My Protector

XLII

Melanie

An hour from home. We were so close. I was watching out the window in anticipation. So was Dominic. He was anticipating something else though. He had him. My father that is. He told me they had him at the clubhouse. How did they get him? I thought for sure he'd be working with someone. I guess not.

"Almost there, Babygirl." Dom said as he gently rubbed his thumb over my knuckles. His hand rested in mine on my lap. He's anxious to get home. He wants to move us into our home as soon as possible. I don't blame him. Me too.

The next hour was spent in silence. Both of us getting nervous the closer we got to the club. I was nervous to see the girls. How was Hannah? Was Dorian ok? Would they think differently of me now? Too many questions swirled in my head.

Before I knew it we pulled into the parking lot. A soft coat of snow covered everything. It was a beautiful sight to come home.

Before Dominic even turned the engine off, Emily was rushing outside with a stressed looking Alpha. Hannah and Vanessa were soon to follow. Josie was not with them.

"Oh my gosh! I thought Rage was going to keep you all to himself!" Hannah teased. Dominic shook his head as he began unloading the trunk.

"Welcome home." Alpha gave Dom one of those guy handshakes. The rest of the boys eventually made their way out.

"How are you feeling?" Emily asked me. I have long sleeves on so luckily they couldn't see the damage.

"I'm ok." I smiled. Vanessa looked at me suspiciously. I knew eventually I will have to show the girls my scars. I'm sure they know what happened. They know I was hurt badly.

"Church." Bruiser called from the doorway of the club. "That includes the mates." He said looking at us.

Before we headed in I turned to the girls. "Where is Josie?" I asked. I haven't seen her anywhere.

"Emily sent her to a safe house for the week. It's a long story." Hannah waved it off. Odd. What could have happened that she went by herself?

Church was a lot different than I thought. I've been in the rooms a few times, but never in a meeting. All of the mates sat on their respective man's lap. Except for Emily who sat in a chair next to her standing husband. Dominic had a tight grip around my waist preventing from even thinking about trying to stand. All of the men had intense looks. They were prepared for whatever their president had to say.

"First let's acknowledge that Rage and Melanie had a safe trip back." Alpha gestured to us. Everyone gave a loud cheer. I knew a dark blush was covering my face. I wasn't used to being called out.

"Glad to have our little rina back." Rogue said raising whatever drink he had. Everyone agreed with him.

"Alright," Alpha said, successfully quieting the room. "Henry Micheal Vincent. The man who began all this." Alpha looked towards me. I knew what was coming. "You have a choice, speak to him or we can have your mate tear him up without a word from you. Either way he does." Alpha stated. That was rather blunt.

I looked at my hands while I thought. If I spoke with him, would that give me closure? Would I feel better about what happened? Or would it make it worse? If I didn't do anything I might regret it. This was such a hard decision. I hated making choices. My whole life they've been made for me. My father controlled everything I did. From the clothes I wore to the classes I took. Now I was making a decision for him. Do I let him see his one and only daughter again, or do I let him die without having that pleasure.

I looked back at Dominic who gave me a simple nod. He probably thinks I should never even think about him again. He sees my father as a threat to everything he knows. I don't blame him, I still do too.

Finally I looked back up to Alpha. "I think... I think I want to speak to him again." I said. Alpha nodded before banging his hand on the table.

"Church dismissed." He announced. That's it? Ten minutes and it was over? Sometimes Dominic will come in here and not come out for hours.

"Melanie!" Emily waved me over to her. I pulled myself off of Dom's lap and made my way to her.

"What is it?" I asked her. The other girls soon joined.

"We have a surprise for you and Dominic." She smiled. A surprise?

"What kind of surprise?" I asked squinting my eyes at her.

"A kind of surprise that involves getting in the car with a blindfold." Vanessa laughed.

"What?" I asked surprised. What could this surprise be?

"Let's go!" Emily pulled me past Dominic and out the door. I tried my best to ignore the pain where she had grabbed me. Luckily she soon let go to lead me outside.

"Where are we going?" Dominic asked from behind me. Alpha trailed us with a bag. Oh no, he was in on it too.

"It's a surprise!" Hannah huffed. She had grown since I last saw her. Her belly causing a little waddle in her walk.

It wasn't long before Dominic and I were blindfolded in the backseat of Emily's SUV. Wherever we were going, it wasn't too far.

Soon enough we reached our destination. The girls helped me out of the car and led me to a door. The door was opened and my blind fold was taken off. The scene in front of me made tears form in my eyes.

"Holy shit." Dominic cursed behind me. His arms found my waist as we ventured in.

It was our house. The girls had it furnished with the furniture we liked. The dark style with a little bit of white thrown in there. It was gorgeous.

The living room had a large black L couch. A huge tv that was mounted over the fireplace. Dark oak end tables and a coffee table were decorated with flowers and miscellaneous. Bookshelves were placed on either side of the fireplace. The kitchen had beautiful dark wood countertops and black cabinets. Silver appliances looked newly installed. The bedrooms were decorated beautifully. The main bedroom had large D and M letters over the bed. Pictures of Dominic's bike and my dance photos adorned the house everywhere. I loved it.

"Thank you!" I basically threw myself at the girls. 

"Of course. You deserve it." Emily said. "Now let's head back to the club so we can enjoy a good meal. It is thanksgiving after all."