Stepped Up [COMPLETE]

40

My command reverberated with strength and magic, striking Rick's wolf-like mighty blow that sent him sprawling to the ground. Despite growls and whines of resistance, he struggled against the force of my directive. Accustomed to being in control, he now faced the authority of my words. Strengthened by the power of our mating bond, my pregnancy, and the interwoven threads binding the Pack, I surpassed Rick's strength, especially after breaking his weaver spell.

The unmistakable sound of bones cracking echoed as he resisted the shift. However, under relentless pressure, he finally succumbed, allowing the inevitable transformation to overtake him. Rising from a position on hands and knees, he panted heavily, his form now covered in a chaotic mix of dirt, blood, and sweat. His gaze bore into me with a seething intensity, reflecting the simmering rage within.

"Now that we can understand each other, let us speak openly." I started. "You are moronic,"

"I told you she belonged with me," 

"Not according to the courts,"

"I AM HER FATHER!" He bellowed, and I was growing tired of this cumbersome roundabout we were on. It was the same argument. It was like his mind was stuck and could not continue past this moronic belief that he had. It had been decided; we went to court, and he lost. 

"You are a broken record," I sighed as I pinched the bridge of my nose in exasperation. "Can't you get it through your stupid head? You've lost!" I said with exasperation as I smacked my hands to my sides. "Elena is my daughter, and not only have you lost her, you have lost Cassidy, and you will lose your title if you continue," 

"I have the strongest Pack. I will remain Head Alpha, and Elena will succeed me," 

"Oh, for heaven's sake," I huffed. "Focus on your pack for a second; just humour me," I said as I waved my hand around at the bloodied, beaten wolves outside of the circle. "Feel the bonds...or lack thereof," I stressed, and I observed as his gaze lost focus, his senses probing the once-woven bonds that connected him with his Pack. However, when his eyes locked onto me again, a new wave of fury burned within them. The realization dawned upon him— the meticulously crafted bonds, held firm by his family for decades and coercively strengthened by my mother and grandmother, now lay shattered and in tatters around him. "You're not as strong as you once were, so I strongly suggest to you again to rethink your course of action,"

"What have you done?" 

"Removed the binds you forced my mother to strengthen, which should have never been made in the first place," 

"You have ruined everything!" 

"Oh?" 

"The title of Head Alpha was everything to my father and my family, and to protect it was something I was ordered to do from a young age. My family had fought hard for this title, for the Pack we had assembled, and it had to go to the eldest child of the current Head Alpha. You just had to stand in the way of that!" I could see the pain and the inner child pushing through now. I could see the weight of the family legacy resting on his shoulders and the feeling of loss, failure and defeat weighing heavily on him. 

"A title which was never meant to have been passed down but voted upon," I reminded him. 

"We fought for that title! It is ours!" He yelled, his anger permeating the air. "If you had just given me my daughter, this could have continued without issue or mistakes," 

"You surely can't place the blame for all this squarely at my feet," I huffed with incredulity. "You were the one who raped Trisha, getting her pregnant. If you knew you never wanted her as your mate, why not reject her and let her be happy? Why destroy her soul along with her body and weaken her to the point of near death?" 

"Because I DID WANT HER, OK?!" He yelled, breaking his calm composure for the first time. "I did want her...she was my mate, and I had had a clue for a long time. I watched her; I watched her laugh and be so happy with you. My wolf knew before I did, but I was..."

"Snobbish?" I offered. 

"I had an image to uphold, and my family would never have accepted her."

"That doesn't excuse the rape," 

"She was my mate," 

"She was a person first, and you broke her when you raped her," I spat at him. 

"And you kept our daughter from me," He said, referring to him and Trisha. 

"So, what was your big plan? Huh? To come here and destroy the one family that Elena has ever had? To kill her only living mother? To steal her away and force her to be your heir and daughter even if she fought you every step of the way?" I asked. "Enlighten me," 

"I came here for my daughter; I hadn't thought much more past the fact that I needed to get her and take her away," He admitted. "If it meant your death, then so be it because at least that meant you could not take her back. She is my biological daughter, the heir to my title and belongs with her father, you know this,"

"You gave up all rights to be called a father when you raped her mum, and now you're here to kill her only other mum? Some father you are," I scoffed. 

"So we are at a stalemate," 

"It would seem so because you will not listen to a court order unless it is in your favour, it seems, and you came here, attacking my Pack with no legal reason, to make a kidnapping attempt on my daughter whilst attempting to murder her dad and me," I scoffed at his convolved idea to come here and fight. "Forgive me, but you must have some sort of death wish,"

"I see no way forward without Elena as my heir," He whispered, a slightly gloomy note to his voice. 

"So, a fight to the death?" 

"It would seem so," Rick said. "I never wished pain on Elena, and the pain of losing her mother will be hard on her, but I will be here for her. Now, release me, and let us begin,"

And so I did.