Dinner lasted all of five minutes because Zosia scoffed down her plate before anyone had even gotten half way through theirs. The food was splattered across her face as she practically bounced out of her seat and ran to the door.

"Zosia, Come back here and eat your food properly," her cheeks were stuffed full as she tried to to reply, the mashed contents resembling the food that Lucjan was eating. The two siblings looked a lot alike in this moment, both had food stuck to their cheeks and necks and a mouthful of mush.

Zosia reluctantly sat back down in her seat next to Jana and began picking at her food, the little girl had an appetite and the small plate  she had wolfed down hardly ever cut it for her. Zosia had become a seconds girl, especially when it came to dinner time.

She huffed under he breath as she flicked at some meat, sulking because she didn't get her way.

"Be patient and I will take you to see him myself, okay?" Acquiesced Jana, not liking the that Zosia had started to develop.

"Okay,"'she sighed scooping a spoonful of mash into her mouth.

Jana was saved from that journey because the door to the hall pushed open and Simeon came staggering through, his face a lot less swollen than it had been. At the sight of him Zosia flew from her seat, her plate tumbling to the floor as she sprinted towards him.

Cutlery cluttered onto plates as the family stopped eating to watch the reunion. Zosia's hair whipping around her wet face as she jumped into Simeon's arms. His body was bruised but he took her feather light body into his arms as if he hadn't been beaten to within an inch of his life. Tears running down his eyes as he hugged her tightly.

He tried to place her down on the floor so he could look at her properly but she wouldn't let him go, her legs locked around his waist as she buried her head into his neck.

Jana was annoyed that he hadn't taken her words seriously, that he had stormed in here as if he owned the compound and completely dismissed what she said and from the looks of Khan he was fairing no better. She wanted to cuss Simeon out, felt the her tongue burning as it begged to say words that would strike him deep but she didn't.

She merely faced away from their didsplay and fed her son mushed up potato and pees. Had she not been so mad at Simeon, she would find their moment beautiful and endearing but she was and so all she could see was the hundred ways Simeon was showing her he hadn't changed and likely never would. Even when she had told him not to overstep the mark he had gone full throttle and sprinted over it. Disregarding her words and the ramifications his actions would have.

Well he would learn and not by her words or her hands. She had a large family who were all gagging to fuck him up. She had begrudgingly thanked Khan for laying the man flat but had stopped them from doing further damage because he was the father of Zo and Luc. It was hard but there were other ways to make a person suffer.

She would let them bring out their snipers.

Vanya would be up first, she had a way of making a person feel like shit even when she was being level headed. Vanya spat facts with a calm demeanour but in the end you felt nothing but self disgust.

Yeah, Vanya was up first.

Smiling lightly at Zosia's squeaking and laughing, Jana let them have their moment until Luc was fed and it was time for her to give him his bath.

Her chair scraped along the floor as she stood up and made her way towards Zosia and Simeon. Completely ignoring his presence, she focussed only on Zosia who had stopped talking to Simeon at the light tap of Jana's hand in her shoulder.

"Zosia, you have half an hour until you need to come upstairs and get ready for bed" Zosia's brows furrowed together as she looked back at Simeon with puppy dog eyes and then back at Jana with the same look.

"I just got here" interjected Simeon, clearly upset with Jana's choice but she didn't care.

"Your presence is irrelevant Simeon, Zosia has lessons and so she needs to go to bed at a decent hour." Her stare cool and assessing as she stood as strong and unbending as steel, she would not be swayed.

"It's only 7" he grumbled, climbing to his feet as he tried to square off with her.

Chairs scraped and feet thudded along the floor as one by one her family members began to saddle up behind her, next to her. They were there, lingering over them and watching Simeon with hawk eyes. Waiting for him to fumble of step out of line. They were a united front that had Simeon backing up a step and Jana's back straightening with conviction.

"That is why she has half an hour until she needs to be upstairs so she can bathe and go to bed" grunts of approval had her mouth tilting up in a mocking smile.

"Do not interfere in things you don't understand, Simeon because I won't always be so nice," her eyes dark and unfeeling as she challenged Simeon, forcing him to see that he wasn't Alpha here. He didn't call the shots. She did and not because she was stronger or more dominant than him but because she had Khan by the balls and he Khan was the Alpha.

She could say and do as she pleased and Khan would always make her wishes possible because he was grafting hard. Khan was working hard to get Jana's forgiveness and so Simeon had no leg to stand on. He didn't even have knees to crawl about on, that's how disadvantaged he was. She had the law and the Regional Alpha on her side.

