Clare

  The sound of someone getting hit hard was transmitted from the tablet Sawyer and I were looking at.

  I flinched and couldn’t help fidgeting in my seat. If we weren’t in a car, hiding away from Elijah’s dad while monitoring the situation at Elijah’s house, I would be pacing back and forth.

  “When will your dad get here? Are you sure you won’t go in and stop him?” I asked worriedly.

  “No, my dad needs to see how bad it gets for Elijah and maybe Elijah needs to see this video so he can let go of his ‘loved one’ who delights in hurting him.” Sawyer said.

  If I ignored his tight grip on the steering wheel, I might have believed that he didn’t care that the figure bending over the floor being kicked repeatedly was Elijah.

  However, I did agree that Elijah needed to see the monstrous look on his father’s face and the depraved light in his eyes as he hit him.

  Even after I dropped the plan to help Elijah get evidence, it had taken several words of persuasion to get him to decide to get this evidence about his father, which we would use to help him get emancipation legally with Sawyer’s father’s help.

  “He’s here.” Sawyer said, as a car quietly rounded the bend into Elijah’s somewhat secluded house street, which was pitch dark and silent, showing that Elijah’s father had even gone so far as soundproofing his home to hide how badly he hit Elijah.

  A dignified looking middle-aged man with hair styled like Sawyer’s got out of the car wearing pajamas that were only slightly covered by the long coat he was wearing.

  The man glanced at Sawyer’s car before bending down to pull a phone out of his car, shutting the door silently and then moving straight onto Elijah’s front porch.

  I sighed in relief as the sound of Elijah’s father’s punches died down as Sawyer’s father walked straight into the house without knocking and, in less than a minute, appeared on the video we were watching.

  Elijah’s father’s face turned gloomy at the sight of Alpha Jonathan Hawkins.

  “What are you doing here?” Beta Shepherd said in a stiff tone.

  “If I didn’t come over, did you plan to kill him? Look at your fists! They’re bruised from hitting your only son! I should have known there was something fishy about the way Emily ran off without even telling me why, even at the risk of living as a rogue wolf. Turns out living like a rogue was probably better than staying married to you.” Alpha Jonathan’s words were sharp and merciless, making Beta Shepherd’s face contort into an ugly frown.

  “Stay out of this. This doesn’t concern you.” Beta Shepherd said.

  Alpha Jonathan stood to his fullest height and looked at Beta Shepherd with a scowl. “Doesn’t concern me? Elijah is a member of my pack. Although you’re his father and guardian, you’re both under my jurisdiction, so if he wants, I can and will get him freedom from you. I…”

  “Let’s go in.” Sawyer said, opening the car door and stepping out with the tablet in his hand.

  I rushed out to follow him so I could continue watching the video as Alpha Jonathan completely floored Beta Shepherd with his eloquence that Sawyer had undoubtedly inherited.

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  When we walked into the living room where Alpha Jonathan, Elijah and Elijah’s dad were, Alpha Jonathan was asking Elijah if he was willing to get emancipated from his dad under Elijah’s father’s watchful glare.

  Elijah seemed to have been hesitating, but when we walked in, his gaze locked with mine.

  I forced a smile, trying to encourage him to do what was right for him, but my smile could barely stay up because he looked completely beaten up, sitting on the floor, cupping his stomach with his hands with bruises everywhere my eyes fell on.

  Thankfully, something about my forced smile seemed to push Elijah to make the right choice as he closed his eyes and nodded in agreement with Alpha Jonathan’s proposal.

  Once he got Elijah’s permission, Alpha Jonathan started making plans. “Good, you’re going home with me…or Sawyer. Tomorrow, I’ll call the lawyer over and we’ll call the lawyer over and start the process. I’ll get you a key to an apartment in Sawyer’s apartment building and Sawyer will follow you back here to get all your stuff. If you need anything, just speak to Sawyer. I’ll pay for it out of my own pocket.”

  “You can’t do this Jonathan! He’s my only son. My legacy…he’s supposed to be the next Beta of this pack after me,” Beta Shepherd said.

  Alpha Jonathan’s face turned frosty. “And who says he can’t be the next Beta if he gets emancipated? I’m giving you a warning now. We have a video of everything that just happened. If you go after Elijah even once, I’ll bring that video to the pack council meeting and call for voting on your impeachment from the position of Beta. With how popular you are with the pack councilmen, I’m sure you know how that will go.”

  “You can’t do this, you really can’t do this.” Unlike the man who had been hitting Elijah spiritedly just a few minutes ago, Beta Shepherd sat on the floor, looking like a broken old man as Sawyer and I helped Elijah to his feet and helped him out of the house.

  “Let’s go straight to the pack hospital to get him treated.” Alpha Jonathan said as we moved toward Sawyer’s car.

  “Yeah, it’s okay, Dad. You can go back home. We’ll take it from here. I’ll give Elijah the keys to the apartment below mine, so you just need to call the property manager to prepare a contract.”

  After we settled Elijah into the back seat of Sawyer’s car, I turned to find Alpha Jonathan studying me, which made me stiffen in place.

  He seemed to see my nervousness as he smiled and stretched out his hands with a smile. “Hello, I’m Sawyer’s father and the Alpha of the Hawkins pack. I believe this is our first meeting.”

  I was a bit surprised at how jovial he was being toward me, so I moved forward to shake his outstretched hands.

  “Nice to meet you sir, I’m Clare Parker, Sawyer’s…Sawyer’s…” I couldn’t seem to say the word ‘girlfriend’ because I didn’t know if he was one of those elitist Alphas who would be displeased with the idea of his future Alpha son dating a commoner, mixed mutt werewolf like myself with no birth pack of her own.

  “Girlfriend. I know. No need to be too nervous. I’m fine with you being Sawyer’s girlfriend. In fact, I don’t mind you coming over once in a while to our home for dinner.” He said, releasing my hand as he glanced at Sawyer, who had come around to where we were standing near the car’s passenger seat.

  Was he trying to tell me that he didn’t mind me dating Sawyer, but wanted me to know my place and not think of being more than a girlfriend to Sawyer?

  I didn’t get to interact more with him, as Sawyer sent his father away quickly. “Dad, you’re scaring her. Just go home to your wife and daughter. I’ll take it from here.”

  His father glared at him. “What do you take me for? Your security agency? You just hack into my phone with live footage of my Beta hitting his son, get me to solve it, and then throw me away?”

  With a curl on the corner of his lips, Sawyer opened the door to the passenger seat for me to get in while speaking to his dad. “Not at all. I just want you to go home quickly before Ava calls me worrying about you. Plus, Clare has a curfew and she won’t be able to sleep well if we don’t get Elijah settled on time at the hospital before her curfew starts. So just go home quickly. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  That evening, we settled Elijah into the hospital and by the time my curfew was almost starting, he had already gotten treated, receiving some pain relievers to help him bear the pain of his bruised ribs and sprained ankle.

  I placed a kiss on his forehead and got a smile out of him after I promised to come see him tomorrow with the honorable cat, Miss Queen. Then I left with Sawyer, who drove me straight to Josie’s place, leaving only after giving me a warm hug.