Chapter 76 Pressing my lips in a line, I walked over to them, where they were harassing the receptionist.
âWhy are you in my territory?â I snap at him, and he turns his attention away from the girl behind the counter that looks relieved.
âYour doctors wouldnât answer my questions, and one hung up on my wife,â John says, pointing an accusing finger at me.
âYour point being?â
âShe is our fucking daughter,â he snarled.
âWhat, now she is your daughter because you had no issues disowning her?â I snap at him, and he glares at me.
âLerve! I tell him, and he growls. Ava grips my arm, and I pull mine away.
âPlease,â she says, and I look at her. I know Everly didnât have issues with her sister, hurt by the fact she never continued their relationship, but she didnât blame Ava. Her father. However, she had washed her hands of after what he did.
âYou can come to see her. You remain here,â I tell her father, who growls before Ava looks up a t him. âPlease, dad,â he sighs.
More New latest chapters update only www.infoabgh.com I raise an eyebrow at him to see if he would challenge me on this, but he nods to her, and I tell her the room number before she goes to duck up the stairs.
âGive this to my father and son,â I tell her, giving her the paper bag and one coffee. She nods quickly, taking it and heading up to see her sister, Sipping my coffee, John stalks off to the cafeteria and orders his own. I received a text from m y father asking if it was alright that Ava just got there or if he should make her leave. I replied that it was fine and that I would back up soon before placing my phone in my pocket.
âIâm not here looking for trouble, Valen,â John says when I come up behind him.
âGood because if you are, you just found it,â I tell him. He glares at the barista, who rushes around quickly, making his coffee.
âWhy are you here?â I ask him.
âShe is my daughter,â
âBullshit, you didnât care that she was your daughter when she fell pregnant with my son,â I tell him, pulling a chair out at a nearby table. The barista hands him his coffee, and he pulls out the other. The entire cafeteria falls silent, and I look around to find it empty except for the barista, who stood staring wide-eyed at us, sitting at a table together.
âTell me the real reason, or leave. I will drop Ava back at your borders later, and who let you cross?â I ask him.
âNobody, I just drove in. You dropped your border patrols, remember for the rogues,â he says, and I had forgotten entirely. I nod, sipping my coffee and sitting back in my chair. I could tell h e was uncomfortable.
âI wonât let you ruin her again,â I tell him.
âI didnât ruin her. You did. She was a good kid; I had no issues with her growing up until you got your filthy hands on her,â he snarled.
âYet you have no issues trying to palm your other daughter off to me, so what is it you want?â
âNothing, I am just here to check on her,â
âI donât believe you,â I tell him, pinching the bridge of my nose.
âI need,â
âThere it is. You arenât here to check on Everly at all. You want something,â I tell him.
âYour father and I had a deal; he broke it,â
âA fucking deal for what? I marry Ava. Then what?â
âWe have an alliance, thatâs what.â My brows furrow at his words.
âI donât buy it; youâre hiding something,â I argue. John sighs, scrubbing a hand down his face.
âHow is she?â he asked, drinking from his cup.
âAlive, and now marked,â
âSo she is awake?â I shake my head.
âNo, not yet,â I answer, leaning forward and bracing my arms on the table. I scratched my beard that was growing. I felt dirty but actually didnât mind how it looked. Though as soon as I got my hands on a razor, it was going.
âThe other girl, Emma, Emery?â he asks, and I could see he was trying to make small talk.
âEmily?â I ask âYes, that one,â
âShe lost a leg, and they arenât sure she will make it. Emily isnât strong enough to fight off the infection.â
âShe never found her mate?â John asks.
âShe is rogue. What do you think?â
âI know she is rogue, goddamn it, Iâm just saying she might stand a chance if she had one,â John snapped at me.
âAs far as I know, she hasnât, and since when do you care about rogues?â I ask.
âI donât,â he says, folding his arms across his chest and staring at me. His eyes run over me before they flick away.
âYou look like shit,â he says.
âAnd you look old, time to retire, donât you think?â I retort, and John scoffs.
âThis is the last time I am asking; you donât answer, you can leave. Why are you really here, John?â he scowled before looking at me.
âIt scared me seeing her like that; I thought they killed her,â John says.
âAnd where is your wife, Claire?â I ask him, and he looks at the table âStaying with her friend, we had an argument,â he says.
âOver Everly?â he nods.
âSo what you thought, coming here would patch things up with your mate?â
âNo, yes, but no. I just wanted to make sure Everly is alright,â !
âBecause now you realize she isnât a rogue whore?â I ask him.
âHow the fuck was I supposed to know?â he snarled at me, gripping the edge of the table.
âThat is one thing I donât get,â I tell him, watching the man that is supposed to be my father-i n-law.
âWhat?â he asks.
