How could she reduce my son to that stereotype? I could feel my heart racing, and my claws itching to break free. I had to fight the urge to lash out, but it was like a dam holding back a flood. Annabelle had crossed a line, and I couldn't sit back and let her mock the memory of my son like that.
How could she not understand the burden of my son being treated badly by a mate and still keep my head above water while facing scorn? A small spark of frustration I had simmering inside ignited into an all-consuming flame. I didn’t want to appear weak, but with every taunt, Annabelle chipped away at my resolve until I felt raw and exposed.
I lost it when she finally asked where Gideon was, using the words scrunny little mutt, to describe my precious son. Letting the floodgates open, I looked at her with murder written all over my face, and before Damon could jump in front of me, I leaped toward Annabelle and straddled her.
With my claws and fangs out, I continued to land swings and slashes all over her face and body, making her scream in agony. She tried her best to fight me off, but she couldn't even land a decent punch on me. I was simply stronger and quicker.
"Get off me!" Annabelle screamed as she tried to get me to stop.
I could hear Damon ordering me to do the same, but none of the things they were saying were registering. I wanted to hurt Annabelle so badly that it brought me so much satisfaction to see how bloody her arms were as she tried to cover her face from my assaults.
This was nothing. The pain she was feeling paled in comparison to what Gideon and I went through in Damon's absence. I kept going to the point of insanity, enjoying her cries for help and the feel of her skin ripping as I slashed at it.
A minute later, I was suddenly thrown off of Annabelle, landing harshly on the wall across the room. With an angry growl, Damon approached me and started attacking me the same way I attacked Anabelle.
I didn't try to fight Damon off. I simply rolled into a fetal position and waited until he was finally done hurting and humiliating me. I figured that if I let things be, the sooner I'd be able to get away. Besides, he wouldn't dare kill me as that would be treason.
"Where's Gideon?" Damon finally asked as he wiped the blood stains off his hands on my clothes.
I stayed silent, reliving the last moments of Gideon in my head as I heaved and coughed from the injuries Damon had just given me. When he asked again, I couldn't help but release a sarcastic laugh as I slowly sat. How dare he ask about our son he easily abandoned? I thought to myself. I wiped the blood dripping over my eyes and slowly stood.
"You'll never see him again, so both of you can just go to hell!" I huffed, smiling at Annabelle and Damon eerily before limping away, only to be stopped by Damon once again.
“You’re using him as leverage again, aren't you, Dakota?” he had accused, his eyes sparking with anger.
The accusation stung more than I expected. I was still processing how we had reached this point—how the bond we had once shared felt frayed and taut now. All this time, he thought I was using our son to get whatever I wanted. He thought I was playing games when all I wanted was to give Gideon what he had been hoping for before he died; his father's love.
"Don't ever say I used our son for personal gain. You don't know anything," I answered defiantly.
Damon's jaw ticked as he stared daggers at me. I knew then that he was using his mind link when his eyes became hazy for a moment. Soon, Finn, his beta appeared. The look on Finn's face when he saw my state somehow made me feel vulnerable, because even though he was aware of how Damon was treating me, not once did he see me bloodied, bruised, and scarred.
"Find Gideon and bring him to me," Damon ordered.
Confusion covered Finn's expression as he looked between me and his alpha. When his eyes finally landed on me, Finn had a questioning look, which I completely ignored. When he understood that I hadn't said anything to Damon, he took a deep breath.
"Alpha, Gideon is," he started, nervousness spilling out from him.
