Chapter 29 - Ezra
I never thought I’d ever find myself fighting my dad directly.
There was a time when I wanted nothing more than to have that chance, but now, it is strange to be in that position.
It felt more like fighting an enemy than my own kin. The man who spent my childhood forcing me to fit into a mold I never wanted to be in. The man who had no problem laying a hand on his son whenever he saw fit.
In a sense, he didn’t feel like my father at all.
That thought alone made it possible for me to keep going and to push through the idea of attempting to draw my own father’s blood. Not to mention the risk of what I stood to lose if I didn’t.
Whether he intended to eliminate Zoe completely or not, it didn’t matter. Either way, I wasn’t going to let it happen. That was a promise I silently made for the both of us.
Even if the whole thing seemed like a blur as we snapped at each other, biting and scratching with urgency, it moved in slow motion for me. Every move felt calculated, whether it was made first or a retaliation, no matter who dealt it.
Despite focusing on the task at hand as he continuously reached for my neck, snapping and trying to take hold, I was aware of Zoe’s presence.
Having her near was enough to send those surges of conviction through me, unwilling to lose and leave her alone. To leave her heartbroken and without a mate. Knowing she was there and watching encouraged me, and I was determined to prove to her with every movement that I was deserving of her. That I was strong enough to protect us both, along with everything and everyone we’d reside over, despite how I had been a coward before.
The thought alone made me surge with intensity, pushing against him.
There was no mistaking Dad’s anger. It came from a place of desperation since he was terrified of Kody contesting his position and taking his alpha status away. On top of that, his rage was derived from my insubordination—I had refused to follow his orders for years.
To him, he would always be my alpha and superior. Just because we shared blood and I was born an alpha’s son, he assumed I would always see him as such, and because of that, I would bend for his every whim.
But that was far from the truth.
Even if he demanded my respect despite never earning it, he was willing to fight me and maim me if necessary to keep his status. He also went to great lengths just to do it, and because of that, it told me everything I needed to know about him and what he thought of me.
Regardless of his rage for losing control over me and how he tried hard to push against me, I could feel how my younger, bond-filled strength drove me forward and gave me an edge he didn’t quite have.
That was when I remembered what he said about older alphas being susceptible to younger ones. Even if he had time and maturity on his side, his age was reaching a point of pushing him into a weaker state, and soon enough, it was bound to catch up with him.
He had a relentless fighting style, as he didn’t pull back. Instead, he kept striking, trying to pin me and land as many devastating blows as possible.
But figuring that out offered me another angle to work from.
While he tried to keep us close in one place, I did my best to dodge and thrash away from those bites, only to pull back and start circling again or using the space around us to my advantage. Regardless of what I did, I had to keep him moving. I needed him to chase me in a sense to wear him out.
As I continued evading him, attacking with less priority, I could sense his irritation mounted, and because of it, he kept pushing and pushing. He didn’t allow himself to stop out of fear of seeming weak.
Surely, he wouldn’t allow himself to be humbled by his son—and a disrespectful, uncooperative one at that.
Running him in circles to the point of him beginning to stumble, I didn’t let up as those old memories rose to the surface of my mind.
Psyching him out with a dodge, only to lunge at him and bite at his leg, I recalled the time he made me stand on a stump only big enough to accommodate one of my feet for hours, all because I questioned something he said. He left me there for hours, making me maintain that stance until I was too tired to stand and eventually collapsed. When I inevitably did, he cracked me across the face and told me to do it again the following morning.
As he yelped and tripped up, hurrying to escape my next bite, I couldn’t help but consider how pathetic he looked then—how weak and at odds with the ruthless, cruel man he was to me before.
The man who hit his son at any minor inconvenience and pushed him around all because he wouldn’t fight back…because he couldn’t fight back. The one who took pride in beating me into submission and felt like a stronger man because of it.
It all seemed so unlikely then.
At that moment, I couldn’t help but wonder how he ever lifted a hand against me before.
At the next yelp that escaped him while I swiped against his side, forcing him back with my teeth bared at him, I saw flashes of his face in the back of my mind—that scowl. The tightening of his features every time he hit me. Every time, he armed his punches with extra visceral anger.
With him staining my mind, I moved in, snarling at him before I lunged again and hooked my jaw around his neck.
As I bit down, I pictured my younger self. Unshackled. Free. Happy.
The warmth of his blood filled my mouth as he let go of a high-pitched whine before his chest heaved with shallow breaths.
I did it for him. And I did it for my current self—the one who gained so much and had more to lose than ever before.
But instead of those things being weaknesses, they made me stronger.
Letting go of his neck as he released those labored breaths, I moved my face closer to my father’s slowly, muzzle tight, as I growled lowly at him in warning. It was his final chance to concede. To surrender.
