55. Take it or leave it

“Actually yes, you are interrupting something” I responded flatly.

I get off Claire and take a seat next to her. Even though she doesn’t know everything that happened.

She knows that Sebastian is the one that had me arrested. So she understands that things between us are tense right now.

Sebastian enters the room and closes the door behind him. He then turns to Claire.

“Could you excuse us for a bit. Lauren and I have something to discuss” he says through gritted teeth.

I didn’t want to see him let alone talk to him. So when Claire goes to stand up, I grab her hand and stop her.

“She’s not leaving. In fact you’re the one that should be leaving. You aren’t needed or welcomed here” I tell him hotly.

Claire looks between us. Both of us were fuming for different reasons. For me it was because of everything that has happened and for him it’s because I refused to bow down to him.

“Maybe I should go” Claire starts softly. “Give you kids sometime to sort out your issues”

She doesn’t wait for me to say anything. She stands up and literally flees the room. Leaving me alone with my so called mate.

“Traitor” I mumble under my breath even though she’s already long gone.

Sebastian doesn’t say anything. Just stares at me with fire burning behind his green eyes. If he thought that he was going to intimidate me. That he was going to bully me, then he had another thing coming.

“Since you’re not saying anything and you’re just wasting my time. I am going to go back to work” I stated standing up.

I head toward my desk. Picked up everything I would need for the next meeting. I still had an hour to go but I didn’t care. I wanted to be far away from Sebastian.

I was walking past him when his hand darted out and stopped me.

“We haven’t talked yet, where are you going?” he demanded, his voice hard.

“I have a meeting” I simply said.

“It can wait till we finish our discussion” he seethed.

I was about to rip him anew when my phone office rang. I pulled myself from him and went to answer.

“Yes Sheryl?”

“Just wanted to let you know that your last appointment has been canceled. They have asked me to reschedule it”

Damn it. What rotten luck. That was the excuse I had. What the hell was I supposed to do?

“Okay then. Thank you Sheryl. You’re free to go home if you’re done”

She says she’ll stay a little bit before hanging up. I look up to find Sebastian with a satisfied smile. Fuck my life. There was no way I could hide the truth given he has super hearing.

“Let’s just get this over and done with. What do you want?” I ask tiredly, sitting down.

He walks to my desk and throws a white file on my desk. I didn’t even notice that he had a file with him until now.

“I want you to explain to me what the fuck this is?”

I pick up the file. Take out the paper and read them. I had actually forgotten about them. I filed the papers when I was angry but seeing that my lawyer had gone ahead and served him. I was happy.

“Justice” I say with a smile.

“This isn’t a fucking joke Red.” He snapped.

I look at the papers again. Reading them carefully. I was happy with the direction that my lawyer had taken. Indeed I was very fucking happy.

“This isn’t a joke as you have put it. I deserve justice don’t I? When I was in custody you went on and on about how the families of the innocents deserved justice, aren’t I innocent too? I was wrongly accused and tortured because of that. Where is my justice then?” I spat.

His face turns hard. A frown taking over. “So you decided to go to your lawyer and have him file a complaint accusing me of wrongly accusing you, damaging your reputation and causing physical harm?”

I came up with the plan after I came out of prison. Sebastian said that he wouldn’t break the contract and he would fight against a separation. So I decided to take him to court for wrongly accusing me.

My plan was to have him choose. Either he lets me go or I damage his reputation by dragging him to court. Him being an alpha of course his obvious choice would be to let me go.

“Technically speaking, I am not accusing you of anything.You’re guilty” I say as a matter of fact.

“Why are you doing this?” he starts pacing the room. His anger suffocating the room.

I give him a calm look. “I want Justice of course, but if you want I will stop all legal proceedings if you agree to one thing”

He stops and faces me. I had his attention right where I wanted it.

“What do you want?”

“it’s simple really. Agree to a separation and I will drop all charges” I lean back into my chair wearing a satisfied smile. I wait for his answer.

I could see the wheels turning in his mind. The indecision and war that was there. I unblock the mating bond a little. I feel his frustration through it.

“I will do anything except agree to the separation” his eyes harden and his cold mask is back in place.

I shrug. “I’ll see you in court then” I dismiss him.

He releases a growl before stomping away. The door bangs behind him and finally I get the peace I was craving.

Taking him to court will be satisfactory to be honest. In our world the court is different from the council.

The council is the governing body made up by elders while the court is responsible for the judicial matters.

I had also filed a case against Alec. I left the elders out of it since they hadn’t been directly involved in my torture.

After finishing my work I head home. My head was throbbing but I still had to make cookies for Jax and Krystal since I promised them I would.

I get home and head straight to my room. After changing into a pair of sweatpants and a tank top I head to the kitchen.

“Mommy, you’re back” Krystal comes into the kitchen followed by Jax.

Food had already been cooked by the omegas so the kitchen was basically empty.

“Hi guys. Come give me some love. I’ve missed you both”

They rush to me and I engulf them in a hug. It’s weird how I have come to love Jax as if he were my own flesh and blood in such a short time.

“So how was your day?” I ask them.

They take a seat on the bar stools and fill me up on their day at school. While I bake them cookies.

They won’t eat them today though since it was almost dinner time. I listen to them, enjoying spending time with both of them.

It was minutes after when a voice interrupted us.

“Oh my grandbaby…how are you”

I look up and find Sebastian standing with a woman who looked to be in her sixties. Jax sees her and immediately gets off the stool and rushes to her.

“Grandma Phoebe” he shouts in happiness. His smile wide I was confused. As far as I knew Monica was the only one Jax viewed as a grandmother. So who was this woman?

I turn to Sebastian in question. I’m surprised to find that he doesn’t look as angry as he did when he left my office.

“Aunt, this is my mate Lauren and Lauren this is my aunt Phoebe” he introduces us.

“Hello” I greet her but she doesn’t say anything.

She studies me. I see the moment she makes up her mind about me. Because her face hardens and she regards me as if I were something beneath her.

I am shocked at the hostility I see in her eyes because I have never even met her before. So why would she just hate me for no reason? I could already tell that she was going to be a thorn on my side.

I tense up but it seems that Sebastian doesn’t even notice the charged atmosphere between me and his aunt.

“Can I have a word with you in my office” he address me.

I don’t argue with him this time. I nod my head and follow him. Leaving as Jax was introducing Krystal to Phoebe.

I sigh in relief when I hear her addressing Krystal softly. She may have a problem with me but it seemed like she didn’t mind my daughter.

We get to the office and Sebastian locks the door behind him.

“I didn’t know one of your parents had a sister” I state.

Everyone knows that he was the youngest Alpha to ever take his position after his parents died in a rogue attack.

“She’s Micah’s mother and she used to be my mother’s bestfriend” he says pouring himself a drink.

Micah and Lily don’t live in the pack house. Just like with Sebastian, they have a house in the city and that’s where they stay most of the time. Life would have been a bit bearable if Lily was around.

I don’t mention the fact that his Beta’s mother hates me for some unknown reason. Instead I get straight to the point.

“What did you want to talk about?”

He drinks the amber liquid in one gulp before seating at the edge of his desk.

“I’ve thought about what we talked about in your office” he says then pauses.

It was more like what we argued about.

“And?” I push him to continue. Dying to hear his answer.

He runs his hand through his hair. Either in nervousness or in defeat. Whichever it is, I didn't really care. I just wanted to hear him say that he would agree to the termination of the contract.

“You were right, you do deserve to get justice. So I’ll take a guilty plea and accept whichever punishment you or the court decides on.”

Damn it. That was not the answer I was hoping for. Once again he has pulled the rag from under me.