“I have no idea what I could possibly have done that would make you think it’s okay to show up at my house and say something like that.” She was proud that her words were firm and steady. Her stomach may be roiling, but they didn’t need to know that.
“Brenda told us that you went behind her back to make sure she wasn’t asked to join the new pack,” her mother said, indignation practically dripping from her words.
She shouldn’t be surprised. This was completely true to form for them. For whatever reason, they’d always considered her less important than…well, just about anyone else in their world.
“Well, that’s actually not true, so if that’s all you have, we can probably be done now.” Again, she managed to make the words firm and calm, despite feeling neither.
Beside her, Jonas slouched back into the couch, slung one ankle over the other knee, and took her hand in his. He squeezed her hand, a gentle reminder that he had her back, one hundred percent. She tested their link, felt his frustration and determination. Knowing her Jonas, he wanted to step in, throw them out, but was waiting for a cue from her that she would welcome that action. It helped her, steadied her.
“Don’t be more rude than you already have been, Cynthia.”
“I thought showing up unannounced at someone’s house and then accusing them of amoral actions was being rude,” Jonas drawled. “But maybe my scale is off.”
“Brenda has no reason to lie,” her mom said.
“And Cindy does?” Jonas asked.
“We don’t know what Cindy does out here, or out in St. Louis, but at home, Brenda’s a part of our pack. She’s hierarchy.”
Cindy drew in a deep breath, trying to quell the nausea. “Mom. Dad. I didn’t ask the hierarchy not to invite Brenda. They’re being selective about who joins, because it’s a very new pack, very small, so they’re being careful. I can’t tell you why they didn’t choose to invite Brenda, but it was not at my request.” She stood. “If that’s all, I think it would be best that you left now.”
Jonas stood by her side. “I agree.”
“No,” her father said firmly. “You’ve created this mess, and you will talk to Myra and fix it.”
Her dad was turning red, and her mom was beginning to look less frosty and more…anxious? Cindy sat back down, tugging Jonas with her. She heard a very faint growl from him, but he did as she asked. She rubbed her forehead and tried to make sense of the ridiculous situation.
“If the hierarchy doesn’t want Brenda in the pack, there’s nothing I can do about that. If I personally thought she’d be a good fit for us, I’d talk to Myra and Adam and give them my opinion about that. But I don’t. She’s not a nice person, she’s not a good leader, and I’m glad that they didn’t invite her. If they had indicated that they were going to, I also might have offered my opinion. But they didn’t, so there was no need for me to say anything.”
“You are maligning our fourth. She’s already helped your insignificant little pack when she didn’t need to, finding that pathetic woman a job,” Tom said.
The bite to his words should have had the acid in her stomach shooting up her throat. Instead, it was the opposite. Like a cooling balm, she settled. They weren’t just insulting her, but her pack. And her packmate.
Jonas’ hand had tightened on hers, and she knew it was costing him to keep the casual air he’d adopted.
“Okay. If I ignore your very rude words regarding my pack and my packmate, I’m left with pointing out that Brenda asked a friend to offer an interview. That’s it. It’s appreciated, but not all that amazing. And I don’t even know why we’re having this conversation.”
“Brenda would be an asset to any pack,” Dana said. “She bends over backwards to help her packmates, like she did with that woman. She helped us when we needed it, and the only thing she’s ever asked in return is that we get you to see reason.”
Cindy blinked. Her father huffed. Her mom was actually crying now.
It finally occurred to Cindy that this wasn’t in the least about her.
She’d been sick with trying to understand why her parents didn’t like or respect her, why they thought it was okay to treat her like this, and the answer was so simple. They weren’t really thinking about her at all. She was only peripherally involved, as they’d somehow convinced themselves she was keeping them from something they wanted.
And she’d lost her respect for them.
It burned that they had so little for her, but if she didn’t respect them in turn, it made it much easier not to give a shit. These people were not important to her. Jonas was. Myra and Adam were. Her pack was.
“I didn’t know you had needed help, but I’m glad she was able to give it. I don’t see what that has to do with me, though. Why don’t you tell me what happened, and we can see if we can figure all of this out.”
Dana looked to Tom. He remained tight-lipped and shook his head. “Tom, she’s not listening, she’s obviously not going to do what we’ve asked her to. You have to tell her, convince her.”
He turned back to Cindy. “I shouldn’t have to explain myself to you. If you had any respect for your parents, you would do as you’re told.”
She started to respond, but he held up his hand. His voice had gotten tighter and rougher, and she could see he was practically vibrating with his anger. Jonas was a solid wall at her side, ready to react in an instant, but she didn’t think her father had it in him to be violent. Of course, nothing about this visit made sense, so she appreciated her mate’s caution.
“We made some investments with Brenda’s firm. They didn’t go well. That’s what happens with investments, you have to take risks to succeed, but you can’t win every time. She helped us out, loaned us the money to cover it and make a new investment. When it comes in, we’ll pay her back and be set for retirement. We just need a little more time for it to mature and succeed.”
