THE BLACK ROSE

CUSTODY THREAT OF THE BLACK ROSE

CHAPTER 9: CUSTODY THREAT

They didn’t knock.

They didn’t call.

They came with papers and two guards.

And they wanted my son.

---

Friday. 8:00 AM.

I was making French toast.

Jackson was singing to Rex.

Ryder was on a work call in the other room.

The doorbell rang.

Three times.

Official.

Ryder answered.

I heard his voice go cold.

"What do you want?"

"Alpha Wade," a man said. "Pack orders."

I walked into the living room.

Two wolves in suits.

Elder Marcus behind them.

And papers.

Ryder was holding the papers like he wanted to rip them in half.

"What is this?" I asked.

Marcus smiled. Not nice.

"Temporary custody order," he said. "For the pup’s safety and training."

The world stopped.

"What?" Ryder said. Quiet. Dangerous.

"48 hours," Marcus said. "At the pack facility. For evaluation. New rules after the gala incident."

"What gala incident?" I asked.

"The human caused a scene," Marcus said, looking at me. "And the pup is showing signs of instability. He needs professional care."

Ryder stepped in front of me.

"No."

"It’s not a request, Alpha," Marcus said. "It’s an order. From the council."

Ryder’s eyes flashed gold. "Try to take him."

Jackson had come out. He saw the men.

He ran to me and hid behind my legs.

"Mommy?"

I picked him up. "It’s okay, baby. It’s okay."

But it wasn’t.

---

9:00 AM. The kitchen table.

Papers spread everywhere.

Ryder on the phone. Yelling.

Callen pacing.

Me holding Jackson.

"They can’t do this," Ryder said into the phone. "We have a court order."

"The pack supersedes human court in pack matters," the lawyer said. "Unless you fight it."

"Then we fight," Ryder said.

"On what grounds?" the lawyer asked. "They’re claiming emotional distress. The gala. The rumors. They say the environment is unstable."

Ryder slammed his fist on the table.

"It’s unstable because THEY made it unstable!"

Callen put a hand on his shoulder. "Breathe. We need to think."

Ryder looked at me.

At Jackson.

And I saw it.

The fear.

The same fear I had four years ago.

That they would take him from me.

"I’m not letting them," Ryder said. "Not again."

---

11:00 AM. Pack House. Emergency Council.

We were summoned.

All of us.

Me. Ryder. Jackson.

The council room was full.

Elders. Other parents. Whispers.

Marcus stood up.

"The pup will be transferred to pack care at noon," he said. "For 48 hours."

"No," Ryder said. "He stays with us."

"You’re putting your feelings over his safety," June said. "That’s not Alpha behavior."

Ryder laughed. Bitter. "You want to talk about Alpha behavior? Let’s talk about threatening a four-year-old."

"Enough," Marcus said. "Guards."

Two wolves stepped forward.

Jackson started crying. "No! I don’t want to go!"

I held him tighter. "Ryder—"

Ryder moved.

Fast.

Between me and the guards.

"Touch my son and I will end you," he said. Alpha voice. The whole room shook.

"Alpha, stand down," Marcus said.

"Make me," Ryder said.

The room went silent.

This was it.

Rebellion.

---

11:15 AM.

Callen stepped forward.

"Wait," he said. "Before anyone does anything stupid."

Everyone looked at him.

"I have a proposal," Callen said. "48 hours. But not at the facility."

"What?" Marcus said.

"Here," Callen said. "At the Wade house. Supervised. By me. By Ryder. By a pack medic."

"That’s not—"

"It’s better," Callen cut him off. "Because if you take him by force, you’ll have a war. And you know it. The pack doesn’t want that."

Marcus looked at the other elders.

Whispering.

Finally: "Fine. 48 hours. At the house. But if the pup shows any sign of distress, he comes with us."

"Deal," Ryder said.

---

12:00 PM. Our house. Under surveillance.

Two pack guards at the door.

A medic in the living room.

Cameras in every corner.

It was a prison.

Jackson was scared.

He wouldn’t let go of me.

"Are they taking me, Mommy?"

"No, baby," I said. "They’re not."

Ryder was on edge.

Pacing.

Checking windows.

Checking Jackson every 5 minutes.

Callen was trying to keep it normal.

"Who wants pizza?"

No one answered.

---

6:00 PM. Day 1.

Jackson finally fell asleep.

Exhausted from crying.

Ryder and I sat on the floor outside his room.

Guards outside the door.

"This is my fault," Ryder said.

"No, it’s not," I said.

"Yes, it is," he said. "If I hadn’t left. If I hadn’t gone to the gala. If I—"

"Stop," I said. "This is their fault. Not yours. Not mine."

Ryder looked at me. "I’m so scared I’m going to lose him."

"Me too," I whispered.

He took my hand.

"I won’t let that happen," he said. "Even if I have to burn the whole pack down."

---

Day 2. 10:00 AM.

The medic checked Jackson.

"Vitals are good," she said. "No distress."

"See?" Callen said to the camera. "He’s fine."

But the guards weren’t leaving.

At 3 PM, Marcus called.

"24 hours left," he said. "Then we re-evaluate."

Ryder hung up.

"We need to end this," he said. "Now."

"How?" I asked.

"By giving them what they want," Ryder said. "But on our terms."

---

5:00 PM. The Solution.

Ryder called an emergency pack meeting.

At our house.

With Jackson present.

The whole council came.

And the whole pack.

Standing in our living room.

Ryder stood in the middle.

Jackson in his arms.

Me next to him.

"This is my son," Ryder said. Loud. So everyone could hear. "Jackson Wade. And this is his mother. And this is his home."

He looked at Marcus.

"You want to evaluate him? Evaluate this. A father who shows up. A mother who fights. A pack that protects instead of threatens."

He turned to the pack.

"You all have kids. Would you let them take your kids? Because they said so?"

Murmurs.

Heads shaking.

Marcus frowned. "This is irregular."

"So is threatening a child," Ryder said. "So here’s my offer. We stay. Together. Under supervision. And in return, I step down as Alpha for 6 months. To focus on my family."

The room exploded.

"What?!" June said.

"You can’t—"

"I can," Ryder said. "And I will. Because my son is more important than a title."

He looked at me.

And I realized.

He was choosing us.

Over everything.

Marcus looked around the room.

Saw the faces.

Saw the pack siding with Ryder.

"Fine," Marcus said through gritted teeth. "Supervision ends. But we’ll be watching."

"Let them watch," Ryder said.

---

8:00 PM. After they left.

The house was quiet.

No guards.

No cameras.

Jackson was asleep in Ryder’s arms.

On the couch.

Ryder looked exhausted.

And free.

"You gave up being Alpha," I said.

"For you," he said. "For him."

"Ryder—"

"Don’t," he said. "It was the easiest decision I’ve ever made."

I sat next to him.

Leaned my head on his shoulder.

"Thank you," I whispered.

He kissed the top of my head.

"Always," he said.

---

That night.

No nightmares.

No guards.

Just us.

In the morning, Callen brought donuts.

"Former Alpha," he said to Ryder, grinning. "How’s retirement?"

"Best job I’ve ever had," Ryder said, holding Jackson.

---

END OF CHAPTER 9

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