I ran my thumb across his bond mark and felt the tension seep out of him.
I reached for the letter again, and this time, Theo placed it in my hand. I wavered for a moment before deciding to rip it open. My mother’s familiar script stared at me, making my heart ache. I scanned the letter twice before looking back up.
“She wants to come see me,” I said. “Um, apparently to apologize.”
The letter was short and to the point, making it hard to discern her ulterior motive in sending it. Because there was no way in hell that she wanted to see me just toapologize.
“What do you want to do, baby?” Cam asked. I melted at his question, turning in his arms to hug him. That he had asked what I wanted instead of deciding for me meant everything.
I was about to say I would just ignore the letter, or maybe do what I really wanted and send her a nasty one in return, but then my mind flashed to the tender way she had brushed my hair at Glen’s… and her leaving the door unlocked when she left. And if Jericho was to be believed, she had saved me long before then, too.
“Am I stupid for kind of wanting to hear what she has to say?” I mumbled into Cam’s chest.
“Of course not,” Theo said, pressing himself against my back.
My eyes found Ben. His jaw was tight. He sighed, leaning in to kiss me on the cheek.
“We’ll be with you, whatever you decide.”
ChapterSixty-Four
Josie
My mother shifted in her seat across from me. She was in one of the new chairs I’d picked out for the living room—a cozy, white boucle armchair—and I had the urge to force her out of the seat and swap it out for something uncomfortable. Like a wooden chair… with spikes.
I’d agreed to this meeting, but now that she was here, it felt like her presence was tainting our new home. I picked at a thread in my sweater, trying to distract myself from the awkward silence. I wasn’t in the mood for making small talk, and she was the one who had wanted this meeting, anyway.
Ben finished pouring everyone tea—he had been insistent that we wouldnotbe feeding her—and then sat down next to me on the couch, capturing my cold hand in his warm ones. His touch reminded me that this wasn’t like the torturous parent meeting we’d suffered through when I first moved in with my alphas. This time, I had the power. I could kick her out anytime. The thought almost put a smile on my face.
My mother cleared her throat. Cam bristled and shifted closer to me until his body was flush against mine. Theo met my gaze from his seat next to the couch and raised his brows. This time, I couldn’t fully stop the smirk tugging at my lips. I knew he was waiting for me to signal that he could throw my mom out. I shook my head slightly and he scowled.
“I’m sure you’re wondering why I wanted to meet,” my mother said after taking a sip of tea. I hoped she burned her tongue.
She looked at me as if expecting me to say something, but I gave her what I hoped looked like an indifferent shrug.
“The main reason is that I wanted to apologize. I haven’t been the mother I wanted to be. I know you’ve gone through a lot, and I regret I couldn’t help you more.” Her tone was flat, as if she were delivering well-rehearsed lines in a play, and she kept her eyes on her tea as she spoke.
Theo scoffed and Cam vibrated with rage, but it was Ben who couldn’t hold in his retort.
“Helpmore? When did you help at all?” he hissed with derision.
I leaned into his side and stroked his forearm to soothe him, but I was thrilled by him coming to my defense.
My mother couldn’t hold Ben’s accusing gaze, turning instead to look out the window as if the still-bare trees were the most fascinating thing she’d ever seen.
“I helped her at Governor Jacoby’s,” she said softly.
My chest tightened and now it was my turn to look away. Cam put his arm around me and kissed my forehead.
I had wanted to believe she left the door unlocked at Glen’s on purpose. Now that I had confirmation, I didn’t know how to respond. Did it make up for a lifetime of neglect? Was I supposed to thank her?
The silence stretched. I opened my mouth to speak, to say something to ease the tension, but no words came out.
Theo leaned forward in his chair. “Why are you really here, Angeline?” His tone was even, but there was no denying the authority behind them. My mother sat up straighter as if steeling her spine.
“As I said, I wanted to talk to my daughter,” she responded stiffly.
I tensed, sensing the lie beneath her words.
