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*****
*Jayden*
I ran my hands over my face trying to pull myself together after I called Corey. He was headed to that meeting now. I didn’t trust Carrie, but I couldn’t let my kids see how much of a wreck I was at the moment. I needed to be me by the time they saw me. The ‘me’ they knew. Not the pathetic, broken, terrified omega that could not take care of them.
I held sighed remembering the call before making my way back home. After taking some time to compose myself and call Corey in the forest, I had somewhat calmed down. I hadn’t gone too far from home fearing the men who had called me last night.
Though I was not completely calm, it appeared that way which was good enough for now. Inside, my heart was about to beat right through my chest and I was on the verge of just crumbling to the ground.
I walked up to my front door and pushed it open quietly before furrowing my brows at how quiet it was on the inside of our house. I expected the twins to be making a noise playing around or Eli yelling at his sister to get away from him, Tamia yelling at him to stop messing with her doll’s hair or something, but it was quiet. Very unusually quiet. I didn’t like it.
I was about to call for the twins but stopped when I heard yelling, not the yelling I had expected though.
“No! Don’t touch her! You did this! I-I’m telling my Papa!” I heard Eli shout. My legs automatically began to move to follow his voice because it sounded so distressed.
“You let me, Eli. This is your fault and you know he’ll be angry at you, he’ll never forgive you. So move or she’ll stay like this and I’ll make your pathetic excuse for a dad disappear.” My mouth opened slightly as my pace quickened. She was threatening my kids?
“You can’t –” Eli began. My eyes widened at Eli’s fragile voice. It was so unusual, he rarely got scared of anything. It made my chest ache in concern.
“I can. You saw how he looked in the forest that night; I can make it so much worse. So much worse.” I slowed down when I almost reached Tamia’s door. Last night? Did she…? She had something to do with that?
“But-but you’re hurting her… please, please leave her alone… please…” Eli said weakly, helplessly. I slammed the door open roughly. The fear I had felt earlier, that had almost come back when she mentioned the previous night was gone and I was just angry.
They both looked at me, Eli standing in front of Tamia who sat against the wall looking sick as she sniffled softly crying into the sleeves of her jacket. I clenched my teeth looking at Carrie.
“Get the fuck away from my children and get out of my house.” I glared at her.
“Your children?” She asked. “You know what, Jayden, I think you should get out.” She said.
“What?”
“This is my house now. Mine and Corey’s. Get out or I’ll have you taken out.” She replied.
“Really?” I coughed in disbelief, “How crazy are you?” I couldn’t help but chuckle at how ridiculous it was. She glared at me before smirking.
“Yes, really. Does the name Mike ring a bell?” My smile fell and she gave a light giggle walking closer to me, “You haven’t been imagining things, Jayden. He’s alive; very much so and so is –”
She was cut off by the sound of a massive explosion that sounded very near and I instantly dived to cover Eli and Tamia as they let out surprised screams. I looked out of Eli’s window hearing panicked screaming from outside before the alarm went off signalling that all the pups, elderly wolves and women had to go to the safe house while everyone else had to fight.
I looked to where Carrie had been standing, but she was gone. I didn’t have time to think about where to.
“Come on,” I lifted Tamia into my arms and grabbed her brother’s hand. We ran downstairs hearing another explosion go off that sounded even closer to us, it had my ears ringing as Tamia screamed again. Eli seemed too shocked to react to it other than with his wide, terrified eyes darting around as he clutched my hand tightly. When we were outside, I bent to put Tamia down. “Go with Lauren,” I said spotting our neighbour. She heard me and waited as I kissed Tamia’s head whispering an ‘I love you’ before doing the same to her brother. I needed to find Corey’s grandmother. I stood up as Tamia ran over to Lauren and grabbed the woman’s hand before they began running towards the safe house but Eli did not follow. “Eli, go.”
“No, Daddy, I have to help –” He began.
“You’re seven! You are not even close to being Alpha yet, Eli. You’re not trained for this yet! Go to the chambers!” I said.
He glared up at me. “I’m stronger than a lot of the old men right now, Dad, I can do this.” I looked at him trying to ignore everything around us as I knelt down in front of him.
“I know you can, but there’s too much to risk. This isn’t training, Eli, it’s real. I can’t have anything happen to you so listen to me. Go to the safe house. Please.” I said.
He opened his mouth to protest but paused as his eyes looked past me. “Daddy…” I furrowed my brows. Was it one of the people attacking us? I clenched my jaw getting ready to grab Eli and just run but froze, my breath catching in my throat when the person behind me spoke.
“Listen to your father, Eli.”
“He doesn’t look very much like you, Son.” My blood ran cold as a hand fell onto my shoulder lightly.
