\[Rosco’s POV\]
Anger flows through me as I fight against the power that my father is using to try to keep me in check. If he wanted to test which of us was the strongest, I was more than happy to oblige, especially since this was all to stop me from protecting the one I loved most.
“Stand down,” my father repeats, his power pressing harder against me. “Or do you not take my threat seriously?”
Did I take it seriously? Even if I did, I wouldn’t give two shits! I was more than willing to give up every fucking thing to keep Denali safe.
“Honey, I think you need to calm down,” my mother murmurs, clasping my father’s arm. “Why don’t we all just take a breath and try to think rationally?"
“Rationally?” Beatrice repeats, her eyes nearly bulging out of her fucking head. “What is there to be rational about, Naomi? You saw the video! Denali is to blame for my poor Anastasia’s loss!”
“That video had to be altered!” I snap, pushing with all my might until my father’s power crumbles around me. “Have you even stopped to get Denali’s side of the story before jumping to your fucking conclusions? How can you possibly say that she was the one responsible for what happened to your daughter when she too was in an accident that about took her fucking life?”
This was all so fucking maddening! Every time I turned around, something was happening, and it was focused around Emerald Moon. Either this crazy mother-daughter duo was up to no good and behind all of this, or there was someone else working from the shadows.
As this thought hits, what Nadia said earlier hits me. Fuck! She was actually being serious; there was someone else helping her!
“Dammit!” I growl, realizing that I had overlooked something extremely important. “I’m going to fucking kill her!”
“Rosco,” my father snarls. “You need to calm down!”
Opening my mouth, I prepare to argue, but I never get the chance as police rush into the room and surround Denali’s bed.
“Miss Ozera,” one begins, pulling cuffs from his belt. “We’re here because..."
“You aren’t going to fucking touch her!” I hiss, grabbing Denali and pulling her into my arms. “I’ll break every fucking limb if you even try.”
“Rosco, I’ve had enough of your insolence!” My father roars, letting his power slam into me so that I’m struggling to stay upright. “I told you we would settle this, but until then, you need to..."
“I won’t!” I growl, continuing to fight. “As long as anyone wants to take my wife anywhere, I won’t stop fighting.”
“Then you know what the consequences will be,” my father warns.
With each word that leaves his lips, I can feel it, the bond between us being broken. He was truly going to do it; he was going to cut ties with me, and right now I didn’t give two shits. There was something more important to protect than my connection with Crystal Fang.
“Do what you must,” I say slowly, beating him to the punch. “I, Rosco Torress, renounce my position as future alpha of Crystal Moon and renounce my position as a member of the pack.”
Growing quiet, I watch my father’s eyes grow wide with shock as the invisible string holding us together is severed and we cut our ties.
“Don’t regret this,” my father warns as my mother collapses into him with grief over what I’ve done. “If we meet again, I’ll be forced to kill you for breaking our ties.”
“I’ve only ever regretted one thing in my life,” I respond, pulling Denali closer.
Turning away from him, I take in the police that are watching us, clearly wondering how to go about dealing with the situation that has turned on them.
“Hang on,” I whisper in Denali’s ear. “Things are about to get bumpy.”
Finished speaking, I begin to move, rushing toward the window, and when I reach it, I use my body to shatter it. Giving my parents one last look, I jump, diving through while holding Denali against me as we begin to plummet toward the earth.
\[Nadia’s POV\]
“Miss Valentine.”
The guard's voice echoes from just outside my door, stirring me from my light doze as I wait for the one who will be sure to help me out of all of this to arrive.
“You’ve got a visitor.”
“Great,” I beam, giving a stretch and sitting up. “Please send her in.”
Growing quiet, I wait until my door opens and she steps inside. Even when she wears a large hat and sunglasses, I still recognize her immediately and feel a pulse of irritation due to just how fucking much she looks like the bitch that stole Rosco.
“About time you arrived,” I sigh, watching as she pulls off her ridiculous disguise. “I was beginning to think you would go back on our deal.”
“Never,” she giggles, taking a seat and fixing her large blue eyes on me. “How could I possibly when you’ve done such a wonderful job of ruining my dear sister?"
As she speaks, satisfaction and another much darker emotion appear on her face, and I wonder just how much hatred she must harbor not only against the bitch but also against the pack and father that turned her away.
“Only because we have a common goal." I shrug. “But since I’ve done my part, you must do yours.”
“I know,” she sighs, beginning to dig in her purse until she finds a knife. “After this, you’re on your own, though.”
“No worries,” I grin. “I don’t plan on continuing to work with someone who looks so much like the bitch I hate. I just want my man; you can do what you want with her.”
“I’m simply waiting for her to arrive, and then the plan will be in motion,” she assures me. “I’ve already gotten my men to switch with some of the guards here; they’re just waiting for my command.”
“Great.”
“Well then,” she begins, getting up from her seat. “I do believe this is where we part ways, no?”
It was, and I was thankful for it. Even if she hated that bitch as much as me, I didn’t trust her. Something about the woman didn’t sit right, but since she could help me achieve my goal, I worked along with her.
“And don’t forget,” she continues, her gaze growing dark and causing a chill to rush down my spine. “If you dare speak a word about any of this, you will be dead by morning.”
“Are you threatening me?” I hiss, narrowing my gaze.
“Not threatening!" she giggles. “Just promising, have a great rest of your life, and I do hope that you get what you’re after.”
“I will, don’t you worry,” I beam. “Even if it means I have to kill, I will get my man back.”
“Sure, sure,” she shrugs before heading out. “But hold onto him tight because there are other sharks ready to prey on him.”
“What was that?” I growl, not sure if I heard her correctly.
“Nothing!”