My shoulders sag. She doesn’t realize I’ve beengonegone this week. She thinks I’ve been coming home to sleep. Do I really mean that little to her? She can’t even be bothered to check in on me?
“There’s been a lot going on at the lab, and I’ve been spending a lot of late nights?—”
“Nevermind all that,” my mother says, cutting me off before I have to lie. Which is fortunate, because I’m a terrible liar. “Have you even checked your phone?”
Patting my jeans pocket, I blanch when I realize I don’t have my phone. I haven’t touched it all week. It’s likely dead and buried under a pile of pillows in my nest.
My mother rolls her eyes. “Ofcourseyou haven’t checked your phone. I swear, for someone so smart, you really are quite an airhead.”
Somehow, I manage to hold in my flinch. Her words hurt, but I won’t have to hear them after this. Not unless I choose to see her. I have a pack now. A beta and three alphas who loveme and chose me and who’d never tell me I was an airhead. They’re family in a way she has never been.
When it’s clear I’m not going to respond, my mother sighs deeply and climbs the stairs. She grabs my arm when she gets to the top and starts tugging me to my room.
“If you’d have checked your phone like a responsible adult, you would have seen that Carrie was able to set up a dinner with an eligible pack.”
I frown. “She found a pack that meets my requirements?”
My mom scoffs at that, tilting her nose in the air. “Olivia, don’t be stupid. I told her you were being ridiculous and had her throw out your list. No, she found a pack suitable for your station.”
Suitable for my station. It’s my turn to scoff. “Mother, I’m not having dinner with some random pack.”
“You will. You are.” Her fingers dig into my arm, just shy of being painful. She pauses as we get to my room, and she inhales. Her nose wrinkles, and she looks at me with suspicion in her gaze. “Your scent, Olivia. What is that?”
Tugging out of her grasp, I chuckle nervously. I’m not telling her I’m mated right now. Not while we’re alone in this house and I’m without my phone. I wouldn’t be surprised if she locked me in my room like a naughty child if she found out.
“I haven’t showered in a couple of days. I’ve been so focused on work...”
The sneer my mother levels me with makes me a little weak in the knees, and I have to hold on to the doorframe. There’s always been disdain in her gaze, but I’ve never seen the hate. Or perhaps I’ve fooled myself into thinking that she might actually love me.
“Yes, well, thank goodness you have plenty of time to shower and get ready before Pack Whittier arrives. I’ve put a dress on your bed. They will arrive at three o’clock, and Iexpect you to be ready and on your best behavior. Henry and his pack will also be here. We need to show the Whittiers that you come from good stock, despite your...oddities.”
Ouch.
Oddities. It shouldn’t hurt. It shouldn’t. Because I have a pack who loves me waiting at home. Still, my stupid heart twists and spasms in my chest because this is what my mom thinks of me? The woman who gave birth to me—the one person who should love me unconditionally—genuinely believes I’m not good enough the way I am.
Before I can open my mouth to protest, my mom levels me with a deadly glare.
“You will do as you're told, Olivia, or so help me.” She turns on her heel and storms down the stairs. I listen at my door, hoping she’ll leave for her lunch like normal, but she must know I’m hoping to escape, because when I creep down the hall and peer down the stairs, I watch as she settles onto the couch closest to the front door. Being trapped in this house with her right now, all her cruel words pinging around in my head, makes my skin feel too tight.
None of this has gone according to plan, and my anxiety ratchets up with every passing moment. My heart rate increases, my palms feel clammy, and tears prickle the backs of my eyes. I can’t believe I forgot my phone, but I did, and that means I can’t call for backup. Which leaves me with only two real choices. Do I go along with this nightmarish charade, or do I make a run for it? No, I’m a capable, mated adult. I’m going to do what I came here to do.
Burrowing into Liam’s hoodie, I inhale his blueberry scent to calm myself down. I just need to pack my bags and make it through this evening, then I can ask Henry and his pack to help me carry my suitcases to my car and leave this house forever. No big deal. I can do this.
Ignoring the pale pink dress on my bed—why does mymother insist on dressing me in pastels?—I sort through my closet and carefully fold my chosen items and pack them tightly into my largest suitcase. My hands tremble as I go through my personal items, and my eyes burn with unshed tears. I refuse to cry. My mother doesn’t deserve my tears. She’s hurt me for the last time, and even though I wish things were different—I wish she cared enough about me to be happy I’ve found my soulmates—wishing won’t change this situation. So I let myself feel the sharp pain that comes with realizing things with my mother will never change, let it steal the breath from my lungs for only as long as it takes me to pack up my stuff, then I will stand up, walk out of here, and never look back.
When all is said and done, I’ve managed to fit everything that’s important to me into two large suitcases.
I’m not sure if that’s something to feel proud of or very, very sad about.
At least it will make moving in with my mates that much easier.
It’s almost two o’clock by the time I’m finished packing, and reluctantly, I get into the shower. I reassure myself that this is the very last time I will be subjected to my mother’s whims, so I might as well play along. I don’t put as much effort into my hair and makeup as I know she expects me to, but I don’t care about the Whittier pack. The only beta and alphas I need to impress are waiting at home for me, and they don’t care if I look perfectly put together. They like me as I am.
A sharp knock at my door pulls me out of my head. The knob wiggles, but thankfully, I locked it.
“Olivia, our guests will be here in five minutes. Your brother and his pack are already here. I expect you downstairs immediately.”
Thank God Henry is here. I wish I could have called my mates and asked them to come rescue me, but at least I’ll haveHenry for moral support. The bond is a warm, constant sensation. I’m not sure they can feel my distress, but for their sakes, I hope they can’t.