Simeon didn't understand that he had a long way to go before she started listening to any of his suggestions regarding the children, if she ever did.

"You have 25 minutes left Zosia, use them well" she murmured kissing her on the head, before she motioned for Vanya to follow her.

Vanya's long hair swooshed around Simeon's face as she glided past him, shoulders slightly bumping as she followed Jana to the door. They spoke in hushed tones, mouths cupped and eyes alight with misheif as they plotted.

"You are up" murmured Jana, kissing Van in the cheek and heading out of the door.

//--//

"I can't believe how big you've grown" gasped Simeon, his voice over exaggerated as he twisted Zosia in circles, she giggled loudly spinning like a little ballerina, her chest fluffed out and hand above her head.

The meal had finished shortly after Simeon had entered and so most of the family had gone their separate ways. The boys and Reina had gone for a run and Zara had gone with Carson to take Winter to bed. Khan and Neema had disappeared somewhere and so it was just Vanya, Nova, Kai because he hadn't quite shifted yet, Zosia and her father.

"And your hair is so long now" he chuckled pulling at one of the pale blonde stands and tickling her cheeks with it, her mouth hung wide in algihrer, pink gums showing.

"You've lost some teeth" his heart hurt, as his theist became unbearablly dry because ok jokes aside, Zosia had grown a lot in the time he had been gone. Her face was slimming down, that childish chub had began to leave her body, there was a maturity to her eyes. Hse wasn't his little Zosia any longer.

"Yah, Nana said I lost them early but I saided, I'm not a baby no more. I'm six" her hand spreading out and one of her little fingers on her free hand popping up to show how old she was.

He had missed her birthday and though he had suspected he would, it angered him that he had .

"Yeah, Zosia turned 6 and we threw her a big birthday, Jana took herself off bedrest to make sure she was there and it was so fun"

Vanya appeared from nowhere, her blonde hair smacking into his face as she stroked Jana's shoulder. Her eyes flickering up at Simeon as she regaled him with all that he had missed out on. She had stayed for this right here, she had waited for the right moment and now she had it she would start the decomposition stage. Simeon would be to eating my himself away by the time she was done.

His lips clenched tight, words gritted through his teeth as he forced a smile up at her. "That's goo-" words caught in his throat as the ramifications of her words began to take root

"Why was Jana on bed rest?" He stammered, climbing to his feet. Zosia stretched her hand up for him and he lifted her up off the floor. She was getting too big for him to be carrying about but she was his little baby and he had missed her.

Vanya shot him a salty side look, her nose wrinkling as her lips pursed in discomfort as if she had smelt something sour. Then her features straightened out as if she hadn't just been giving him evil looks and Simeon hadn't even realised that she was sending them his way.

"Oh you don't know" her lips pouting as if she didn't know whether she could tell him or not. As if. Simeon had fallen right into her trap.

"Not now, you spend your time with Zosia. We can talk later" her stare cool as she assessed him and then she was sauntering off. She took a seat and gathered Nova in her arms, comparing his parenting to all the fathers she knew. Khan, Ryan, Ferron, Carson... Simeon didn't make the cut.

Zosia was loud as she filled him in on all that he had missed out on. Her hands waving animatedly as she chatted his ears off and his eyes were only for her, a smile that Vanya hadn't seen in years gracing his face. He looked rough and unkempt, his hair a mess and deep bags under his eyes. He had a scruffy beard and his skin was extremely pale but his eyes were alight with so much joy.

It was beautiful to see even if Vanya was preparing herself to beat him down with her truthful words. Her wrist came up as she checked the time, 25 minutes had passed and Zosia was still downstairs. If Jana had to come downstairs and get her it would be another black mark against Simeon and even though she wanted him to suffer, she didn't want him to ruin his chances of being in his children's lives.

Heaving a sigh, she placed Nova in Kai's hands and motioned for him to leave."Zosia, baby it's time to go to bed"  she called, her legs crossed as she sat with her back straight along the back of her chair.

Tears gathered in Zosia's eyes as she shook her head, "I don't want to leave tata," her lip wobbled, as her arms crossed over her chest. Her face set straight as she challenged Vanya.

Vanya's eyes dilated as she sat there looking at the little girl who dared to challenge her, her mouth wide for a millisecond before she scattered to her feet hastily.

Kai mumbled an expletive as he practically flew out the room knowing full well the way his pother worked.

