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“You just stood there and said nothing, you should have made your father kick him out!” Vince asks as he takes another swig from the bottle.
“I- I didn't know what to say,” I reply, my voice barely above a whisper. I know that anything I say might set him off, but I also know that I can't stay silent.
Vince scoffs, his eyes narrowing dangerously. “Of course, you didn't. You always take his side. I make a few small mistakes and you turn on me, all of you turn on me!”
“That's not true,” I protest, feeling a surge of anger rising within me. “I just don't want to be in the middle of this mess.”
“Mess?” he growls. “You are the reason for this mess!” he yells, making me flinch.
Vince takes a menacing step toward me, and instinctively, I take a step back. “You're in the middle whether you like it or not, Rose,” he growls, his breath reeking of alcohol.
“Mommy?” a small voice calls from behind me, and I glance over to see my daughter standing in the doorway, her eyes wide with fear. My heart clenches, and I immediately move to block her view.
“Go back to your room, sweetie,” I tell her softly, trying to shield her from the tension in the room. She hesitates, but eventually nods and disappears back down the hallway.
“Yelling at me in front of her? Really, Vince?” I hiss, my anger growing stronger.
“I wouldn't have to if you'd just stand up for me for once!” Vince shouts, his face growing red with fury.
I shake my head, feeling tears prick at the corners of my eyes. “He's her father,” I whisper.
Vince's expression darkens, and I know that I've crossed a line. “I am her father! I fucking raised her!” Vince screams at me. I can't help but think of Casen and the possibility of a different life had I not rejected him all those years ago. A life where I didn't banish him, one where I don't have to live in fear, and where my daughter doesn't have to witness her father's drunken rages.
“Okay... Just keep your voice down,” I whisper, glancing at the hall where Casey ran off back to her room. Vince mutters under his breath, walking toward the living room.
“Get me some pants,” he snarls at me, and I chew my lip but rush to fetch them.
I stand in the living room, my hands trembling as I clutch the edges of my shirt. The air inside the house is thick with tension, like a storm brewing. I can't help but feel overwhelmed by the events that have unfolded.
He's sitting on the couch, a bottle of whiskey in his hand, and I can see the anger in his eyes. When he gets like this, I am the target of his rage. “I want you to go speak with your father, tell him to make Casen leave.”
I swallow the lump in my throat, trying to choose my words carefully. “Vince, it's not that simple. Casen isn't going to leave now that he knows about Casey,” I tell him.
“Then you order Casen to leave!” Vince snarls.
“You know I can't. I am not Alpha; my father is the Alpha.” I feel like a parrot. He knows this, I told him this already.
“Yes, because you refuse to challenge him for the position, your fucking birthright, Rose!” My father refused to hand the pack over to me once we learned Vince had a drinking problem, and I refused to challenge my father and leave the pack in Vince’s hands.
Vince's face contorts in anger, and I brace myself for his outburst. He jumps up from the couch, the bottle slipping from his grasp and shattering on the floor. “You never cared about me! You always wanted Casen, didn't you?”
“You know that’s not true,” I tell him. Always the same argument, every time we fight, he always compares himself to Casen.
My heart races as I shake my head, denying his accusation. “Mommy, you forgot my cookies,” comes Casey's frightened voice. Vince stops, glancing at her. I can see my daughter, Casey, peeking through the doorway, her eyes wide with fear.
“Casey, go to your room, sweetheart,” I urge her, trying to keep my voice calm.
As Casey scurries away, I turn my attention back to Vince, who is now dangerously close to me. I turn to place some distance between us, only for Vince to grab my arm roughly, digging his fingers in painfully, making me whimper.
“Just hurry up and make fucking dinner before you piss me off,” Vince sneers as he pushes me away, causing me to stumble over my feet. I get Casey’s cookies and milk to bring them to her, hoping she doesn’t come out, or I will have to make an excuse to go to my parents just to get her out of here.
When I enter, Casey runs to me, wrapping her arms around my legs tightly. “Mommy, the other man, he is my daddy too?” she asks.
“We can talk about it later, I have to cook dinner.”
“Will he be mean to you like Daddy too?” she asks, and I pause.
“He looks like Daddy,” she says, sounding confused.
