“Watch your mouth, Zion.” Darius’s voice is low, dangerous. A growl rumbles beneath the words.
Zion holds up his hands, feigning innocence. “What? Everybody’s talking about it. It’s the first thing I heard when I got back. That our little stepsister is working so hard to seduce the alpha heir of the Ravenhood Pack.”
“I’m not doing anything of the sort.” My voice comes out sharp. “He harassed me!”
My mother’s fork clatters against her plate. “You had no business taking part in that training competition. That was for shifters. You are anything but.”
The words hit me like one of her slaps.
I tighten my jaw, forcing myself to breathe throughthe anger building in my chest. “It was a company event. I was required to participate.”
“You could have said no.” Her voice is cold, clipped.
“In case you haven’t heard, I’m not exactly weak.” I lean forward, meeting her glare with one of my own. “And Ryker was groping me!”
Alaric sets down his fork with deliberate precision. “Darius still had no reason to interfere and mess with our alliance.”
Something inside me snaps. I push my chair back and stand abruptly, my hands flat on the table. Everyone goes silent.
“So, what would you have had me do?” I look my stepfather in the eye, refusing to back down. “Let him do whatever he wanted with me? At what point was I supposed to ask for help? After he had already violated me? Or was I supposed to tolerate that, as well?”
“Violet!” My mother spits out my name, horrified.
Alaric’s expression is tight with anger.
I lean forward, my voice dropping to a hiss. “Your son stepped in and protected his stepsister from being assaulted by another pack’s alpha heir. Next time, go ahead and tell Ryker’s pack that your pack’s females are fair game.”
My mother stands and strides over to me so fast, her chair almost tips over.
The slap reverberates through the dining room.
My head snaps to the side, my cheek burning. For a moment, I don’t move. Don’t breathe.
Darius is on his feet instantly, a growl ripping from his throat. But I hold up my hand, stopping him.
I turn back to my mother, feeling the sting on my cheek, tasting blood where my teeth bit into my lip.
“You can hit me again if it makes you feel better.” My voice is steady, cold. “But the next time a man touches me against my will, I will rip off his balls. And I don’t care which pack he belongs to.” I grab my purse from the back of my chair. “I’m going home.” I glance at Zion, who’s watching the scene with wide eyes. “Welcome back, Zion.”
And I storm out.
Behind me, I hear chairs scraping, voices rising, but I don’t stop. I push through the front door and into the cool night air, my chest heaving.
James beats me to my car and opens the door for me. He is trying to keep his expression neutral, but there’s a hint of sympathy in his eyes.
“Miss Violet.”
“Thank you, James.”
I slide into the driver’s seat and close the door. My hands shake as I start the engine. Through the windshield, I see the front door open. Darius steps out, and his eyes lock on mine.
I throw the car into reverse before he can reach me.
I can’t deal with him right now. Can’t deal with the way he looks at me like I’m something worth protecting when his own father thinks I should have let Ryker do whatever he wanted to me. When my own mother thinks I’m an embarrassment.
The tires crunch on the gravel as I speed down the driveway, not looking back. My chest feels tight, like I can’t get enough air. But I don’t cry. I won’t give them that.
Not anymore.
