Chapter 5

A few days later, Dorian received a phone call. It was from the local combat academy of the Ravenstone pack.

"Congratulations, Dorian. You have been granted early admission to our academy."

Dorian froze, terror instantly draining the color from his face. He turned to look at me. "I never submitted an application to them."

I grabbed the phone. "Is there some kind of mistake?"

"Ma'am, we don't make mistakes like this," the voice on the other end replied. "His application was synchronized and certified by his father."

Brad… Of course it was him.

Without a second thought, I hung up, grabbed Dorian, and rushed straight to the Elders' Council Hall.

Morgan pulled up the system log using his administrative clearance. The timestamps and account credentials were all laid out clearly on the screen.

Brad had canceled Dorian's application on Eldoria Combat Academy's official portal.

In its place, he had submitted an application to a tiny, local combat academy under the jurisdiction of the Ravenstone pack.

As Dorian stared at the screen, he clenched his fists so hard his fingernails dug deep into his palms, but he was entirely oblivious to the pain.

Morgan clearly hadn't expected Brad to pull a stunt like this either. He opened his mouth, but all that came out was a heavy sigh.

I took a deep breath and dialed Brad's number right there in the Elders' Council Hall.

He picked up almost immediately. "Hello?"

"Did you alter Dorian's application?" I asked, my voice deadly calm.

A two-second silence hung on the line.

"I did it for his own good," he said. "Eldoria is too far away. I'm not comfortable letting him go on his own."

The rage I had been holding back exploded. I unleashed every ounce of my fury into the receiver. "You're not comfortable? When he shifted into his wolf form for the first time and screamed in agony all night, you were very comfortable!

"When he fell off a chair fixing a light bulb, gouged his leg open, and had to patch himself up, you were comfortable! Every single time you abandoned him, you were perfectly comfortable! Now that he's grown up and capable of building his future, suddenly you're not comfortable?"

Brad's tone hardened. "Laila, watch your words. I am Dorian's father. I will never harm him. I have his best interests at heart."

I forced out every word through gritted teeth, "Do you have Dorian's best interests at heart, or are you just getting revenge because we refused to play along with your little act?"

The line went dead quiet for three seconds.

Then he spoke. "Laila, you're the one who pushed things to the point of no return first."

I hung up. Any further conversation was a complete waste of breath.

That single sentence confirmed everything.

He wasn't confused, he wasn't acting on impulse, and he certainly didn't have Dorian's best interests at heart. He had intentionally sabotaged Dorian's future.

This was my mate. This was Dorian's father!

Dorian stood beside me. His eyes were bloodshot, but he refused to let a single tear drop.

He looked at me and asked softly, "Mom, can I still go to Eldoria Combat Academy?"

I stroked his head and replied with certainty, "Yes."