1. Claude Phoebe(ManxMan)

•Chapter 3✓

I glared at the door as Ace took deep breathes beside me.

"We can go back."

"No."

"Why?" Ace looked at me while I glared at the door leading to the one person I believed to be the first wolf to get on my bad side.

"He's family."

I turned to Ace then, our eyes held and a knock sounded, he smiled as he knocked staring at me and I felt my brows turn in as within minutes it opened.

"What!?" I growled turning slowly to the man who dared raise his voice now at us for giving him our time.

"Uncle Ted." Ace tried for enthusiasm which even I could tell was faked, the exhaustion already apparent.

"Oh, you."

The man scowled, his eyes full of anger and contempt as he stared Ace down. He turned to me then and his lips pursed, eyes thinning before he rolled them and walked away from us. Ace took a deep breath and walked in. I shook my head trying to calm myself as I clenched my hands into fists. This was harder for him after all.

"I thought I told you never to come here."

"Oh, uncle Ted, don't be like that."

"I have every right. I don't wanna see you."

Ace sighed and I walked in then, alert and looking around the dark and rancid place.

"What do you want?" I looked towards the kitchen where they were, slowly looking around as though I'd never seen this place even though I greet this place each month only once.

"Dad wants you to come join us for dinner."

Ted scoffed and a glass collided with the table. "Why doesn't he come ask that himself? Too embarassed,huh? Don't see why, it should be you who never shows his face."

"Uncle Ted."

"No." Ted seethed. "You of all people shouldn't be able to look me in the eye, not after what you did."

I clenched my hands staring at the man who spat words of hatred at my best friend. I felt my heart race as my chest rose and fell faster.

Don't. I paused in the step I thought to take. From my place I could see Ace's bowed head. Please.

I sighed and stuck my hands in my pocket then. My gums aching with the desire to rip the man apart.

"No matter how many times you come here and act all pitiful and sad, no matter how many times you ask. I never wanna see you or your father ever again." Ted chugged down what I could smell to be alcohol. "And stop bringing him so I can properly shut the door in your face, yeah?"

Ted walked away then and I approached Ace. Ted glared at me then and went up his stairs, I wrapped my arm around Ace, aiming to pull him towards the door but he wouldn't move. Instead he reached inside his jacket pocket, he held a thick envelope and set it down with the word Ted written in neat big writing.

Then only did he allow me to pull him along.

"I don't know why you put yourself through this." I asked him later as we sat in the back of the car. The park was abandoned and there was a plain field stretching out on our left hand side. "He obviously won't change his mind."

"He's lonely."

I blinked watching Ace stare out the window.

"It's cruel, no matter how I think of it, his punishment is way to cruel."