Claiming my Ex's Father in law

SEVEN

KAIA

Just as I was about to pull up Josie's contact, a new message lit up my screen.

My heart dropped when I saw Kai’s name flashing across the top. Dread curled in my stomach like a fist. With a deep breath, I opened it—and immediately wished I hadn’t.

Kai: How dare you leave with another man? You really are a slut!!

Kai: You’ll open your legs for anyone who waves money in your face. Has this always been who you are?

Kai: Maybe if I’d paid you, you would’ve finally slept with me after two years of wasting my time.

I physically recoiled, the words punching the breath from my lungs. Two years—wasted on me?

My hands shook. My wolf whimpered, curling in on herself beneath the weight of his cruel rejection. My chest ached, and I blinked hard, but the tears came anyway, spilling down my cheeks with quiet betrayal.

And then—another one.

Kai: He’s never going to love you like I do. He hasn’t been in a real relationship for twenty years. You’ll never be more than a dirty secret to him. A desperate little w***e. When reality hits, I’ll still be here. Your dad could walk free tomorrow if you just agree to my terms.

My breath caught in my throat. My pulse screamed. I nearly hurled my phone across the room, fury and shame tangling in my chest like barbed wire. Every word was calculated to cut, and he knew exactly where to slice.

Then—like a lifeline—my phone buzzed again. This time, it wasn’t him.

Josie: Are you okay? You left in a rush.

My fingers trembled as I typed.

Me: Sorry. I don’t think I can do this job anymore. It’s too much. I feel disgusting. I hope you’re not mad.

Josie: I’m not mad. I kind of figured today would be your last. That place isn’t for you. You’re better than that. Did you leave with Kai?

Me: No. Someone else gave me a ride.

I hesitated, unsure if I should say who it was. Dominic—Celeste’s father, the very man Kai worshipped and now suspected me of being involved with. It felt like too much to confess right now.

Josie: Who?

I bit my lip, hovering over the keyboard, unsure how to explain. But before I could answer, another message arrived.

Josie: Never mind, we just got slammed. Tell me later.

I exhaled slowly and typed a final message.

Me: Okay. Talk soon.

Then I tossed my phone to the end of the bed and collapsed into the pillows, my entire body trembling. The room felt cold and hollow around me. I was unraveling, piece by piece, in the silence. Sleep felt impossible. I already knew tonight would be another battle to survive my own thoughts.

---

Third Person POV

Kai stood frozen, eyes locked in the direction the sleek black car had gone.

Dominic Voss.

The name echoed in his mind like a curse. The man Kai had been working to impress, the man who held keys to every door he wanted access to—now driving away with her in the passenger seat.

His mate.

The fury roiling inside him was impossible to mask.

"Did that just happen?" his friend muttered beside him, slack-jawed. Neither of them could believe it. Kaia’s little bomb about Kaia cozying up to Dominic Voss had sounded like jealousy or maybe a wild guess at best. But seeing her step into his car without hesitation?

That was no rumor. That was confirmation.

Kai clenched his fists, nails digging into his palms.

His pride stung, but it wasn’t just pride. It was possession. Kaia was his. She was supposed to be his. And now she was being swept away by the man whose approval Kai had been chasing for months.

Beneath the rage, there was something else—panic. A bitter fear that maybe, just maybe, Kaia had never truly belonged to him at all.

And that terrified him more than he cared to admit.

This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. Kaia was meant to fold—to take Kai up on his offer without hesitation.

That was the entire point of his manipulation. He knew marrying Celeste would cut Kaia out of his life completely. So, he played the only card he had left: her family.

Destroying her father’s company had been simple. Kai had influence in every corner of the city, and even more now that he was the top contender for Alpha of the Redmoon Pack.

His family name alone opened doors—and closed them when he wanted. All it took was a few calls, and Kaia’s family business crumbled.

He thought she’d come crawling then, desperate to save them. But she surprised him. She resisted. She was infuriatingly stubborn.

So when he found out she’d started working at some rundown restaurant, he decided to take a more personal approach. He brought his crew—loud, entitled, and intimidating—to push her out of that place. But even that didn’t go his way.

The girl didn’t flinch.

Seething, Kai stepped into the quiet of the library and yanked his phone from his coat.

He made the call without hesitation.

“Blacklist Kaia Bennett. I want every job offer she’s applied for in this town pulled. She’s not to be hired anywhere,” he snapped.

The voice on the other end hesitated. “Sir, Miss Montague’s credentials are solid. She’s applied to several reputable positions—she’s more than qualified.”

“I don’t care. Make them disappear,” Kai growled. “Wipe her out of every short list. Got it?”

“Sir, I—”

“If I so much as hear you hesitated, I’ll pull my family’s sponsorship from your business and make sure it collapses within the month. Don’t test me.”

Silence lingered for a beat.

“Yes, sir.”

With a satisfied smirk, Kai ended the call. Victory curled in his chest like smoke. It was only a matter of time before Kaia would have no options left—no money, no future.

Then she’d come crawling back. And when she did, he’d make sure she stayed exactly where he wanted her: beneath him.

---

Meanwhile, Beta Miles cast a glance through the rearview mirror as he drove away from Kaia’s house. Dominic sat in the back seat, his gaze locked out the window, his jaw rigid.

He hadn’t said a word since they dropped Kaia off. But when they’d seen her outside the restaurant, in a heated standoff with Kai, Dominic had tensed and barked an order to stop the car. Miles had obeyed without question.

It was… odd. For a man who claimed he had no attachment to the girl, Dominic had looked ready to tear Kai apart.

Breaking the silence, Miles asked, “Why don’t you just go after her?”

Dominic blinked, pulled from his thoughts. “What?”

Miles smirked slightly, eyes returning to the road. “I’ve seen the way you look at her, Alpha. She's not just another girl to you. So why not make a move?”

Dominic didn’t answer immediately. But the flicker of something unreadable in his eyes said more than words ever could.