âSince finding her and my son, what I donât get as a father is how you could look at your own flesh and blood, the child you raised, and turn your back on her like she meant nothing. Turf her out and abandon her; I would kill for my kid. There is no way I would abandon him,â I snap at him.
âYou donât know what you are talking about; I was protecting her!â he snarls.
âProtecting her? Are you fucking serious? She was living in her car with a newborn fucking baby, choosing between food for herself and fucking diapers. Donât give me that crap, John!â | tell him before standing up.
âYou are a shitty excuse for a father and a man,â I spit at him before turning to leave.
âBecause you are such a great one yourself. You didnât even know Valarian existed for how long Valen, and what of your father, perfect fucking example there after what he did to your mother,â John sneers, and I stop turning back to face him.
âThe mother that raised your daughter when you refused to. My father knows he fucked up. At least he admits it and is trying to make up for it, you... you... You just look elsewhere to blame, and me. I wish every god damn day I was there, even if she wasnât my mate. I would have taken her as one had I known her or known she had my son.â John curses, shaking his head.
âYou see her as your biggest shame, John, when you should have seen her as your daughter and for who she is?â.
âBecause you are suddenly an expert on my daughter. She wasnât some sweet, innocent little girl. She got herself knocked up,â
he said.
âYouâre right; she got herself knocked up with my help. It takes two people to create a baby, John, so why are the women only punished for it? More New latest chapters update only www.infoabgh.com It is sickening, but as much as I hate you for what you did, I suppose I should thank you also,â I tell him, and he scoffs.
âFor what?â
âBecause she turned out great in spite of you, you showed her what not to do, and I canât wait for her to bring this city to god damn knees,â I growl.
âHa, ha. You fool, you may own half this city Valen, but Everly wouldnât know the first thing about running a pack, a business, yes, but a pack. She was a fucking rogue. Ava would have.â John tries to argue.
âAva is not my mate, and I would never choose her over Everly. And a pack. You bloody idiot. Her pack outnumbers all of ours.â
âGreat, now I have heard it all.â John laughs. âYour numbers are only 300 or 400 hundred bigger than mine. You may have more people, but I have alliances you donât have, Valen. Think with your fucking head,â John snaps, standing up.
âTry 1000 more than yours, John. You want to go to war over me refusing to marry Ava, so be i t, but you wonât win, and I will gladly watch her destroy you, take everything from you.â
âPft, you idiot, you do not know what you have done. War, you have seen nothing of the war that will be headed our way. You need my pack,â John tells him.
âWhat fucking war? I donât need an alliance with you because I have Everlyâs; They will fight alongside mine. You are forgetting something John. Everly isnât just an Alpha. She was also rogue. I have come to realize that they have more guts than any pack I have known, including my own. They band together, forced to survive and rely on each other,â I tell him, stepping closer.
âThe rogue population outnumbers any pack when banded together, and guess who just opened their borders up? Guess who has her army, and she didnât even realize it..â
âEverly does,â John laughs. âTheir rogues Valen, pull your head out of your ass. She canât control them.â
âShe doesnât need to control them, John. They are family. Everly has done more for the rogues than any Alpha has in this city, so when push comes to shove, who do you think they will stand behind an Alpha?â I laughed.
âNo, they will fight for the woman that gave them a fighting chance? Do you think she isnât Alpha material? She has her own land. That hotel is solely owned by her. Everly didnât just build a business; she built a pack. She has more members than any of us. Now last I checked pack counts, my pack is the largest at 847, the rogue population is well over a thousand,â
âMeans nothing, Valen, and you know it. Unless she can get those laws changed, nothing in this city will change. Your merry band of rogue-whores wants to stand behind you more fool them, itâs a quick way to become forsaken,â he says, and I stop.
He laughed as I turned back to face him. âYou forget, any rogue that steps out of line receives instant banishment. They are already the dregs of society. Her being your luna wonât change that. You own half the city, but you donât own the council. It will never pass in the courts. Everly would be attempting the impossible. This city doesnât want things to change; she wonât succeed.
All she will do is start a war she canât win.â John claims.
âShe will win, John. I know Everly, she wonât give up until she does,â I tell him when Ava comes back down. I turn to look over my shoulder. She had tears in her eyes. âEverly, is okay, she..â Ava shakes her head before glaring at her father. âThis is your fault,â
she snaps at him. John growls at her words.
âGet in the car. You donât speak to me like that,â John snaps at her, and she shakes her head at him before stalking off, leaving me with John.
âTell Everly to ring her mother when she wakes up,â John says, and I nod. He turns to walk away, then pauses.
âAnd tell her I stopped by, I meant what I said, Valen. War is coming. Make sure you arenât on the wrong side of it,â he says before walking off. I stared after him, wondering what he was talking about.