When Karen got home at around 7 pm, her dad was waiting for her in the living room looking sober for once. His eyes narrowed at Aiden’s figure trailing behind her, hands lazily tucked into his hoodie’s pockets. Indeed, Aiden had insisted on going in with her. And she hadn’t had the courage to argue with him. Even though her dad wouldn’t appreciate his presence, she was much too scared of getting a beating worse than that of the previous night for going home late.
“The school called to tell me you skipped, Karen,” he iced out as soon as she was within sight.
She grimaced, remembering school all of a sudden. How could she have forgotten? She truly needed to do her best at school if she wanted to have a shot at leaving this town from hell. Okay, the town hadn’t done much to her in all fairness. It was her dad she was running away from… and admittedly the painful memories as well.
“I wasn’t feeling well,” she tried to explain, blushing to her utter and complete dismay.
“So you went whoring off with your boyfriend,” he accused in a dark voice, his face showing his displeasure.
“Dad!” She exclaimed, absolutely mortified.
The atmosphere was slightly tense as her dad stared at Aiden with something akin to contempt in his eyes.
“Karen,” Aiden called her name, snapping the thick silence. “Go pack your things. You’re coming with me.”
“What?” She asked, her face paling immediately, wondering where this came from at all. “Stop your bullshit,” she whisper-yelled at him.
Her dad laughed humorlessly. “You’re moving in with your boyfriend now? Great news! Terrific news!”
Then, she watched as he rose to his feet from the armchair, shot a glare that was even more intense at Aiden, and then said in an angry tone, “Get out of my sight, young boy.”
“I will,” Aiden agreed readily on a shrug. “With Karen.”
“Aiden, please,” she wasn’t above begging him to stop his nonsense. She knew she shouldn’t have agreed to let him come in with her. But she doubted he would have let her face her dad alone now that he knew what kind of man he was or rather what kind of man he had become.
“Karen,” he said, his tone as light as ever, “Please go pack your things. I’m not going to let you live with an abusive father.”
The widening of her dad’s eyes and the way he staggered back made Karen frown. Anyone who had good vision could see the bruises on her face. What did he think?
“Is that what she told you?” He tried to keep up appearances it would seem.
“Oh, she didn’t,” Aiden chuckled humorlessly. “She defended you. And believe me, if it weren’t for her obvious love for you, you’d be a dead man.”
“Aiden,” Karen let out in a weary tone, on the verge of a breakdown.
“I’m not leaving without you,” he said in a tone of finality. Then, staring at her dad with determination, “It’s either you let her go, or I will call the cops on you.”
** ** ** ** ** **
Aiden couldn’t understand why his mate was so angry with him. Had she really thought he’d allow her to go back to an abusive father? He couldn’t help but believe that had he had a daughter, he wouldn’t dare hurt her. How could any being hurt their flesh and blood?
Besides, women tended to be fragile.
Fragile? He could imagine his mom raising disbelieving eyebrows at him. She was one strong witch after all, and also the fated mate of the alpha ultra.
Nevertheless, he had grown believing that women should be cared for and cherished. He couldn’t understand how Karen’s father could inflict her so much pain.
“The cops?” Her dad scoffed. “I’m sure anyone could understand my inability to look at her without remembering her mom’s cheating ways.”
“Cheating ways?” Karen choked on the words, even as her voice sounded weak, disbelieving too.
What was happening? What was this man about? Surely, this wasn’t the time to start spewing nonsense… or perhaps, was this a family secret?
“Oh, didn’t you know?” Her dad cooed, mocking her, “It turned out that you are not my daughter.”
Karen’s knees wobbled and soon enough gave out from the shock of the news no doubt.
“All the more reason for her to leave with me then,” Aiden smiled coldly at her paternal figure, wishing he could kill him, hoping the man had the guts to try to stand up to him so he would spill said guts on the floor… but then again, he couldn’t, not when Karen still looked up to the despicable man.