Chapter 114

I stared at her for what felt like minutes, but it was probably only seconds. “Mom…”

She shook her head, and a new tear fell. “I knew then I could never mate with Vince. So I left. And I spoke with my father, as you spoke with me, and he said he would never make me mate with a wolf that held females so low—low enough to use them while they were at their weakest and then kill them when he was finished with them. So whenever Vince came looking for his mate, my father would always send me back home.”

“How did you meet Daddy?”

My mom blushed at her thoughts, but a more frantic howl ripped through the air, and I watched him deflate. “We should go.” She put out the fire and quickly put everything away. “Morgan will go berserk if we don’t show up soon.” She lifted her lip in disgust.

“Can you handle the next four years?”

“Yeah, baby, I have to.” She waved me to the front door and sprayed us both down with descenting spray.

“Won’t he notice?”

She shook her head. “We will wash it off in the stream. It only protects our cabin.” I nodded as we walked out of the cabin and froze when we heard a howl close—too close. We have to hurry. We will have to cut down away from the pack and then wrap back around. I refused to allow him here.”

I just nodded, and we both shifted. She ran off behind the cabin, and I followed. Morgan’s howls came more often until we were almost too far to hear them. Then my mother stopped and howled back—a quick response, just a quick, we are on our way. Even I could tell that my mother’s wolf was annoyed with that howl, and Morgan would know it, too.

He kept howling, but my mom never answered again. I could see her wolf bristle with each howl, and her annoyance was slowly burning away to anger. “How dare he?”

“Mom? What’s wrong?”

“He knew this was our first run, and yet he is acting like this.” Her wolf bristled again as his longing howl cut through the air. “I didn’t bother him all night when he took Shannon for her first run, but today he is acting like this.” If her wolf could spit, I think she would have. She was foaming at the mouth with anger.

We crashed through the stream, and our scents came back. When her scent hit me, I stumbled. I knew she was angry, but her scent hit me like a truck. We ran for almost double the time as the first time around, and when we ran from the trees to the backyard, we found Morgan mid-howl. My mother’s wolf bristled, and her hackles rose to their full height. Morgan the wolf trotted over and tried to rub down my mother’s side, scenting her, but she snapped at him and growled. His wolf danced away and looked hurt, but she turned to me and scented me with her smell.

Morgan sulked away and shifted, then came back over to where we were. My mother was still trying to calm herself as she ran herself down my side. It was almost like I was her worry stone. Every pass, she calmed down a little more. Every intake of our combined scent soothed her wolf in a way that only mothers understood.

I watched Morgan with hostile eyes as he came over. “Where were you two?” His question was accusing, and once again, my mother bristled. She looked at me, gesturing for me to stay here, and then we both shifted. And she turned on Morgan.

“How fucking dare you?” She was pissed.

“Amy, go to your room. I will talk to you later.” Morgan tried to sound stern, but there was a quiver in his voice.

“Like hell, you will.” My mother grabbed my arm, and I almost yelped—not in pain, but in surprise. “Amy is my daughter, not yours. And don’t for a second think that an alpha wolf would take a command from a beta.” My mom’s words cut into Morgan. I could see the hurt behind his eyes. “Amy listens to you because I ask her to, but tonight, tonight, you crossed the line.”

Morgan raised his hands in surrender. “What exactly did I do?”

“Do not play dumb, Morgan. It doesn’t suit you. You know exactly what you did tonight.” My mom walked up to him and pushed her finger into his chest. “The first run with your child is the most important. It allows our wolves to bond, as they should their first time meeting one another. But you.” She slammed her finger into his chest so hard that he flinched. I always forget that my mother is an alpha because she always defers to her partner as a luna should, in public anyway. I think Morgan forgot, too. “You had to come out here and start howling, demanding we come back.”