Page 51 of His Gentle Omega
Hearing the word–abuse–said so casually in regard to me, causes me to flinch. It’s an ugly word, full of all kinds of different meanings, none of them good.
“I want you to know, Shay, that I will treat your case like I would any other. Alpha, omega, beta, it doesn’t matter. The law is the law. And abuse of anyone, especially by a mate, is wrong. What you’re doing is very brave.”
Snorting derisively, I glared at him, shaking my head in denial. “Brave? No. I’m not brave.”
“Yes, you are. You might not see it yet, but trust me, it takes a brave person to leave. To take your child and get out of thesituation you were in, that takes a strength that some people never find.”
“I don’t feel strong,” I admitted, my voice shaking.
“I know you don’t now, but I promise you, one day you will.” He took another sip of his coffee and picked up his pen. “Ready to get started?”
After verifying my information with all the standard things like name and date of birth, he asked about my living arrangements. Explaining that we had been staying at Bennett’s but that we would be moving into a rental house belonging to my brother’s mate, I was thankful Bennett had written down both his and Gabe’s addresses. Finally, Alex got to the one question I had been dreading. “Highest level of education you completed?”
Reluctantly, I whispered, “Eleventh. I was almost done with my senior year when I…”
Alex, to his credit, didn’t look at me with judgement or disapproval, just waited patiently for me to finish my answer.
“I was a couple of weeks away from graduation when I dropped out.”
The admission filled me with shame, even though I knew it was a stupid thing to be ashamed of. Part of me knew my reluctance to admit I hadn’t finished high school came from Edward. He used me dropping out as a verbal assault against me on more than one occasion. He had filled me with embarrassment for not having a high school diploma, made me feel stupid, even though he was the one that had encouraged me to quit. It was a choice I regretted from the beginning.
Alex’s pen scratched across the paper, and I felt like I was failing some kind of test that had been sprung on me with no time to prep for it. “Do you have plans to get your G.E.D.?”
“I’d like to, yes.” I eagerly admitted, because it was something I had thought about for years. “Maybe even some college classes, or trade school.” Heat warmed my face. “I’m not smart like my brother. I can fix about any engine out there though, so I guess that’s something.”
Alex smiled, something I noticed he did often. Maybe he was just a cheery guy, or maybe he did it to put his clients at ease. Whatever the reason, it did have a calming effect. “Well, now I know who to call when I need car repairs.”
He opened a drawer and dug around, then slid a paper across the desk at me. “That’s information on how to get your G.E.D. There’s also the school information you’ll need to get your son enrolled for the next school year.”
Clutching the paper to me like it was a lifeline, all I could do was nod.
“Alright, I know you verbally declared Alpha Law at the hospital,” Alex looked down at the file, “but did you declare it verbally to Edward?”
“I sent him and his father a text message. Then I tossed the phone.”
Alex quirked his lips, a small smile forming. “See, you’re not dumb, Shay. That stands as written notice to Edward. I’m going to write up the formal documents for Alpha Law. Now, I know the law is old as dirt and hardly anyone uses it. Or even knows about it, but it’s not the guarantee it once was. Omegas have more rights and judges don’t automatically grant in the alphas favor. But we have a strong case, and we’re going to get you on the road to making it even stronger.”
“Could he take Lucas from me?” My voice shook with fear, my heart pounding at the thought. “Because that can’t happen.”
“Doubtful,” Alex laid his pen down, his face serious. “That’s not to say he won’t try and put up a hell of a fight doing it. I’ve done a bit of googling about Edward and the Clark family. Russell Clark is a formidable alpha.”
“Edward didn’t even want Lucas.”
“Do you think he’ll fight us, then?”
“He’ll do it because it will hurt me. And his parents will fight it. They are the ones that wanted a grandchild. They used it as leverage to not cut Edward off.”
Alex leaned back in his chair, the leather creaking. “I feel like there’s a whole tangled web here, Shay. And we’ll get into it. All of it. You’re going to have to tell me everything. Even the smallest detail that you won’t think matters. From the beginning until the very last night. Every nitty gritty detail.”
“Do you think we can win?” I couldn’t lose Lucas. I couldn’t let him end up with Edward.
“Yes, I do.” Alex sounded much more confident than I felt. “But we might have to play dirty. And instead of waiting for them to come at us, we’re going to come at them first. Hard and fast, and a punch straight to the throat.”
My eyes widened as Alex leaned across the desk at me. “We’re going to serve Edward with the Alpha Law paperwork. And I want you to consider filing charges against him.” He waved at my face, where the bruises were not as garish as they had been a week ago but were still visible. Ugly splotches of mustard yellow and puke green, mingled with reddish purple on my still too pale, slightly unhealthy-looking skin. “That’s assault and battery for sure, attempted murder if we want to push the envelope.”
My eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. “I…no…”
Hearing the words attempted murder made the truth of that night all too real. Edward had been trying to kill me. For horrifying moments before I blacked out, I thought I was going to die. That I would never see Lucas again. That I was going to leave him to be raised by Edward, or more likely, Edward’s parents.
