#Chapter 186 – Strategic Retreat

My father pulls me along with him as he storms through the back entrance of my childhood home, his hand wrapped around my upper arm.

I gave up resisting at the car, when I had tried to pull free of him – to head back to the battlefield, to see what the hell happened after all those Betas had saluted Victor, and then turned around –

Had turned against my father, started to attack his own base –

“Come on, Evelyn,” my father growls at me, tugging me forward. Despite his age, his Alpha grip on my arm is solid and I stumble over my own feet in my efforts to keep up. He’s holding me so tightly that if I fall, I worry he’ll let me dislocate my shoulder rather than let go of me.

“Dad,” I say, my teeth clenched as he hauls me along, “let me go! I’m already in the house, where do you think I’m going to run to?”

He ignores me, moving forward through the first floor of the house and along to the living room, where two guards stand ready at the door. At the sight of him, they stand aside and he takes a key from his pocket.

I blink in surprise at the sight of the key – I hadn’t even known that his door locked.

After twisting it in the lock, my father pushes open the door, dragging me forward enter the room alongside him. The force of his strength has me stumbling again and I fall onto my knees after taking a few stumbling steps into the room, my father finally letting me go.

“Mama!” I hear, and I whip my head to see two little boys – two little boys –

“Alvin,” I gasp, moving towards him, desperate to hold my child in my arms –

But I scream when my father grabs my hair, pulling me backwards, holding me firm. My scream of pain turns into a yell of fury as I claw at his hand with mine, desperate to get free, but he tightens his grip and smacks me across the head with his other hand.

I go still at the blow, gasping at the pain, and hear my children shriek across the room. When I open my eyes to look at them – to see if they’re okay – they’re being held back by two Betas, prevented from coming to help me, as they so clearly want to.

“That’s enough,” my father growls, “from all of you.”

I go still, watching my boys do the same. Then, looking around the room, I realize that everyone is here – everyone. My mother, my sister, Delia –

The room is so dark, though, for the afternoon – I glance at the windows, and see that the shutters block out all of the light. The whole place feels like a very miserable little cage.

roughly shoving me forward. My hands go to my scalp, massaging the tender skin there, but I don’t make any further protestations or moves to escape. I wouldn’t leave this room without

my mother says, sitting forward in her chair. “What on

a mess of this you all have made for me. With your little plans and your sneaking – whatever it is you did with Joyce to ruin me, to make

eyes narrowing. He’s talking mostly to me,

frankly,

my allegiance a long time ago, dad,” I say softly. “I

me again and I flinch

says, her voice low with warning, a tone I’ve never heard from her

teeth, lowering his hand. I’m shocked, really – I’ve never, ever seen my

her, willingly, to a seat on the couch, glad to be out of my father’s strike zone and closer to my children. My boys look at me with sad, scared eyes, but I can’t help the relief that must

together again.

looking between me and him. Her assertive tone, too, is a surprise. I have to admit, I like

room at all of us, as if we’re as much of his

my Betas against me,” he says, “he took control of them on the

light up at this information, Ian’s ruse as the wounded son clearly ended. My father narrows his eyes at

says, his voice low. “I still have this house, I still have my forces within it.” He shifts his eyes to me. “I have the three things that matter most to Kensington in this world, and by god, I’m going to make

he turns towards the door, but my mother – panicked – stands again

in here again – we need to be

of me,” my father snaps, ripping his arm from her grasp. He takes a threatening step towards her, opening his

back into the room and glaring at us all. “I want silence form each of you.” Then, he turns to the Betas and waves

– shouldn’t my father have a bigger planning force than this? Did all of his Betas truly

room, muttering quietly to each other as my mother comes back

she says decisively to the two Betas holding Alvin and Ian. “You’ll be needed elsewhere, surely.” The Betas hesitate but then she gives them a steely glare and they let the boys go, heading over to the Betas on the other side of the room to

them both in my arms at once, giving them kisses, but taking extra

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