Page 53

53

ZOEY

Earlier, I had the calm version of my mother. The one who smiles sweetly and hands out wisdom as if she had daily phone conversations with the Dalai Lama.

This is another one of her sides. The mama bear.

But this mama bear looks like someone shook a hornet’s nest and shoved it up her ass. Rage of epic proportions I’ve never witnessed burn out of her eyes.

Mom lunges for Rebecca, stopped only by Warner’s uncle, who steps forward just in time to wrap his arms around my mom’s torso.

“You fucking self-serving asshole! You think you have the right to torment my daughter?”

“Mom—”

When her yelling cuts me off, I’m not too mad about it. I have no idea what I would have said. This exchange might have started with me, but it has the dark undertones of history weaving through it.

“Just because I hurt your feelings, you think that gives you the go-ahead to hurt her?”

“Without the tree house, she’d have no cell service. One more reason to leave. I wasn’t trying to hurt her.” Rebecca defends herself, even as she avoids meeting my mother’s furious gaze.

“You could have killed her!” she shrieks. “You almost did! My girl—” She chokes—on rage or tears, I can’t tell. “My baby girl could have died because you wolves can never let shit go!”

Rebecca turns her back, shoulders hunched, as if my mother’s enraged comments are physical blows.

Taking a brief mental step back from the situation, I find it fascinating how, even though we’re surrounded by mythical monsters, people who can literally turn into wild beasts, my mom is still the most frightening player in this game.

I also need to separate myself for a moment because the knowledge that Warner’s mom has been secretly harassing me is almost too much to take in. It’s not like I haven’t interacted with the woman over the past few weeks. Her shop is one of my favorites, and every time I was a customer, she treated me with an efficient manner that never seemed out of the ordinary. Maybe it was naive, but I thought she might even like me a little bit.

Turns out, the opposite is true.

Rebecca Jameson hates me.

“Why?” The question comes out much louder than I planned, but probably as loud as necessary. When my mother is on the warpath, there’s not a lot that can get her to pause, but she quiets momentarily at my ragged voice.

“Because your family doesn’t get to hurt people without consequences.” Rebecca regains some of her righteous rage as she shoots a glare my way. “You don’t get to waltz back into this town as if your family didn’t try to tear it apart! First, Minnie set humans against wolves, making our existence a struggle. Then, Selena pretended to love Mason—” Rebecca’s voice cracks, and she lets out a growl, as if mad at her own sign of weakness before continuing, “She strung him along and then left without a word.”

“That’s not how it happened, Rebecca.” Mason speaks in a deep, soothing tone, but Warner’s mom doesn’t let it calm her.

“Yes, it is! I was there the night you asked her to be your mate. I saw her run away. And I’ve watched that eat away at you since then.” Rebecca widens her stance, ready to fight. “I’ve seen what Gunner women do to the men who try to love them, and I will not let my son be a casualty.”

“You’re insane!” my mom hisses. “You think my turning down your brother-in-law’s proposal three decades ago gives you the right to attack my daughter? I can’t believe I was trying to apologize to you!” My mom’s brief hiatus from screeching has come to an end.

She struggles against Mason’s restraining hold, and I pity the man. Sounds like he used to love her, and now, he only gets to hold her to keep her from hurting someone.

Not that I think he should get to hold my mom in a loving embrace. I’m one hundred percent Team Dad all the way. But that doesn’t mean I don’t feel for the brokenhearted werewolf.

“They were scare tactics. It’s not like I was trying to hurt her.” Rebecca meets my mother’s eyes this time, defiance clear in her posture.

“You could have killed her! You almost did!” Mom is wild, to the point that I consider if we might have some wolf in our veins.

“She’s alive?—”

“It doesn’t matter, you selfish bitch!” Shit. This is not a good indication of future Thanksgivings. “You almost killed my daughter!”

Mason Jameson is fully carrying my mother now as she tries to scale him to get at Warner’s mom.

“I’m—”

“CHALLENGE!” The word roars so loud that I bet half of Pine Falls heard it.

And from the triumphant, slightly scary grin my mom wears, I think she somehow upped the stakes of this confrontation.

Every wolf, including the stoic Roderick, wears a wide-eyed expression. Tanya even lets out a strangled gasp and now clutches her twin’s arm so tight that her knuckles stain white.

Clearly, I’m the only one who doesn’t know what’s coming next.