All of them giggle and whisper, hiding behind their hands. I try to control myself, but something must have shown on my face.
“Oh, dear, it’s alright!” Ella says, coming over to put an arm around my shoulders and rubbing my arm. “Don’t go getting upset. We’ve never been able to talk to a human like this before, and we’re curious, is all.”
“Uh-huh,” I mutter.
“Don’t worry,” she says, rubbing my arm again. “You’re okay.”
I’m getting the horrible feeling she wants to pet me on the head like I’m a lap dog!
“Um.” I take a step away from her. “Thanks. This is all pretty strange to me.”
“Yes, it is,” Ella says in a soft, almost cajoling tone.
Oh my God! She thinks she’s being nice to me!
“Would you like something to eat or drink?” Ella asks, gesturing to the table nearby.
I want to run away from them, but I just nod, following the other women to the table.
I preferred Helen’s bitchiness.
As I sit with the others and try to answer their questions without exploding, I turn to watch Cassie. I see Helen bending down to talk to her, laughing and encouraging her to play with the others and test her strength.
At least they’ve accepted her. I couldn’t handle it if any one of them disrespected my baby girl.
I manage to get through the day, even though it’s probably the most infuriating experience of my life. Reactions from the other wolves range from Ella’s condescending curiosity right up to full-blown, barely concealed hostility, but I control my reactions so I don’t antagonize anyone.
I don’t have to do this forever, but I do have to keep things pleasant while we’re stuck here.
When we go home, I expect Cassie to protest, but she’s so worn out from playing all day that she happily gets into the car and collapses on the back seat, a massive smile on her face.
“Did you see me run, Mom?” she asks. “I beat some of the bigger kids, and I climbed the monkey bars, too!”
“Yes, baby, I saw!” I say, covering my fear with feigned excitement. “You can really climb!”
A three-year-old should not be able to climb like that. It freaked me the fuck out!
I push my discomfort down as I get in the car, knowing that I have to support Cassie in exploring her true nature and can’t ever show how much it scares me.
And it really does.
By the time we get home, Cassie is fast asleep. I take her up to our room and tuck her in, relieved that Rhys has disappeared to his room as I move around the house, getting something to eat and taking a shower.
I don’t want to have to deal with him constantly, so it’s good he’s not in my way, but after the treatment I received today, I can’t help thinking that his words at the wedding were true and he’s looking down on me, just like them.
A spike of rage I’ve been holding in all day rises in my throat, making me want to yell and scream.
I don’t care… why would I even care what he thinks?
I curl up next to Cassie, trying to clear my mind and relax so I can sleep.
***
I end up falling into an incredibly deep slumber, and when I wake, the full glory of the sun is streaming through the window.
Shit, I slept in! It’s late.
I run down the stairs, desperately looking for Cassie, hundreds of ugly possibilities running through my mind.
