Boarlander Beast Boar (Boarlander Bears #4)(36)

“No, you aren’t, Beck. Your eyes are glowing like yellow highlighters right now. What are you going to do? Huh? You gonna homeschool him forever, keep him from making friends, coddle him because that’s what you’re doing. He ain’t living! Every time he gets pissed, he Changes.”

“Because you hurt him, Robbie! You hurt his feelings when you tell him he’s not normal, or that he needs to change a fundamental part of who he is to earn your love. I’m not having this conversation anymore. My answer is a definite, non-negotiable no. Ryder is fine the way he is. He’s perfect.” Angry tears stung her eyes at how much she hated Robbie right now. She shook her head as she stared at this terrible person she’d given her heart to once. “Why can’t you see he’s perfect?”

“Because he ain’t,” Robbie gritted out. “And if you aren’t willing to take him to the appointments on the days you have him, I’ll file for primary custody and get it done myself.”

“No judge is going to give you primary custody, you idiot. You barely see your son! You haven’t paid child support! You are literally the worst father I’ve ever met.”

“Yeah.” Robbie gave her a blood-chilling smile. “But I’m human, and I have more rights than you do. A judge will see what I’m trying to do for him and cut you out of Ryder’s life because he deserves better than this. He deserves better than you.”

Bile rose in her throat at the idea that this monster could actually take Ryder away. Her son’s life would be so empty, so lacking with Robbie constantly belittling him. She loved Ryder more than air. He was vital to her. Her entire existence was devoted to giving him a good life. She breathed for his little smile. “I’m leaving.”

She stood, but Robbie grabbed her hand and growled out, “Not until you say yes and sign the consent forms.”

Beck tried to break away from his grip, but Robbie tightened it, his eyes going cold as a snake’s.

When he wrenched her closer, she gasped out, “You’re hurting me.”

The crash of the pool stick against the metal edge of the pool table was deafening, and in an instant, the jagged splintered end was shoved against Robbie’s jugular.

“Take your f*ckin’ hand off her,” Mason gritted out in a low, snarling voice that could rival a monster’s.

Robbie let her go slowly, then lifted his hands in surrender. Behind Mason, Haydan, Kellen, and Kong stood like demon-eyed titans, ready to rip Robbie in half.

“Here’s how this will go,” Mason said low as he eased the stick away from Robbie’s throat. “There will be no more talk of torturing Beck’s kid and no more laying your hands on her.”

“And who are you?” Robbie asked through a furious grimace.

“I’m Mason. I’m Beck’s mate.” He gave a venomous smile under those glowing blue eyes. “Now, I’ve seen a lot of daddies like you.”

“Like me,” Robbie scoffed.

“Yeah. Fuck-up dickheads who screw up a kid’s life because it suits your own to do it. And the story is always the same. You slither back into your kid’s life when they’re grown and don’t need you anymore. You come with your apologies ready because your guilt will eat at you until you can’t sleep. Can’t eat. You’ll raise your other two babies and eventually you will grow up enough to realize you did your other kid wrong. And you know what will happen then?”

Robbie crossed his arms defensively, but now he wouldn’t meet Mason’s glare.

The table creaked under Masons weight as he locked his arms on it and leaned forward. “He’ll be the one telling you that you’re worthless. And his hatred will be all your fault. You’ll die knowing you failed that kid, when all he wanted was for you to care about him. Don’t you bring this gene therapy shit up again. You won’t kill Ryder’s owl. He’s a badass bird of prey. You’ll just make him angry, and someday, he’s going to be a f*cking warrior, fed on your endless faults.”

Mason arched his gaze to Beck, apparently waiting for her to chime in, but she was a little dumbfounded right about now. Before, it had always been her alone sticking up for Ryder, but Mason had just reminded her how awesome it was to be a shifter. Ryder was going to be a badass. He was a bird of prey, a raptor, a flight shifter. That was f*cking awesome! She knew because she was one and, hell yeah, she was tough.

“I think you should leave,” she murmured to Robbie. “You should go back home and really get to know our son. He’s amazing if you would just see past your prejudice.”

Robbie shook his head for a long time, stared out the front window as the fire dimmed in his eyes. “Beck, I can’t do this anymore.”

“Can’t do what?”

Robbie leveled her with a hard look and murmured, “That was my last offer to be a part of his life.”

“I don’t understand,” Beck said softly.

“I don’t want to pay no child support on a kid I never wanted.”

Mason gave her a sad look and moved off with the others, leaving her and Robbie alone again.

“Robbie, you don’t pay child support now, and I still let you see him whenever you want.”

“Yeah, but we already went through the courts, and last paycheck, they docked me by a lot. I have two kids on the way, Shelly can’t stand shifters, and she needs more than you did, Beck. She needs the big house and the shiny new car to be happy.”