Runaway (Complete)✔️

Chapter Seven: The Adoption.

(Ember's Pov)
Today was the day. The day I would join the Leigh family officially as their adopted daughter. At least that's what it says legally.

Sharon had told me that in the werewolf world the customs are different and now that I'd done the blood tie, I was officially claimed as their pup. The legal adoption was to prove to the humans that I wasn't kidnapped.

Georgina, my old social worker smoothed things over and now all I have to do is sign the papers and hand them to Sharon. For the past few days they'd sat on my bedside table with no trace of ink visible. "Hey" I looked up from my phone to see Serena in the doorway. "Can I come in?" I nodded.

I felt the bed dip and Serena wrapped her arms around me. "What's up em? Tell me, think of me as you're counsellor" she says in a professional voice and crossed her legs over. "How're you feeling miss caulfield?" She asks.

I smacked her. "Drop the act S" I sighed looking at the papers. "If I sign those papers does that mean I take you're surname?" She shrugs.

"Depends, why?-" a knock on the door cuts her off.

"Ember? You in there?" Sharon's voice floats through the door. I had been given a room in the pack house so that Lyla could recover in the cabin in peace.

"Yeah, S is here too come in!"'I called and a moment later the door opened. Sharon glanced at my bedside table to see the papers lay their untouched. She sighed.

"Ember, what's wrong?" She asked suddenly concerned. I felt her wipe my face and only then did I realise I was crying.

"I just don't want to forget them- I- I can't!" I sobbed as I looked through blurry eyes at my phone gallery to see a picture of my parents and I at a barbecue of my uncles. We were so happy then. Throwing my arms around Sharon I clung to her as I cried not caring that I was a wreck.

"Ember, signing those papers doesn't mean you're replacing them, think of it as putting the demons that plague you to rest, they wouldn't want you to be so sad" she said and I wiped my eyes sniffling quietly. "I heard what you said; if you look through the papers you'll notice it says first name, middle name and surname.

You could go by Ember Leigh Caulfield" she suggests. I nod and Serena moves to get the papers and a pen. I quickly write my name down and middle name which is now Leigh and my last name.

The next part gets me though. Why do I want to be adopted? I quickly scribble the reason. Abuse. Underneath it says evidence. I glance at my phone. "Ember, what's up? You do have evidence right?" Serena asks. Wordlessly, I open my gallery and open up the album with the evidence.

Seventeen years of abuse.
A/N: PLEASE NOTE I DO NOT CONDONE ABUSE!

I heard Serena gasp. "Is that a knife wound?! She practically hisses. I nod sullenly.

"When they beat me and after I stitched myself up in the bathroom. Jason's personal use of weapon was a sharp knife." I spit bitterly. I push the memory away hard.

"Oh. My. God! Is that the belt?! It's still got blood on it!" Serena exclaims her eyes wide and a horror filled expression on her face.

"She never cleaned it, kept it as a trophy" I say referring to Carla. Tears slip free and I wipe them away. "Print them off, send them with the papers to the police, I've written down Jon, Carla's and Jason's address... Guess we'll see them In court" I spit Venomously.

"I'll get them printed and I swear to god if I see them they're dead!" She spits fiercely a growl ripping through the room. "Who are you gonna take to court?" Serena asks.

"My family of course" I reply and am pulled into Sharon's embrace. "Chill! Jeez ma!" I exclaimed and heard muffled sobbing. "What? Why are you crying?" I ask incredulously.

"You called me mum!" She exclaims and I nod.

"You're my family now, although I'll never forget my real parents, you guys are all I've got left" I whisper. Glancing to where Serena holds my phone flipping through the photos. Good thing I locked my records section...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We stand in the court awaiting the verdict, Cole and Dom are furious and look like they're about to break out of their skin, Lyla is glaring openly and Serena is openly snarling my foster 'parents'.

I look at Jon and see him dragging his finger across his neck, getting the message I smirk and flip him off. The judge walks back in and sits in his seat before banging his gavel on the desk. He looks directly at me and I hold my breath as he speaks.

"Due to the evidence and testimony presented by the plaintiff we are on grounds to give a sentence but we have yet to hear of the defendants claims" I silently curse. I knew they'd do something shady! "What do the defendants have to say?" He asks looking pointedly at the people I want to kill.

Jason actually laughs. Laughs! "Obviously, when we fostered Ember we knew she'd have some issues after dealing with her parents death; clearly it was more severe than we first thought as her depressive state has caused her to commit drastic actions! All we wanted was for her to be safe, and hereby request that she be put back under our care" Jason finishes and shoots me a sadistic look.

Something tells me if the judge doesn't put them as guilty I'm as good as dead... unless... "Wait! I have more evidence I have not presented!" I yell. The judge raises a brow and everybody gasps including a shocked Jason, Carla and Jon.

"What would that be, miss caulfield?" Here goes nothing... I pull out of my bag my phone. The room goes silent.

"I used my phone record the beatings, there was a hidden mantle I used" I say smiling lightly.

"You little bitch! That mantle was hidden! Carla spits.

"Obviously not! As I was able to find it quite easily!" I retort hotly. "You're honour, if you would play the footage that would be appreciated" I said.

The judge has a guard retrieve my phone. They hook it up to a projector and hit play as the horrific scene plays out before the court. Out for everybody to see...

The judges eyes go hard and blaze with anger. "Based on the new evidence of the plaintiff I hereby sentence you Carla, Jason and Jon Trenton to be jailed for life without parole!" The judge bangs the gavel and they are taken away screaming abuse.

Finally. It's over...