"Zosia, do not make me repeat myself. You have been instructed by Jana to go to bed so get to bed!"

The thing about Vanya was that she never had to shout or be rude, it was her tone. Normally her voice was soft and lilting but when she was challenged her voice had this hard tinge that had the children in the family scattering from her.

Zosia was strong in her denial though because her little arms clenched tighter across her chest in denial and her father just stood there. His inaction was making her opinion of him sink lower and lower, the man had a long way to go until he would pass as a good father.

"It's fine Zosia, you can stay down here," Vanya's head nodding dismissively as she turned away from the scene. Back turned she murmured words that she knew would have Zosia moving, " You can stay with your tata, I just hope he knows how to make cupcakes because I won't be making you any,"  hair flicking as she walked off.

She waited 5 seconds and then she heard the sound she expected.

A wet noise as Zosia hastily planted a kiss on Simeon's cheek, "Good night tata," and then her little feet patterned on the floor as she ran out the room like the devil was on her tail.

"Wow" he gasped at Vanya's tactics not realising that she had already started to use them on him.

"Mmm" she grunted, waving him over to the table as she took a seat and crossed her leg over the other. There was a short moment of awkwardness before Simeon braced himself to open the can of worms that Vanya had planted on his lap.

He wasted no time ripping the tin open, "Why was Jana on bed rest," fingers strumming on the table top in nervousness.

A deep sigh left her lips as if what she was saying was would be hard for her and though it was because what Jana went through had taken a tole on all of them- Vanya was excited to tell him. He would learn all that he had missed and by learning these facts the despair would truly set in.

Self hate was worse than any other hate and she knew that from experience. Normally she only tried to entice positive energies, she tried to avoid inflicting pain on others just because life was a cycle and wrongdoings always came back twofold but for Jana she would always make an exception.

"She had a really difficult pregnancy from the beginning, there was a moment where we thought we would loose both of them" she murmured solemnly, tears pricking her eyes at the memories. Some nights the sight of Jana weak and limp in her bed haunted her.

His throat bobbed and she could see her words had already struck deep but she kept digging with her words of truth that would disarm him. They would make him weak to Jana's will.

"She didn't even know she was pregnant until she nearly miscarried and then she was on bed rest for the rest of her pregnancy. I think the distance had the bond weakening quicker than usual which was why she went into an extremely early and painful labour" her tone still calm even as she felt her rage boiling with the memories of all that Jana had suffered because of his neglect.

How could he just abandon his family like that? She didn't know but she would make him regret every moment, every second they had suffered without him.

There was a darkness that had attached itself to Jana and though it was only a temporary shield that had been placed due to her horrific pregnancy, it was still there and Simeon was to blame. Had he been here her pregnancy would have been easier. He had risked his child and his mate all so he could chase ghosts.

"And Zosia, your was inconsolable for over a month. She had night terrors, Simeon and where were you?" She questioned, but they all knew where he was and he would remember that for the rest of his life.

He was a sobbing mess but Vanya felt hardly any sympathy because every time she felt bad images of Jana popped into her mind and all she could feel was hate. When she felt a small slither of guilt images of a wet faced and whimpering Zosia flittered through her head.

"I didn't know" he sobbed, tears sliding down his face in torrents, veins visible along his head in strain as he cried. His shoulders shook as his head dropped into his hands, hair flipping over his head as his body crumbled.

Of course he didn't know. How could he have known when he had never tried to contact Jana or Zosia. He hadn't thought to call or message them, he hadn't thought to see if they were alive or well. He hadn't cared. All he had thought about was himself and his need for revenge. Well he had his revenge now and that was all he had because he didn't have Jana and he didn't have Khan's friendship. He didn't have their family and his claim over his children was weak. Without a stable home and pack Simeon had no leg to stand on.

"You are a selfish and weak male Simeon and there is nothing I despise more than weak and selfish males" was her parting shot as she left him there, guilt strumming through his body as self hatred ate him alive.

——————

AN// next chapter is the last chapter, I can't believe we are nearly done! You guys have been amazing, like seriously you don't understand how much I enjoy chatting with you guys and seeing all your reactions to Simeon's stupidity! Thank you all for being a part of this journey and not giving up when I take too long to update 🙈🙈

On another note, you can find the law that is on Jana's side down below ⬇️⬇️
Next chapter is going to explain it more but I thought why not. Sorry if it's too small I had the intention of making it look like an old book but then I got lazy.