“I’m sorry, Tansy,” Mom says, clearly not sorry in the least. “But you made it pretty clear you didn’t want an alpha from Danvers. I can only assume you abandoned me at that damn shop and went out looking for your own.”
My fingers go numb. The room tilts and I have to lock my knees under the table. “How could you say that?” I whisper.
“Renee.” Dad leans forward, giving her a pointed look from the other side of the table.
“I’m sorry, William,” Mom’s voice pitches higher. “But how can I not?—”
Dad holds up his hand, a silent command to be quiet. And she surprisingly obeys.
“Cassian.” Dad shifts in his chair, clearing his throat. “My omega has a point,” he says politely. “I don’t think it’s fair to skip over the most important part of this story. I can’t leave this house without absolute certainty that you weren’t the one who snatched her.”
“She wasn’t snatched,” Mom grumbles, and Grason lets out a sharp growl that he tries to play off as a cough.
Ken smiles, then glances briefly at Cass. Like he’s checking to see what my pack alpha will do.
Cass waits for Gray to collect himself, taking a drink of water, before he turns back to my dad. “With respect, William, I won’t be discussing that,” he says simply. “Tansy went through something traumatic, and I’m not going to ask her to relive it at the dinner table.”
My chest tightens at the word traumatic.
While the black market was horrible, it was nothingcompared to what Ken did to me. What he’s continuing to do to me, even right now.
Mom opens her mouth, clearly ready to fight, but Cass continues, not giving her a chance. “All you need to know is that your daughter is safe, happy, and healthy.” His eyes meet mine, sparkling with so much affection. “She’s our responsibility now, and we take that very seriously. So, no,” he gives my mother a pointed look, “we won’t be discussing what happened to her.”
Cass’s hand tightens around mine as relief washes over me. My whole body hums with it, warmth spreading through my chest and down my arms.
I don’t have to explain.
I don’t have to defend myself.
My pack is doing it for me.
And for a moment, the memory of Ken’s hands fades. Just a little.
“I just think it’s strange,” Mom glares at Cass, unimpressed. “All this secrecy.”
Dad gives a small nod, but the look on his face says he doesn’t want to push things too far. “Tansy does look well, Renee,” he says, glancing at me. “Healthier than I’ve seen her in a long time.”
My shoulders loosen a fraction, the tight knot in my chest easing as my breath finally slows. I’m not dumb enough to fully relax, but I can at least breathe…for now.
“What about that cane?” Mom leans forward slightly, eyes sharp as glass. “Is your injury a secret, too?” she asks. “Was that related to Tansy somehow? Or were you already crippled when you found my daughter?”
My stomach drops so hard I feel it in my throat.
Cass goes very still.
The change is subtle, but I feel it immediately. The airaround him tightens, like something heavy locked into place.
He doesn’t raise his voice. He doesn’t snap back. He simply lifts his eyes to my mother, slow and deliberate, the restraint in his gaze carrying more weight than anger ever could. When he finally speaks, his tone is level and controlled, but there’s something dangerous under it, like a warning carefully wrapped in courtesy. “I’m sorry, but can you repeat yourself?”
Mom’s gaze cuts to me, pointed and accusing. “I mean, if she was involved in something dangerous, it wouldn’t surprise me. Headstrong omegas, like Tansy, have a way of putting themselves in rough situations, but I also don’t want my daughter to be stuck with a crippled alpha that took advantage?—”
“Enough!” I yell, slamming my fork onto my plate. “You have to stop, Mom! Just stop!”
My hands are shaking, and I don’t remember standing up, but I must have. My heart is racing like I’m thirteen again, like I’m being called a liar and a disgrace, forced to apologize to Ken for the things I said he did.
“Calm down, Tansy,” Dad says cooly. “Sit down before you hurt yourself.”
But Beck snaps back, before I have a chance to speak. “Tansy’s not the one who’s being rude.” He crosses his arms, glaring right at my mother.
