Wolf's Call (Wolves Next Door #2) - Auryn Hadley Page 0,99

society in ways that I never could? She'd already lived through the struggle of being a minority and knew what it would be like for us if people found out wolves existed. More than all of that, she was a wolf who was going to one day be a true leader, and who I'd make sure always put her pack before herself. The girl was already trying.

When I opened the door, I wasn't surprised to see my father on the other side. With a tilt of my head, I invited him in. "Elena?" I said, making her look over. "You had questions?"

"What can we do about Gabby's custody?" she asked. "Henry, there has to be something. Karen just tried to attack me, and the only reason I wasn't bit was because of a teenage boy!"

Henry looked at me. "I'll explain it all later," I promised. "But she's not exaggerating."

So my dad walked over and took the chair beside the couch. "Boys, look busy," he told them.

The guys all moved, even Lane. Elena scooted over to the side closer to my father, and I took the spot next to her. Upstairs, I could finally hear Gabby come out of the bathroom. I almost interrupted, but the girl headed right into her bedroom. Probably to call her boyfriend like I'd suggested.

"With Gabby's father alive and in good health, he's her next of kin. There's nothing you can do to change that, Elena. We could try to have him listed as an unfit parent, but I'm not sure it would stick. You'd need a reason that it wouldn't be in her best interest to be around him, and ignoring her isn't enough. Drug addiction, abuse, neglect, or such. And you'd have to prove it. He would fight to disprove it, and the ultimate decision would be up to the judge."

"So what do I do?" Elena asked. "What happens when their next ex-girlfriend decides to attack me?"

"There's not - " I tried, but my father lifted a finger, stopping me.

"You want a contingency plan, right?" He lifted a brow. "Don't get bit. Don't turn. Wait until she's eighteen so you don't have to worry about it. That means never leaving the house except to go right to work, and making sure one of your mates is always at your side. No more time alone. No more quiet bubble baths with a too-big glass of wine."

"No," she insisted. "I'm talking about when the next Karen decides that challenging me will get her what she wants. A position in the pack, revenge against a wolf, or whatever else. It could be my own kid for all I know, because she's at that age where the tantrums are going to get bad."

"First, she wouldn't," he promised. "We really don't lose control and just bite people, Elena. No more than you do. Second, well, unless you figure out how to get Gerardo to give up his parental rights, your only other option is to prove him a danger to her."

"How do we get him to give up his rights?" she asked.

"He'd have to sign them away with the divorce," Henry told her.

She just groaned. "And he wouldn't just to piss me off." With a huff, she flopped back against the couch. "He's more than proven that he has no interest in her. He doesn't want to pay child support; he has no desire to even spend time with her. When he does, it's usually to berate her for not being a carbon copy of him. But if I asked? He'd refuse just out of spite."

"We could offer that in exchange for no child support," Henry pointed out.

Elena just shook her head. "No, he doesn't want Jaime to think he bailed. We'd have to make him look like the hero somehow. Give him a reason that it's my fault, otherwise he wouldn't. And I don't even know how Gabby would feel about that."

"Well, think about it," Henry said. "If you want me to put the offer in there, I can. It won't hurt anything."

She just nodded. "Ok. Then do it. And you're welcome to stay for dinner, you know."

He just chuckled. "I think the house is full enough. Besides, by now, Ashley will have all those details Ian would give me, and it sounds like I should drop in and check on Kim and Roman. You all relax. I'm not quite useless to the pack yet."

"No, you're not, Dad," I agreed. "Thanks for helping me."

"Doesn't mean you get out