Just barely, he was alive despite his wounds. While his lungs were weak and his heart raced to the point of skipping a few beats, he still had enough life to keep going. Instead of shifting back, he remained in his wolf form to heal first rather than risking further damage by initiating the transformation.
With a near-deafening silence around us, I switched back, returning to my usual state as I kneeled before him, eyes fixed on his beaten and bloodied form.
Gaze raking over him, I could only see him as a weak, broken thing. He wasn’t my father. Not anymore.
He certainly wasn’t my alpha, either.
“I’m sparing your life, but only so that Mom isn’t left alone with nothing else in the world. Even if she helped you with all this, I won’t condemn her to that pain. That’s my mercy to both of you,” I said, voice steady and unwavering. “Not that you deserve it after everything you put me through.”
As those golden eyes looked at me while he heaved in through pained breaths, I could see the faintest hint of remorse in them. The realization that not only did he lose to his son, but he lost so much more than that, and he would only continue to if Kody were to ever get his hands on him.
“I shouldered and endured more than my share thanks to you. I felt like I was nothing…worthless and far too screwed up to ever get anything right. But the one thing I did right was trust my gut and get away the moment I had the chance,” I began, teeth grit as I spoke, and I gave myself that closure, knowing he never could. “I got away from your iron grip, and with time, I found people and things worth keeping—all of which you can’t take away from me. I refuse ever to let that happen. I freed myself once before, but I know now that wasn’t enough because I didn’t make myself painfully clear.”
The broken, useless wolf laid out on the ground and panted as the pain from healing began, slowly closing wounds and mending bones piece by agonizing piece.
I leaned closer, fisting his honeyed fur with authority. “So let me say it plainly now. I’m free of you. Completely and irrevocably free of your demands, expectations, and punishments. You were nothing to me then and nothing to me now. If I see you back here again for any reason at all, I won’t hesitate to finish the job. That’s my promise to you and myself.”
Unable to move, Dad could only pant and whine through the pain. But by then, I didn’t care. I was done with it. Even as he began to crawl away helplessly, looking to get away, I didn’t spare him another glance.
Letting go of his fur, I pushed away, feeling lighter than ever.
Turning to face the others, I found their silent yet reverent faces looking back at me. The respect was clear as day and more appreciated than they would likely ever know.
I met Sebastian’s eyes, and with a single nod, I could feel the animosity between us vanish at once.
Giving Zoe’s shoulder a gentle squeeze, he moved away from her and motioned for the others to follow. Wordlessly, the guys went along with him, and the sound of their footfalls retreating filled the space until they vanished completely.
At the same time, my wolves yipped and howled as they ran off through the trees, preparing a celebration of their own beneath the moonlight.
Left alone then, gaze set solely on Zoe, my feet were moving before I could even attach two thoughts together.
Her expression was soft with relief and admiration, and with ease, she met me partway.
The moment I felt her against me, along with her arms wrapped around my midsection, it was all I could do to stay upright and hug her back, surrounding her. Letting my eyes close as I buried my face in her dark hair, I inhaled her comforting scent and allowed myself the time to take it all in.
I had her back in my arms, safe and sound; that was all that mattered to me then.
“I’m sorry,” I murmured against her, throat nearly closing around the words despite how important it was for me to get them out. “I never should’ve done that to you—any of it. Breaking your heart before, roping you into my baggage, and hurting you all over again. I…I don’t deserve you or this bond, but I’ll be selfish when I say it’s all I want. All I need.”
Zoe’s grip tightened on me by a fraction as she listened to my words, sniffling with her face pressed against my chest. Her fingers pressed against my bare skin, almost like she was afraid I’d disappear otherwise. I knew that was how I felt.
Then, she pulled in a breath and pulled back enough to look up at me. “I was mad at you. So damn mad at you for so long, then, I was mad at you all over again. But after all of this…I can’t be. Not anymore.”
My expression softened to match hers—something that happened rarely for me. But at that moment, I couldn’t be anything but vulnerable. No other response felt right after everything that just gone down.
“You should still be mad at me, you know. You should hate me.”
“Trust me, I want to,” Zoe said, face giving away to a small smile. “But it’s not worth it. You have some serious sucking up to do, but I can’t be angry over the things you needed to come to terms with.”
Letting go of a pensive yet grateful breath, I nodded and gently raised a hand to cup her cheek. I pulled a faint smile of my own as I stroked her cheek with my thumb. “I’ll do everything in my power to make it up to you, to make things right. That being said, I hope you know this means you’re stuck with me now. No take-backs, not while you’re my mate, and I’ll accept nothing less. I can’t be without this bond now.”
Her lips pulled a bit more as I leaned my forehead against hers, and a quiet hum came from her chest. “And I expect nothing less.”
Able to breathe properly for the first time in a while, I closed my eyes and soaked in the shared warmth between us. Aware that after it all, we still had each other and our bond, and we were more than willing to do whatever it took to protect it.
She was mine, and I was hers, and nothing could change that.