Eli looked back at me. “He’s your dad?” He asked. “But you said died a while ago.” He added looking back behind me confused before gulping, ‘He doesn’t look very nice, Dad…’ I opened my mouth in an attempt to try to tell Eli to get to the safe house but I couldn’t seem to find my voice. He glanced at me and frowned before narrowing his eyes at the man holding onto my shoulder. “What did you do?!” My father responded with a laugh.
“He certainly isn’t very much like you, Jayden. Takes after the better father, I assume?”
I seemed to get my voice back too late as Eli lifted his hand.
“No –!” My eyes widened, terror filling me as I turned and watched my father fall to his knees clutching his stomach where Eli had just used magic to hit him without even touching him. I tried to grab Eli but he disappeared, crying out as a massive wolf dove between us to smash into him. “Eli –” I heard something snap and tried to run at them but a hand grabbed my shirt and tugged forcefully causing me to fall back. I barely felt the pain as my head hit the paving and a foot collided with my temple.
“I figured a son of yours would have no discipline. He may not act or look very much like you; Jayden, but I’ll bet he’s every bit the mistake his father is.” I scrambled to my feet ignoring the pounding on my temple and my father who had just spoken. My eyes were fixed on my son squirming under the massive wolf, his leg bent unnaturally.
I kicked my leg forward forcefully and actually felt a little relief at the fact that Corey had forced me through the training he had when my father fell to the ground gripping his ankle. I looked back at my son and tried to run at Mike but cried out as a fist met my face. It still didn’t matter how much training I went through, I was an Omega. I stumbled and ended up tripping and falling back onto the ground when another punch swung at me, I heard my father laugh as he tried to come at me but I grabbed a rock and smashed it directly into his eye.
My eyes fixed back on my son as my father was out of the way.
I didn’t understand why Eli wasn’t shifting, he knew how to defend himself. I knew he was just as powerful as the man on top of him – if not more because of his Alpha status and the intensive training he got. He should be able to shift even while severely injured.
“Eli –!” I shouted trying to stand.
I cried out as I was slammed onto my back and my father’s fist met my face a few times.
“Da-Daddy, I-I can’t shift –” His voice was terrified, probably because he had never felt helpless in his life. I hated that he was just a few feet from me and I couldn’t get to him. I couldn’t help him and couldn’t protect him.
“You think we would come to this bewitched pack unprepared?” I groaned as his fist met my face again. I heard Eli whimper at the sound of my nose breaking and Mike chuckled. “Carrie’s told us all about that little piece of shit that doesn’t know his place,” I shoved him as he mentioned Eli; he wasn’t expecting it and fell to my side.
I moved backwards and covered my pounding face. Since I didn’t heal very fast unlike other wolves; I was going to be feeling the pain for a while. The streets around us were empty and quiet, besides the crackling of fire. Everyone was either at the shelter or looking for whoever planted the bombs.
“Carrie?” I looked at my father.
He chuckled standing up.
“Apparently you have something that belongs to that woman, don’t know what it is. Don’t care. She got some witch to bring us back to life and we got some magic lessons afterwards, in exchange for sparing Marcus’s life. That’s why the kid can’t shift.”
I shakily got to my feet wincing as I wiped the blood from my face before looking over at Eli and Mike.
“Let him go, Mike,” I said looking at the wolf. “You want – you want revenge, right? Just leave him alone. I – Corey and I killed you.” I added desperately hoping my plea would be enough and they would leave Eli alone.
The wolf didn’t move and my father laughed. ‘You’re right, we want revenge. This little asshole seems like a good place to start with.’ I shook my head looking back at him.
“Please –”
“D-Dad – what-what are you doing?” Eli sounded like his leg was really hurting him. I couldn’t stand it.
“Leave him alone. I’m right here, okay? Get your revenge on me. I won’t fight.” I said.
“Oh, no, no, Jayden. You killed me.” The wolf growled and my father rolled his eyes, “Us.” He said. I stood my ground as my father walked up to me before he smiled, “I’m going to make this hurt more than anything you’ve ever felt.”
My eyes shot to my son as I heard another snap. “No –!” I felt suffocating panic arise in my chest as Mike stood up and my son didn’t, Eli did not even make a sound. My legs felt like boulders that I couldn’t seem to move and yet had turned to jelly as paralysing fear coursed through me. “Eli –” my voice was barely audible through a crack. Why wasn’t he moving?! I did not want to think of an answer.
I attempted to step towards him but Mike blocked my path and I felt my father’s hand take my shoulder again as he stepped up behind me.
“Now let’s talk about that revenge, Jayden.”
*****
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