Ghost riders MC: Claimed by the Alphas

Chapter One I placed the chocolate chip cookies on the paper bag on my passenger seat knowing they were Cade's favorite while I drove to his school to pick him up. Marla had already agreed to cover for me at work because she knew I was trying to get home early to cook something special for Garrett tonight. Things had been tense and awkward between us lately, and I figured a home-cooked meal might smooth over some of the rough edges that had formed in our marriage. "Excuse me." I caught the sleeve of Mrs. Patterson, one of the classroom aides I recognized after waiting for Cade, he always stays at the corner of his classroom waiting for me but he's not there at the moment."Have you seen Cade? Cade Holloway?" Her expression shifted uncomfortably and I frowned. "Oh….You need to speak with Miss Brennan…She's in the office." My pulse started hammering in my ears as I pushed back out into the hallway and I headed for the administrative office. Miss Brennan, Cade's teacher, was standing near the principal's office talking to another woman in hushed tones. When she saw me, her face went pale like she committed a crime. "Mrs. Holloway, I—" "Where's Cade?" The words came out sharper than I intended. "He wasn't in the classroom." She exchanged a glance with the other woman before gesturing toward an empty conference room. "Maybe we should talk privately." "I don't want to talk privately. I want to know where my son is." My voice was rising impatiently now, drawing attention from the secretary behind the desk but I didn't care. Miss Brennan took a breath and sighed. "There was an incident today. Cade got someone into an accident with Mrs. Chen, the substitute teacher who was covering during lunch." "An accident?" I repeated the word like it was foreign. "He's five years old. What kind of accident can he cause?" "He... he injured her quite badly. Her thumb was broken and she had to be taken to the hospital." Blood drained from my face that I actually had to reach out and steady myself against the wall. "That's not possible…Cade wouldn't hurt anyone." "Mrs. Holloway, I understand this is difficult to hear, but multiple witnesses saw what happened. Mrs. Chen tried to redirect him during lunch, and he grabbed her hand and... twisted, making the bone snapped. We heard it across the room." Miss Brennan's voice dropped lower. "This isn't normal behavior for a child, he shouldn't have that kind of strength or that kind of aggression." "Where is my son?" My voice shook now, fear replacing confusion. "Where did you take him?" "The principal called your husband and Mr. Holloway gave permission for Cade to be transported to Mercy General for evaluation. There are concerns about his psychological state, possibly some neurological issues that need immediate assessment." The floor dropped out from under me and I was shaking. "You took my son to a psychiatric hospital without telling me? Without my permission?" "Your husband is listed as an emergency contact, and he—" "I'm his mother!" The shout tore out of me, "You don't take my child anywhere without talking to me first!" Principal Davies appeared in the doorway, his expression stern. "Mrs. Holloway, I need you to lower your voice because you're causing a scene." Something snapped inside me. "Your son broke a teacher's thumb," Davies said coldly. "He exhibited violent, abnormal behavior that endangered our staff. After consulting with your husband and the school board, we've decided that Cade is withdrawn from this school effective immediately. He poses a threat to other students." What? Just like that? My hands were shaking so badly that I dropped the paper bag and the cookies spilled across the floor. "This is insane..you're treating him like some kind of criminal. He's just five years old!" "Mrs. Holloway, your husband understood the gravity of the situation. He agreed that Cade needs immediate medical intervention before something worse happens." Davies crossed his arms. "Now, I'm going to have to ask you to leave the premises before I call security." He said and I wanted to hit him so badly. Instead, I yanked my phone from my pocket and turned away, already dialing. Garrett answered on the second ring. "Sloane, I know you're upset, but—" "Where the hell is my son?" I was walking now, shoving through the school doors and heading for my car. Parents scattered out of my way. "Where is Cade?" "He's at Mercy General and they're running some tests. The school called me, and after what happened, I didn't have a choice. Sloane, he broke a grown woman's bone. That's not normal. Something's wrong with him." "Something's wrong with YOU!" I was screaming now, not caring who heard. "You authorized them to take our son without even calling me? What kind of father does that?" "The kind who doesn't want his son to hurt someone else! Jesus, Sloane, you didn't see what I saw when I got there. The teacher's hand was bent at an angle that shouldn't be possible. Cade did that.” His voice dropped. "I want to see Cade now. Tell me what room he's in." "You can't see him right now. You don't need to worry, my mother is there." "Garrett, I swear to God, if you don't tell me where my son is right this second, I will drive to your office and make such a scene that every client, every business partner and everyone in that building will know exactly what kind of man you really are. The scandal will destroy you so bad you won't get back on your feet." The silence stretched between us, tense and brittle. Finally, he sighed. "Third floor, east wing but Sloane, I'm warning you—" I hung up and threw the phone onto the passenger seat. My tires squealed as I peeled out of the parking lot. This was all his mother doing as well. That woman has never accepted us since we stepped into the Holloway's family, thinking we're strays trying to leech off her precious son's money but I won't let them get away with touching my son. I reached the hospital, moving straight to the elevator doors which opened, and the first person I saw was Garrett's mother. Vivian Holloway stood like a barrier to my problems and when she saw me, her lips pressed into a thin line. "I knew you'd come here and make this harder than it needs to be." I ignored and moved to step around her, but she shifted to block me. "You need to let the doctors do their work. That boy needs help Sloane." "That boy is your grandson, and his name is Cade." My voice was low and dangerous. "Now move out of my way." “That boy is never my grandson, don't bring that bullshit with me the same way you're doing with Garrett, he's a stray and abandoned by his bastard father who left your ass years ago and you had the effrontery to pin that little beast on my son! How dare you refer to him as my grandson?” My vision actually blurred with rage and my throat was suddenly dry with bitterness and the harsh reality that slapped me but I shoved past her with enough force that she stumbled back against the wall. "If you ever call my son a beast again, they'll need to find a room for you too." "Sloane! You can't go in there!" Her shout followed me down the hallway, but I was already running, checking door numbers, throwing open anything that wasn't locked. The doors were locked, but there was a window. I pressed my face against the glass, and what I saw made my blood turn to ice. Cade was strapped to a table in the center of the room with leather restraints holding his small wrists and ankles, the tray of instruments was what made my stomach heave. Syringes, Scalpels and things I didn't have names for. And my baby boy, my sweet Cade, was crying. His face was red and blotchy, his small body straining against the restraints. I didn't think about it, I just moved. There was a fire extinguisher mounted on the wall nearby, and I grabbed it with both hands. The glass exploded inward with a crash that sent doctors and nurses scrambling backward. I climbed through, not caring about the shards that caught on my clothes. "Get away from him!" My voice didn't sound like my own. It sounded like something wild and extremely dangerous. Two doctors moved to intercept me. "Ma'am, you can't be in here. This is a sterile environment—" "That's my son! What the hell are you doing to him?" "Mrs. Holloway, we're conducting necessary tests to determine the cause of your son's abnormal strength and aggressive tendencies. Your husband and mother-in-law authorized—" "Mommy!" Cade's voice cracked through the room. "Mommy, please! I don't want them to touch me! I didn't mean to hurt anyone! Please don't let them hurt me!" I lunged forward, but two hands grabbed my arms. My eyes landed on the tray of instruments and without thinking, I grabbed a syringe, the largest one I could reach, and pressed the needle against my own throat which made everyone froze. "Let me go," I said quietly. "Let me go right now, or I push this in. I don't care what's in it. I don't care if it kills me. But if I go down, I'm taking every single one of you with me. I will destroy this entire facility and I will make sure everyone knows what you did to a five-year-old child."