CHAPTER 12: Elena’s Last Move*_∼
1011 Words
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*CLAIMED BY THE ALPHA*
*CHAPTER 12: Elena’s Last Move*
_∼
*Day 40*
It started with cops.
At 7am.
Not the nice kind.
The kind with warrants.
“Miss Abigail Carter?”
“That’s me.”
“We have questions about fraud, coercion, and unlawful claiming.”
Damon was in front of me in 2 seconds.
Bare feet.
T-shirt.
“Get off my property.”
“Sir, we have a warrant to bring her in for questioning.”
Elena stood behind them.
Pearl suit.
Smiling.
“Morning, son,” she said. “Morning, Abi.”
---
*Station. 9am.*
Cold room.
Metal table.
One lawyer.
Mine.
Damon paid for him.
“Miss Carter,” the detective said. “Did Mr. Blackwood pay you to enter into a false marriage claim?”
“No.”
“Did he coerce you into accepting his mark?”
“No.”
“Did you know you were committing fraud against pack law?”
“I saved my life,” I said. “He saved my life.”
They kept going.
For 3 hours.
Same questions.
Different words.
Damon was in the room next door.
I could feel him through the bond.
Rage.
Fear.
_Mine._
Finally the lawyer stood.
“She’s 19. She’s an adult. There’s no evidence of fraud. You’re done here.”
We walked out.
Damon was waiting.
He didn’t hug me.
But he took my hand.
And didn’t let go.
---
*In the car.*
Silence.
Then:
“That was her,” Damon said.
“I know.”
“She filed the report herself. Used the board’s lawyers.”
“Why?”
“Because she’s losing, Abi. And desperate people are dangerous.”
He looked at me.
“You okay?”
“No.”
“Me neither.”
He pulled over.
Turned to me.
“I’m sorry. For all of this. For dragging you into my family.”
“You didn’t drag me. I walked in.”
“Still.”
He reached out.
Brushed my cheek.
“I should’ve protected you from this part.”
“You are protecting me. By staying.”
---
*That night. Pack Court Notice.*
_Emergency Hearing: Validity of Blackwood Claim_
_Filed by: Elena Blackwood_
_Reason: Fraudulent Mark & Undue Influence_
Damon threw it across the room.
“f**k!”
“Damon—”
“No. This is it. This is her last move. If she wins this, they annul the claim. They take you.”
He was pacing.
Wild.
“You’re not going alone.”
“I’m not letting you—”
“I’m not asking.”
---
*Day 41. The Hearing.*
Bigger room this time.
More people.
News.
Cameras.
Elena’s lawyer: “Your honor, Mr. Blackwood used his position of power to manipulate a vulnerable omega. The mark was not consensual. The marriage was a cover.”
Damon’s lawyer: “Miss Carter is 19. She has testified twice that she consented. She has lived under Mr. Blackwood’s protection for 41 days without incident.”
Then they called me.
Elena stared.
Damon wouldn’t.
He was looking at the floor.
Like if he looked at me, he’d break.
“Miss Carter,” the judge said. “Is this claim real?”
I stood.
Looked at Elena.
Then at Damon.
Then at everyone.
“No,” I said.
Gasps.
Damon’s head snapped up.
“No, it’s not just a claim,” I continued. “It’s not fraud. It’s not manipulation. It’s the reason I’m alive.”
I pulled my hair back.
Showed the mark.
“It hurts. It heals. It’s him. And I chose it. Every day for 41 days I chose it.”
I looked at Damon.
“I choose him.”
The room was silent.
Elena stood.
“That’s enough! She’s been brainwashed!”
“Sit down, Elena,” the judge said.
She did.
The judge looked at Damon.
Then at me.
Then at the mark.
“Pack law is clear. A claim made in good faith to save a life stands. Miss Carter has stated her wishes. Again. Petition denied. The claim stands.”
Gavel.
Elena’s face.
I thought she’d scream.
She didn’t.
She just stood.
Walked out.
---
*Outside.*
Reporters.
“MR BLACKWOOD! IS IT REAL?”
“ABI! DO YOU LOVE HIM?”
Damon stopped.
Pulled me in front of him.
Put his arm around my waist.
In front of everyone.
“Yes,” he said.
To them.
To Elena.
To the world.
“Yes. It’s real. She’s mine. And anyone who comes for her answers to me.”
Flash. Flash. Flash.
In the car, I was shaking.
He was too.
“You said yes,” he whispered.
“You said yes too.”
“I did.”
He pulled me to him.
Hugged me.
Hard.
Careful of his stitches.
“I thought I lost you.”
“You didn’t.”
---
*That night. Home.*
No candles.
No power outage.
Just us.
In the kitchen.
Damon made pasta.
Didn’t burn it.
Miracle.
We ate on the floor.
Again.
His back against the cabinets.
Me between his legs.
His arms around me.
“Elena’s done,” he said.
“For now.”
“For now.”
Silence.
Then:
“Abi.”
“What?”
“That thing you said. ‘I choose him.’”
“What about it?”
“Did you mean it?”
“Yes.”
He buried his face in my hair.
“Breathe,” he whispered. “Just breathe with me.”
So we did.
---
*11:30pm. Text.*
*Unknown: You were perfect today. I’m proud of you.*
*Me: I learned from you.*
*Unknown: Come here.*
I went.
To his room.
He was in bed.
Patted the spot next to him.
I laid down.
He pulled me close.
“I’m not letting her touch you again. Ever.”
“I know.”
He kissed my forehead.
“Sleep, brave girl.”
And I did.
For the first time in weeks.
Safe.
---
_END OF CHAPTER 12_
ELENA LOST 😭 "I CHOOSE HIM" IN COURT. "YES IT'S REAL" TO THE PRESS. SLEEPING IN HIS BED
- Writer
