Toya sighed. “You have been MIA for a full week. We only told the girls, so I assume certain people were trying to get in touchwith you.” She scratched her neck. “I know your mom called and texted more than once. I was honestly a little afraid to answer.”
“Why?”
Toya coughed. “After not answering her calls, she showed up, but Jora was under the King’s orders to block everyone from coming up here.” She rubbed her temples. “Including her. When she left, she blew up your phone.”
“Well fuck.” I squeezed my eyes shut. “She is going to blow her top.”
“Yeah. Honestly, take your time.” She turned and headed out of the room.
I sighed again, shoulders dropping, as I headed back to my room. I clicked open my phone and scrolled through everything. Nix and Megan growled at the fifty or so calls and messages from Brandon. All of them asking to come over.
He was bound and determined to get you.Megan’s voice was full of disgust.
Yeah, I bet you he tried everything to find out where you lived, too.Nix scoffed.Pathetic male.
I just deleted everything from him. I’ll deal with him later. My gaze stopped on Rowan’s name, one notification. I’d ignore him for now, too. I wasn’t sure I would ever face him again. I scrolled to the next name and hit it. I winced, reading what my mother sent me. She started off worried and then became very much enraged. She even showed up mid week to confront me for ignoring her only to be turned away. She was pissed.
I tossed my phone onto the bed. Clothes first, then call. I figured the call was going to take a while. I went to my closet and grabbed sweats. I wanted to be comfortable after the last week of bullshit.
Once I was dressed, I made my way back to my bed and sat down. I grabbed my phone, sighed and clicked the call. I waitedfor it to connect, but I couldn’t even get a word in as soon as the call connected; she exploded.
“Where the fuck have you been? It’s been a week.” I heard the anger in her voice, but also the worry. “Do you understand how worried I have been? How could you do this to me? I’m your mother. I carried you for months.” I wanted to groan. My mom used this story to guilt me when she was really hurt.
“Mom.” I interrupted her, but she bulldozed over me, like she didn’t even hear me.
“I called you, Amy Róisín Maclean, and you never answered.” Uh oh the full name. I winced when she said it. “And I waited for you to call me back.” I puffed out another breath.
“Mom.” I tried again but she was on a roll.
“After three days, I came there to see you, to make sure you were alright. And do you know what happened Amy?” I stayed silent because she wasn’t listening to me anyways. “Do you know?”
“No Mom I don’t.” I did, but obviously she wasn’t listening.
“The guard turned me away in the lobby, said he was ordered to block anyone from going upstairs. My own daughter ordered him to keep me out.” She started to cry but I heard it. There was a little whine to her voice that was more act than it was sincerity.
The thought hit me like a punch. Someone was there, and they were listening to our conversation.
“Look mom. I was dealing with a lot of bullshit here. A council member killed themselves at my feet.” I allowed my voice to tremble. “Then, out of nowhere my heat hit. I was on lock down due to being unmated.”
My mother sniffled, like she was still hurt and then she stopped. “Unmated.” She murmured away from the phone. “Does that mean you like someone?” She was giving me an explanation without having to accuse Brandon directly. I felt my smile drop when I heard another voice in the background.
“Ask her if it’s Brandon?” Vince sounded excited, but I heard the tiny tremble in his voice. He was fishing to see if I had any clue that I was drugged.
I forced a giggle through my frozen face. “I won’t say who it is. But you know them.” I laughed again, forcing myself to paint the picture of a slightly infatuated she-wolf. The more Viunce thought I was a love struck idiot, the easier he would be to maneuver. I smiled the first real smile since my heat started, but as soon as I thought about my heat, and how Rowan fled, my heart ached a little. “It’s been a long week mom. I’m super tired.” I felt the exhaustion of my wolves. “I need to eat. But I do miss you. Can you come over tomorrow for dinner? We can catch up then. Okay?”
“Sure baby girl.” I heard someone in the background yelling something farther off and my mind flashed to Lynn. “Love you.”
My hand tightened on my phone. “Okay mom. I’ll see you then. Love you.” I hung up the phone and I tossed it to the bed before I screamed. Toya and Wendy came running in.
“What’s wrong?” Both lifted a brow at my anger.
“Everything.” I pushed up from the bed and straightened my hair. “But…” I trailed off as my mind started to whirl.
“But what?” Toya came over and grabbed my shoulders.
“But everything that has happened showed me exactly who I can trust to be there when I need them, and who will run instead.” Toya and Wendy shared a look but they just came over and hugged me gently.
Nix and Megan both nodded.He showed us exactly where we stand.Nix barely cracked an eye.We trust our pack, and no one else. Not until they prove themselves.
