“Ma,” I said, trying to bring her back on topic. “You were saying?”
“Oh, yes.” She sighed, shaking her head. “My family are all dead. Yer father killed them a few months after meeting me.”
I was speechless as I tried to put that information together with the gentle male we’d left in the cottage. The one who’d never raised his voice to either of us, let alone anything else. I knew he could fight—like Hamish and Brodie, he was one of the warriors tasked with keeping us safe. But…killing Ma’s family?
There was only one thing I could say. “Why?”
“Because he found out they were abusing me,” she said, completely matter-of-fact. “I tried to hide it from him, but he came around just after one of the beatings. Saw the bruises before they could heal.”
There was an odd ringing in my ears. I’d heard it before, right around when I’d realised who Reid was and what’d happened. “And he killed them?”
“He did. Asked my permission first, the daft sod. Like I gave a toss about any of them. The only thing I was worried about was the fact that he was outnumbered.” She smiled indulgently. “I shouldn’t have underestimated him. He might not have a temper usually, but he did that day.”
“Good,” I whispered. My wolf was shaking, desperate toprotect Ma, but she didn’t need it. Not now. Pa had taken care of it. “I’m glad they’re dead.”
“Me too, pet.” She squeezed my hand. “I didn’t lose a wink of sleep after their deaths. Your father and I were mated and married within a week. He brought me here, and I never looked back.”
I’d had no idea. No clue that this was something my mum had experienced. There was just one thing I needed to know. “Why hadn’t you told him what you were going through? Why did you hide it from him?”
“I was ashamed. Your father was the first good thing to happen in my entire life. I didn’t want to risk that. I didn’t want him thinking I was weak. That I couldn’t protect myself.”
That was so stupid. Being abused didn’t make you weak. Those who abused others were the weak ones. “Pa wouldneverthink that.”
She turned to face me, her blue eyes piercing. “Then why do you think that about Reid?”
I froze, my feet planted in the soil, growing roots—the only thing keeping me stable as my whole world rearranged itself. “What?”
“Don’t you see?” Ma cupped my face, her thumbs stroking my cheeks. “You’ve always been a protector, Evan. A saviour, even. Just like your pa. But sometimes, people don’t need saving. They need to be loved.”
I laughed bitterly. “Trust me, that’s not something Reid wants from me. He can’t stand the sight of me.”
“Something you’re not helping by undoubtedly acting all ‘alpha’ around him.”
I tried to minimise it by cracking a joke. “Can’t act alpha, I’m a beta, remember?”
Ma narrowed her eyes at me. “Don’t think that becauseyou’re all important now I won’t have you shovelling pig shit for the next year.”
I ducked my head. “Sorry, Ma.”
“My point is, having been in Reid’s situation, you’re probably making him feel worse with this behaviour.” She caught my shoulders as they stooped, clucking her tongue again. “I don’t tell you this to make you feel bad, Evan. I’m so proud of the male you’ve grown up to be. You’ve been following your instincts with Reid, exactly as I raised you to.”
I sighed. “Why do I suspect there’s a ‘but’ coming?”
“Because you know me too well.” She smiled softly. “Stop trying to save Reid unless he actually asks for it. You can’t fix the past with the present: you can only move forward into the future.”
“Reid doesn’t want me in his future in any capacity.”
“Then you respect that decision.”
“It’s not as easy as that, Ma. His family aren’t gone. They’re still out there posing a threat. I’m part of the inner circle now, I can’t just ignore active incidents in our territory.”
“Okay, but you can do that without ‘crossing paths’ with him, as he put it.”
I grunted. “This is all my fault. I didn’t kill his family like Dad did, and I should have. Maybe that’s what I should do now. Just go there and neutralise them.”
Ma hummed like her only child wasn’t discussing mass murder. That was life as a supe though; our moral compasses didn’t work the same as humans. I mean, she’d just told me that Dad had killed her entire family, and I’d barely blinked. “Would that make Reid happy?”
“No,” I muttered. “He specifically forbade us from using violence. Would make me feel happier though.”
