anything that can help us.
It doesn’t matter what I find. I know Dominic will find another way around it. He is dirty, and he doesn’t like that he is supposed to answer to me now. I never said he has to step down.
Either way, he will have some role in the control of the packs. He is the Alpha of Alphas. I never wanted his title to begin with, but the rumors started, and he felt threatened when word got out about Jackson’s pack.
He can keep his title. None of us want it, anyway. We are well and truly above the title of Alpha of Alphas. We aren’t taking anything from him; we are just adding a new title to the mix, one higher than his. If he didn’t challenge me in the first place, we wouldn’t be in this mess.
“Still no word from Seline?” Ezra asks as he walks into the office. I hop out of his chair, and he sits down before I flop back down on his lap. Seline, I have been trying to reach, but it seems as if she is avoiding me for some reason.
“No, she will come when she isn’t busy. I feel like she is hiding something from me, though.” I mutter the last part under my breath as my eyes scan the papers again.
“Like what?” He asks, resting his chin on my shoulder.
“I don’t know. She has become more distant, and her answers have been shorter and more cryptic,” I tell him.
“Since when is that anything new? You know she likes to speak in riddles.” Ezra chuckles. He is right, but it seems to be something else. I just can’t figure out what.
“I know, but it’s different. I don’t know. She looked tired the last time I saw her.” I tell him, which is strange. Seline always has this certain air around her. She is always glowing and looking perfect, but lately, it is like something is haunting her.
“Who knows, maybe confront her. You are technically a Goddess now and her prodigy, so why not demand answers?” He says, and I sigh. He taps the book in front of me.
“So, what exactly are you looking for?” I shrug, unsure.