Page 36 of Broken Wolf

“Bad call,” one of the ancients chuckled, shaking his head at the twelve-year-old.

A cold grin formed on my face that scared smart people. “I can’t throw you in prison, but there are absolutely places for children. They’re called juvenile detention centers. Adults don’t go there. Kids do. So maybe start repenting instead of thinking you’re smarter than I am and that you’re untouchable.”

“I’m not afraid of you. My dad’s a cop,” he boasted.

I snickered. “Great, you just announced to everyone here that he’s corrupt.” I moved closer to him and showed him my ID. “Does local cop beat division chief of the FBI?” I raised an eyebrow at him. “No, no, it does not. So your dad’s badge is nothing when you commit federal crimes, kid.”

The little shit finally looked worried.

The dad showed up in full gear and was a ball of seething rage… But respectful, knowing full well he was out of his league and bested. His wife—not so much, and he had to hiss to her several times to shut it or go wait outside.

I had enough of her shit and attitude and brought them into another room along with the parents of the kid theirs had been targeting.

“I’m not being trapped in a room with so many disgusting animals,” she seethed.

“The only animal here is you,” I chuckled darkly. “Now get in the fucking room before I lose my patience and send your son to juvie because that is on the table after all the shit he’s pulled. And yes, I can do that and your husband knows it.”

“She can,” he confirmed. “Or worse. And I can’t stop it.”

I met his gaze. “I’m glad you’re smart enough to understand that. You also understand that I’m going to make an example of you because you wear that badge. You have a duty to set the example and your son is the worst of the list of shits running rampant at that school. He basically told me to fuck off because you are a cop and I couldn’t touch him. In public.”

I felt better when he winced.

“He needs to be checked,” he agreed. “And I certainly haven’t gotten him out of any damn trouble…” He didn’t have much of a leg to stand on when I raised my eyebrow.

Fine, no one was calling them on the crap they were doing, but he was committing crimes.

“Kids bully,” the wife snapped. “It’s part of growing up and harmless to—”

“Your son has broken bones of our child,” the father of the wolf snarled.

She snorted. “They heal like a paper cut.”

Even her husband looked at her like she was over the line.

“That’s not how the law works, and our rapid healing doesn’t make it any less of a crime,” I told her, moving closer and intimidating her with my size. “I’m Alpha. I can do a lot. I can actually make you not feel pain if I want. So I can break you and you wouldn’t feel it the whole time you healed. Are you saying that doesn’t count as my assaulting you then?”

She swallowed loudly, getting the corner I’d just backed her into.

Her husband smoothly moved her behind him. “I didn’t know it had gotten to that level. I truly didn’t. Violence is never okay, and while still not okay, I thought it was some of these immigrant wolves coming in that a lot of us have a problem with.”

The three of us that were wolves snorted, but I replied. “They weren’t even allowed into the schools at all. No, these are local wolves from here with longer family roots than yours since your family moved here from the East Coast and she’s not even from here. So you are the outsiders and yet they didn’t bully your fucking kid!”

I adjusted my neck and had to take a few steps back, sighing when the wolves gave me a worried look.

“They broke his fucking bones and she defended it and the school did nothing. This is all I deal with. It grates on me. Day in and day out and it just never ends,” I grumbled. I met the mom’s gaze. “Your son destroyed a laptop. Books. Steals food. Is so cliché he steals lunch money. Rips clothes. We’re talking thousands of dollars of damage, and you will pay it.”

“We’re not—” she started to blast.

“We will, absolutely,” the dad agreed, meeting the parents’ gazes. “Yes, get me a list. It won’t be today, but I can replace the laptop right away, and I will sign for it. I swear to you that I didn’t know—I will get my kid under control, and I am sorry.”

“But you still think we’re not people,” the dad growled.

The cop swallowed loudly. “I can’t help how I feel, but I took an oath to protect all the residents of Sioux Falls, and I’ll be damned if my kid is going to be breaking bones of a child no matter what that child is. Even if he was just a damn wolf that is fucked.”

“Glad you understand that because I want your kid in therapy.” I shrugged when he seemed shocked. “Animal abuse is the sign of a psychopath. We both know that, and he sees their son as just a dog. He’s not, so that’s a whole other issue, but your son thinks he is and wanted to break him. I want him with a professional. Nonnegotiable. Or juvie.”

He nodded, knowing a judge would agree with me in a heartbeat.

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