Chapter 41: Chapter 41

After dinner that night, Rodrigo and his mate watched cartoon with the kids until it was time for bed. Paulina went into the kitchen to tidy up, after kissing Teresa and David goodnight, while Rodrigo put the kids to bed.

While wiping her wet hands with a clean towel, Paulina felt a swift movement outside. She looked out the window to see who it was, but there was no one there. To make certain, she went out of the house through the back door and still there wasn’t a soul in sight.

Concluding within herself that she was probably having a paranoia, Paulina went back inside the house, only to be met with a set of sharp claws around her neck. She gasped at the cold feeling of the tip of her attacker’s claws on her skin and tried to crane her neck backwards to get a glance of the werewolf holding her captive in her own house, but that was a big mistake on her part, as her attacker’s claws sank into her neck, causing blood to ooze out of the wound.

“Tsk tsk… Make one wrong move and you’re dead.” The stranger’s deep voice threatened in her ear, consuming her with fear.

“What do you want?” Paulina asked in a shaky voice, as she was scared of the tall stranger who could kill her any minute.

Her wolf was agitated and was pleading for her to call out to her mate for help, but she was doubtful about it being a smart move to make. Her mate could be this stranger’s target and she couldn’t risk Rodrigo or the kids getting hurt because of her inability to protect herself.

“Now you’re getting the point.” The stranger said cheekily, much to Paulina’s disgust.

“I’d like to have a word with my father.”

There was a sudden sinking feeling in the pit of Rodrigo’s stomach as he tucked David in bed, but he couldn’t decipher what it was. He tried to brush off the feeling but his wolf wasn’t having it.

“Our mate is in trouble.” It told Rodrigo, causing him to leave David’s room in a hurry.

Thanks to the moon goddess, Teresa and David were already asleep when he took them to their various rooms, if not, he wouldn’t have been able to respond to his wolf’s nagging voice. He raced down the stairs and halted in his tracks at the foot of the stairs, just as he noticed his mate being dragged out of the kitchen by a total stranger. He growled on seeing Paulina being treated with disrespect, gaining both his mate and the stranger’s attention.

Rodrigo was about to lunge towards the stranger as he was already in a half shift, but stopped himself when his mate cried out in pain from the stranger’s vicious assault on her neck.

“Wow! I’m impressed by your swiftness. The mate bond really does work magic like they say.” The stranger tried to sound impressed but there was a hint of mockery in his voice.

Paulina shook her head in disapproval, as a way of telling her mate to remain where he was because she didn’t want things going downhill.

“Who are you?” Rodrigo growled at the stranger. He was only listening to his mate at this point because he was taking into consideration the safety of the pups sleeping soundly upstairs.

“I find it funny that a father doesn’t recognize his own son.” The stranger replied, looking Rodrigo straight in the eye.

“You!”

“Yes. Me… Just so you know, my mother named me after you. So, it’s Junior to you.”

The sad and betrayed look Rodrigo’s mate was giving him made him gnash his teeth and ball his hands into fists, regretting why he didn’t listen to his father twenty four years ago. His show of mercy then has turned out to be the greatest mistake of his life.

“Meeting you face to face, I know now where my good looks come from.” There was amusement in his voice, as he watched his father getting all riled up by his presence.

“Let her go.” Rodrigo demanded through gritted teeth, using every fibre of his being to suppress his enraged wolf because one wrong move on his part could cost his mate’s life.

He wouldn’t be able to live with himself if something bad were to happen to his mate, as he has hurt her enough already.

“Why should I?” His son countered, tightening his grip on Paulina’s neck.

She silently cried, knowing that she was the prey in all of this.

What will become of her little girl, Teresa if things don’t end up well tonight? She thought to herself, mentally praying to the moon goddess to save her in this situation.

“She has nothing to do with anything.”

“Is that so?... But from the story I was told, she is the cause of everything. So, tell me again why I should spare her.”

Rodrigo looked down in shame. All of this was his fault and no one else’s.

“Why did you refuse to accept me?” Junior was done with the pleasantries and wanted to get down to business.

“You were never part of the plan.” Rodrigo out rightly replied, not holding back the truth.

“Plan?!...” His son scoffed, surprised by Rodrigo’s blunt reply.

“… And you had everything well planned out, yet you made my mother believe that you actually cared. How much more cruel can you be?”

“Monica knew what she was getting herself into.” Rodrigo said in his defense.

“Wrong answer.” Junior clawed Paulina across the back, sending her to the ground.

“Don’t you dare come close.” He warned when Rodrigo tried to reach for his mate.

“I suffered as a child because of you. Everyone in the Rosewood pack taunted me for having no identity… I was ridiculed, bullied and starved every single day because of you!” He aggressively grabbed Paulina by the hair, to make her stand up, only to repeat the same action.

Rodrigo lunged at his so called son in anger, for assaulting his mate, but the raging werewolf threw him across the room, causing his body to violently make contact with the wall.

“Do you know what it feels like to be starved?... To be treated like an outcast and eventually driven away?”

Junior didn’t intend to stop his assault on Paulina anytime soon as he wanted the older werewolves, especially his father’s mate to have a taste of his wrath. He has bottled up his emotions for far too long, and was more than ready to give full vent to his feelings in a violent outburst, without a care of the consequences.

