Warren tilts his head, studying me over the rim of his mug. “Are they always like that?” he asks gently, like he doesn’t want to offend me.
Ihesitate, then nod. “Yeah. Mostly.” I give a small, tired shrug. “My mom’s always been…difficult. Everything’s about her. How things look. How things reflect on her. If something goes wrong, it’s never really her fault.”
“Yeah,” Beck snorts softly into his coffee. “She seems like the kind of person that could trip over her own feet and still find a way to blame the floor.”
A quick laugh slips out of me. “Exactly.”
Then I take a breath, then another, surprised when no one jumps in to fill the silence. They’re all just…listening.
“She’s gotten worse over the years,” I say, feeling a little compelled to talk about it. “When I was younger, I thought my mom was hateful for the hell of it. Like she woke up every day looking for someone to be mad at.” I shake my head slightly. “I don’t think that’s all of it anymore.”
No one interrupts. Grason’s arm stays warm and steady around me.
Cass’s thumb makes a slow, absent stroke over the back of my hand, and then our bond opens wider, his presence pouring through with quiet reassurance. It feels so safe.
A steady certainty that I can say whatever I want here, or nothing at all, and they’ll all love me all the same.
Warren lowers his mug. “What do you mean, Tansy?”
I glance at Cass, then back to my coffee as I search for the right words. “I mean, I can feel Cass through our bond all the time. When I’m sad, he steadies me. When I feel small or scared, he makes me feel stronger without even trying. It feels like I’m not carrying everything by myself anymore.”
Cass’s grip tightens a fraction.
“So,” I continue quietly, “if that’s what a good bond does, then being tied to someone like Ken for decades has probablyreally fucked her up.” I shrug, uncomfortable but honest. “Having that alpha living inside her head. Feeling his moods. His anger. His way of seeing the world.” I press my mouth into a tight line as I sort through it all in my head. “I truly believe she was born a narcissist, but Ken made her a cruel one.”
Cass’s voice is soft when he speaks. “Why would Ken’s bond affect her that much?”
I swallow, my shoulders lifting in a small, instinctive shrug. “He’s just…mean,” I say, the word thin and insufficient. “He was scary and angry. He’d grab me too hard, shove me, scare me on purpose,” I say as my gaze drops to my mug, fingers tightening around it.
I’m not lying, but I’m too ashamed to tell them the whole truth. Ken did so much more, and so much worse.
“He’s a scary man,” I say, before forcing myself to look up at my mates.
The air around the table has changed. Everyone is tense.
Grason’s arm firms around my waist, his body going completely still. Warren’s jaw tightens, a sharp line forming as his hand curls slowly around his mug like he’s testing his grip. Cass doesn’t move at all, but our bond shifts, dark and hot with restrained fury, wrapped tight so it doesn’t spill over onto me. No one says a word, and I’m so thankful for that.
“I’m so sorry, Tansy,” Beck whispers. His eyes are bright, glassy like he’s fighting hard to keep himself together. “You didn’t deserve any of that,” he says softly.
“You never have to be scared again,” Cass says, voice low and steady. His hand tightens around mine as our bond hums with so much love. “No one will ever hurt you again, omega. You’re safe now.” His thumb strokes once over myknuckles, slow and deliberate. “And we won’t ever let that change.”
Something in my chest gives way. I don’t cry. I just breathe in, shaky and uneven, and for the first time since I spoke, the fear eases enough to let the truth land.
I believe him.
Beck reaches across the table and nudges my mug closer to me, like a quiet reminder to drink something warm.
I take the hint and lift my mug, taking a slow sip. The coffee is hot and smooth. It settles in my chest, loosens something tight behind my ribs. I let out a breath, forcing some tension in my stomach to lift.
“I do wish…” I hesitate, and Beck leans in, silently encouraging me to continue. “I wish I had given Daniel a proper goodbye.” I stare into the dark surface of my coffee. “I mean, I don’t want to see my family again.” I give a firm nod, my decision final. “Not ever. But saying goodbye to Daniel would have been nice.”
Warren shifts across from me, subtle but unmistakable. His posture eases, shoulders dropping as if he’s relieved by my decision. The alpha doesn’t say a word, but his approval is clear as day.
Beck, of course, doesn’t bother with subtlety. “Thank god.” He looks right at me with those big blue eyes. “It drives me crazy that some people think you’re required to keep people in your life just because you share a last name.”
I can’t help but smile. “True.”
Grason shifts behind me, his arm tightening a little around my middle. “Give yourself room to change your mind one day, Tansy,” he says quietly, not pushing or judging. “We’ll support whatever you want to do, even if that means you change your mind.”
