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The slaps turned to punches, pummelling his chest as he stumbled backwards down the drive. He caught her hand as the key came loose, dropping it, along with the shoes. She drew back her other arm, but he caught that too, hugging her hands close to his chest.

“Mum,” he said through trembling lips. “M-Mum, I love you. I really do. But we can’t keep doing this. I can’t do this anymore.” His mother tried to wrench her hands away, but he held on to them, staring at her through watery eyes. “Please, Mum. Just let me go.”

“Is this because I don’t let you shift?” she said, face pulled into a wild expression. “Or because your sister put silly things in your head? My Pember, my boy would never do this to me. Never. ”

Pember grimaced. “You don’t let me shift because you can’t shift. I know what they did to you was awful, but I… My life… You’re controlling my life , Mum!”

She stared at him, lip twitching, before dropping her chin and baring her teeth. They were sharp, as if her wolf was trying to break through but couldn’t. “If you leave, you’re never coming back.”

“Mum…”

Her expression turned hard, and she dug her nails into the palm of his hand. Spit wet the corner of her mouth as her jaw clenched and released. “If you leave, then I may as well have laid down on those tracks next to your sister.”

Pember’s shoulders sagged, a lead weight forming in his belly. “Don’t speak about her like that,” he said, dropping her hands. “Don’t use her against?—”

She slapped him. One hard smack across the face, leaving his cheek stinging. Then, she finally stepped away. “You’ve killed me, Pember. You’ve. Killed. Me. What happens next is all your fault.”

They’d done this dance a hundred times, but those words still cut straight to his heart. “I’m sorry,” he whispered, picking up the key and placing it on the garden wall. “I’m sorry. I love you.”

Collecting the cello case and the shoes, he spun on his heel and sprinted down the road. His mother shouted after him, but he just kept running, tears streaming down his face. The pavement was rough on his feet, but he didn’t stop.

Bailey came tearing past as he rounded the corner, almost colliding with the postbox at the end of the street. Then, he saw him. The white-blonde haired sigma, still waiting for him at the end of the road. He’d moved around the corner, out of sight like Pember had asked.

Quickening his pace, Pember gripped the cello and braced it across his chest. He let out a ragged breath at the sight of Oliver leaning against the black 4x4. He had a baby strapped to his chest and a lollipop in his mouth.

Pember let out a strangled laugh as he ran towards him. “Thank God,” he said, taking in the sight of his friend.

Oliver removed the lollipop and propped his dark-rimmed sunglasses on top of his head. “All good?” he said, a deep frown creasing his brow. The baby giggled as Oliver ruffled her hair. She, too, was wearing sunglasses.

“Y-yeah,” Pember said, patting the pocket that contained his documents. “Let’s go before she comes after me.”

Oliver raised an eyebrow. “Comes after you? I thought you made sure she was out?” His eyes drifted to Pember’s feet. “And why aren’t you wearing shoes?”

Shaking his head, Pember said, “She must’ve parked the car somewhere and hidden in the house. As for the shoes, I just grabbed them and ran.”

Oliver scoffed, his grey eyes flicking over Pember’s face. “Pem, do you know how fucking weird that sounds? And why are you bleeding?” Licking his thumb, he rubbed away a small smudge of blood from his cheek.

Pember waved the questions away as he threw the cello into the boot of the car. “Can we just go? Please?”

Oliver huffed and pushed himself up from the bonnet. “Sure, but what’re we doing about that thing?”

Pember’s head snapped around, finding Bailey panting at him from the passenger seat. Opening the door, he dropped to one knee and tickled her ears. “Please go home, Bee. I can’t take you with me.” Bailey cocked her head and licked his wrist. “Bailey,” he sighed, tugging at her collar.

As Pember negotiated with the dog, Oliver negotiated with his daughter, who had chosen that moment to go full plank-mode as he tried to strap her into the car seat. “Mina.” Oliver tutted, patting her pot belly. “Now is not the time or the place for gymnastics.”

The baby let out a loud wail, balling her tiny fists and scrunching up her face. “Don’t even think about shifting, princess,” Oliver said, tickling her ribs as she dropped into the child seat.

“Time’s up,” Oliver said, closing the door and jabbing a thumb towards the top of the road. As Pember looked up, he saw his mother with her head bent low, stalking towards them. She eyed Oliver with a snarl. She’d hated Oliver from the moment they first met.

Sucking in a breath, Pember tried one final time to coax Bailey out of the car, but the Labrador only panted and raised an ear. “Fine,” he huffed, letting go of her collar and clambering onto the rear seat next to Mina.

Oliver slid into the driver’s seat. “Bell Lane, right?”

“Y-yeah. Yes, please,” he replied, watching his mother draw closer.

Oliver nodded. “I know the place.”

Slamming the door shut, Oliver veered right and pulled the 4x4 onto the narrow residential street. The engine was obnoxiously loud as the sound bounced between the neatly kept houses of Acacia Drive, and Pember winced when one of the neighbours dropped their gardening shears.

He hung forwards in his seat, clutching the seat belt as his eyes flitted back and forth between the parked cars that lined the side of the road. He momentarily lost sight of his mum, but the reprieve was short lived.

“Oh, piss off,” Oliver growled, slamming on the brakes. Mina squealed and threw her arms in the air as the car came to a juddering stop.

“What’s she doing?” Pember said, leaning between the two front seats.

“Being a pain in the arse,” Oliver replied, beeping the horn.

Suddenly, there was a loud wail and his mother collapsed in the middle of the road.

“Oh my God. Oh my God !” Pember squeaked, unbuckling his belt.

Oliver threw a hand out, clapping him on the shoulder. “Don’t. Just stay in the car.”

Pember tugged at his hand, eyes wide. “There’s something wrong, Ollie! Look, she’s gripping her chest!”

Oliver sucked his teeth and shook his head. “Pem, look at me.” So he did, eyes darting all over Oliver’s face as if it might somehow hold all the answers. “I can guarantee she’s faking it to get you out of the car.”

Pember’s mouth opened and closed several times as he looked back at his mother.

“Pem, I’ve seen enough cardiac arrests to know that that right there is an act. Watch.” Oliver wound down the window, and stuck his head out. “Oi! Tracey! The Oscars called, said you’ve been nominated for best dramatic performance!”

Mina giggled. Oliver’s eyes flicked to Pember, his mother’s pained gasps growing louder.

“Ollie… I don’t think?—”

Oliver tutted, foot stamping on the accelerator to rev the engine. “I said move! Before I run you over!” He revved again for good measure.

With that, his mother rolled onto her feet and scuttled to the side of the road. Oliver grinned. “Told ya.”

“You ran me over!” she cried, pointing and waving at the neighbours like a mad woman.

“Cry me a fucking river, you daft cunt.” Oliver clapped a hand over his mouth, glancing at Mina in the rearview mirror. “Forget you heard that, baby girl.” Mina only gave him a gummy smile in return.

With that, they were speeding down the road and away from everything Pember had ever known.