“But guess what?... I realized with time that I wasn’t just a mere werewolf, but something more, something stronger than anyone could imagine. So, I returned to the Rosewood pack and killed ever single soul that ever looked down on me. Aren’t I great?” He laughed like a complete psychopath, and was about to repeat the same action on Paulina as his eyes turned red, but Rodrigo stopped him in the nick of time, knowing that his mate wouldn’t survive this one.

“What do you want?!” He yelled.

“I want what’s rightfully mine!” His son yelled back.

“After I destroy everything and everyone you love, I want you to make up for all the lost years.” He continued.

“That’s never gonna happen.”

“Oh, it is. And you’re gonna watch it happen.” He lifted Paulina’s small, weak and battered frame by the throat, strangling the remaining life out of her.

“Stop!” Rodrigo pleaded, clutching his chest as he felt his stomach knot with fear and his wolf slowly going dormant from the pain of his mate’s almost lifeless breathing.

“Say it properly!” Junior demanded, enjoying the look of horror in his father’s eyes.

Rodrigo didn’t fight back, not because he couldn’t fight back or because his mate’s attacker was his own son, but because he shouldn’t fight back. This is based on the tradition of the Pride pack, that a previous alpha should never take on the enemy or the challenge of a present alpha, no matter how dire the situation was. He would’ve killed his son with his own hands if not for that darn tradition, because the consequences were that he would lose his wolf or worse, die in the process.

“Please, stop.” He reluctantly pleaded, as he lowered his head in shame, too embarrassed to look at the result of what he thought in the past was a harmless frivolous pleasure.

“That’s more like it.” Junior said in a satisfied tone, dropping Paulina’s body carelessly on the ground.

Rodrigo rushed towards his mate’s body, holding her to himself, as she struggled to breathe.

“Sorry to burst your bubble, but I’m still going to kill her. I only listened to you because she was too easy and that’s not how I operate.”

“You bastard!”

“That was then, but not anymore cos I know who my father is.” He smirked at the hopeless scene before him, feeling proud of himself.

“You’re gonna be so proud of me when I become the alpha of this pack. By then, it’s just gonna be you and me… But in the meantime, I have a little sister to get rid of.” As soon as he uttered those words, he disappeared from Rodrigo’s view.

“See you again, papa!” He concluded through mind link with a mild laugh before everything went silent.

Isabel quickened her pace as she walked towards their bedroom, praying to the moon goddess that her mate should be in one piece when she opens the bedroom door because her wolf was beginning to feel uneasy about her supposed brother’s sudden appearance.

‘What if he has already done something bad to our mate?’ Her wolf said in great agitation, making Isabel feel bad about leaving him alone in the house.

Ingrid and the other help are both of no use, given the fact that they are omega werewolves.

She threw open the bedroom door and sighed in relief when she found her mate drying his hair with a towel. It looks like he just got out of the shower, as he was wearing only his pajamas pants.

Dylan on the other hand gave his mate a weird and confused look, wondering why she entered into the room looking alarmed.

Was she expecting something bad to happen to him or did someone give her a wrong tip off?

Before he could find out what was going on, Isabel was in front of him in a matter of seconds. She captured his lips, confusing him all the more.

“Did you miss me that much? I guess I’m pretty good, huh?” He teased after the kiss, to lighten the atmosphere.

“Don’t get ahead of yourself. I had a long day.” Isabel replied, savoring the feeling of her mate’s masculine fingers as he caressed her cheek.

“Says the one who looked like she was ready to tear down the house only minutes ago.” He further joked, hoping it would help ease his mate’s stress.

“You’re no fun.” She moved away from his touch, settling herself comfortably on the bed.

“Don’t take it seriously, babe. I was only joking.” Dylan assured his mate, joining her on the bed.

She dismissed the subject with a wave of her hand because knowing the kind of person Dylan was, he would stress the topic until she’s forced to tell him the truth. That’s how persuasive he was.

‘Why isn’t this feeling going away?’ Isabel mentally questioned herself, as she ran her fingers lazily through her mate’s locks, who was lying comfortably on her lap.

“You feel much better now?” She asked her mate, to distract her thoughts from the negative feeling.

“Uh-huh… Your touch worked like magic.” Dylan replied, giving her a knowing wink.

Isabel felt a warm blush rise to her cheeks at his reply, as she recalled what they did earlier in the living room. She chuckled and slapped her mate lightly on the head to hide her embarrassment.

“Ow! That hurt!” Dylan exclaimed, feigning hurt.

Isabel’s joy was shortlived by the sound of her mom’s breathless, shaky voice through mind link.

“I-Is-Isabel”

“Mama, what’s wrong? Where’s papa?”

“He’s here.” Was all her mom replied.

It sounded like she wasn’t just in tears, but in severe pain.

Isabel’s eyes turned yellow and she pushed her mate from off her, wasting no second in exiting the room without looking back.

Dylan, too surprised to complain about his mate’s sudden change in behavior chased after Isabel, calling out her name while at it, but it seemed like she wasn’t herself anymore. So, he watched her leave the house with a fearful heart.