#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.

to my scalp, massaging the tender skin there, but I don’t make

mother says, sitting forward in her chair. “What

my father snaps, glaring at her, glaring at all of us. “What a mess of this you all have made for me. With your little plans and your sneaking – whatever it is you did with

at him, then, my eyes narrowing. He’s talking mostly to me, I’ve

quite frankly, he’s

lost my allegiance a long time ago, dad,” I say softly. “I don’t know why you

a hand to hit me again

a tone I’ve never heard from her

I’m shocked, really –

out her hands, which I take, and pulling me up to my feet. I follow her, willingly, to a seat on the couch, glad to be out of my father’s strike zone and

together again. Safe, for

her arms and looking between me and him. Her assertive tone, too, is a surprise. I have to admit, I like these new sides of my mom and

glares around the room at all of us, as if we’re as much of

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

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

within it.” He shifts his eyes to me. “I have the three things that matter most to Kensington in this world, and by

towards the door, but my mother – panicked – stands again and rushes for

us in here again – we need to be

step towards her, opening his

base has officially fallen – we need to lock down in here, sir, if we’re going to have any chance of

at us all. “I want silence form each of you.” Then, he turns to the Betas and waves them in.

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

swiftly set up their headquarters at the other end of the room, muttering quietly to each other as my mother comes

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 take their orders. My father leans over the table with them, looking at

soon as they’re released, my boys come flying to me. I wrap them both in my arms at once, giving them kisses, but taking extra time to cosset my Alvin, holding his face in my hands, looking him over so to ensure that he’s

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