Mom points her fork right at Beck’s face, then she opens her mouth, but before she can get a word out, Pop stands up, his chair scraping softly as he raises his hands in a calming gesture.
“Let’s all take a breath,” Pop says, voice firm but careful. “This has been a lot. For all of us.”
Ken leans back in his chair. Relaxed. Watching.
He turns and looks at Cass. “Tansy disappeared. We didn’t know if she was hurt or even alive. You can’t understand how that affected us.”
Mom snarls at Beck. “And I was terrified,” she says. “Frantic. They even did a news story on it.” She lets out a humorless laugh. “Do you have any idea how embarrassing that was?”
Embarrassing.
Not terrifying.
Not devastating.
But embarrassing.
The word hits, and everything inside me goes quiet.
It’s like someone flipped a switch and cut the power.
My body is suddenly too light and too heavy at the same time. I sit back down because I don’t trust my legs to hold me anymore. The chair presses solid against the backs of my thighs, and I drop my gaze.
“It was awful,” Mom says as she leans a little closer to Ken’s side. “Standing in front of those cameras, begging for information from anyone willing to give it.” She glares at Cass, clearly emboldened by Ken’s hulking presence next to her. “After everything I went through, I think it’s fair to know if our daughter was forced into a mating with a wounded alpha, or if she actuallychosehim.”
“Careful, omega,” Cass warns gently. Our bond tightens with his anger, but he manages to pull it back in. “Remember that you’re inmyhome.”
“I know where I am.” Mom tips her chin up, acting like she’s invincible just because her mates are by her side. “But that still doesn’t answer my question.”
“Cass’s injury had nothing to do with Tansy,” Warren says calmly. His voice isn’t loud, but it carries. “In fact, his injury isn’t related to her in any way.”
Mom straightens, folding her arms tight across her chest. “Then what happened?” she demands.
Warren shrugs, casual, as he takes a big bite of steak. “Someone insulted him during what was supposed to be a polite dinner.” He winks at her, smiling while he chews. “Cass put the asshole in his place.”
The silence that follows is absolute.
I feel all three of my fathers go rigid, a shift in the air I register without looking, because I can’t tear my eyes away from my mother.
Her mouth opens slightly. Her eyes widen, shock rippling across her face as if she’s just realized what was said to her. “Did he threaten me?” she presses a hand to her chest. “Ken? What did he say?”
Ken clears his throat, speaking smoothly. “That seems a little extreme,” he says, and my skin crawls at the sound of his voice. “Violence over acomment?” He lets out a short laugh. “The whole story sounds like fake alpha-bravado if you ask me.”
I can’t tell if he’s protecting my mother or testing my pack.
Warren doesn’t blink. “It wasn’t extreme,” he says coolly. “It was a correction.” He looks right at my mom. “Some people need to be corrected.Especiallywhen they upset my omega.”
Mom gasps loudly, disbelief splintering her voice. “W-William?”
Dad pushes his chair back abruptly, the legs scraping hard against the floor. The sound cuts through the room and snaps everyone’s attention to him. Including Ken. The alpha finally looks away from me, his expression blank. Like he’s suddenly bored.
“That’s enough,” Dad barks, but he doesn’t look at me. He looks at Cass. “We’re leaving.”
Cass nods once, like he’s completely fine with that. “Of course.” He stands. “Grason, please walk our guests out.”
Everyone shifts, chairs push back, but it’s only when Ken stands that I realize I’m holding my breath.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Grason move a few seats down, his chair pushing back as he rises to his full height. All six foot seven of him straightens, broad shoulders filling the space like a wall you don’t argue with.
