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 would not be 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.
“Help more? 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.
Maybe she realized we all thought she was full of shit, so she rushed to continue. “I’ve been through a lot, too, Josephine. You’re not the only one who’s been hurt here.”
Her tone had regained some of the coldness I was familiar with. I wasn’t even phased by her words—they were exactly what I expected of her—but my alphas tensed. My mother’s nose flared as she took in their bitter scents, and it filled me with rage that she got to scent my alphas. I kept a possessive hold on Cam and Ben, frustrated that Theo was too far for me to touch him.
“And now that Jericho and Richard are in prison, I have nowhere to go. The government seized our home and all our belongings and locked me out of our bank accounts.”
“Their bank accounts,” I corrected. “Omegas don’t get to have bank accounts, right? We simply can’t be trusted with something as complicated as finances.”
My mother blinked, and I could tell she was holding herself back from reprimanding my rudeness. “What am I supposed to do? I have nothing,” she said, injecting a whine into her tone. A fucking whine, as if that was supposed to make me soften to her plight.
“So you came here to ask for money,” Cam growled.
My mother said nothing, and that was all the confirmation I needed. My emotions threatened to overwhelm me, tightening my chest until I was seconds from gasping for breath. I stood up.
“I’ll be right back,” I blurted out.
I retreated from the room, forcing myself to take measured steps, but the second I was out of her sight, I took off running to the kitchen. I curled up on the floor next to the kitchen fireplace, trying to get rid of the icy chill seizing my body.
Moments later, I heard footsteps.
“Sweetheart?” Cam crouched down in front of me, running a careful hand down my arm. “Do you want her to leave?”
Before I had the chance to answer, Theo stormed into the kitchen. He sat down next to me with a huff and tugged me onto his lap, enveloping me in his arms and pressing his face to my hair.
“I had to get out of there before I lost my fucking shit,” he muttered.
I bit my lip. “Is Ben going to be okay alone with her?”
“He’ll be fine,” Cam reassured me. “Or he’ll spill that pot of tea on her. Either way,” he muttered under his breath.
“What do you want to do? Just say the word and I’ll get rid of her,” Theo growled.
I appreciated that as much as they hated this, they were letting me make the decision.
“Do you think we should help her?” I whispered.
“No,” both of them said at the same time. Theo’s chest rumbled with a growl.
I nodded slowly, picking at my sweater thread.
Theo took a deep breath. “But it’s your choice.”
I met his gaze, my mouth open slightly with surprise.
“Am I bad for wanting to help her?” I asked.
“No part of you could ever be bad,” Cam said, cupping my face.
“But you don’t think I should.”
Both of them grew quiet and I knew they were being careful with their words.
“I don’t think she deserves your kindness,” Theo finally said. “But I won’t judge you if you choose to give it.”
I turned over his words in my mind. Part of me craved being vindictive. I could imagine returning to the living room and unleashing the years of my pent-up rage for all the times she stood back and watched Richard and Jericho abuse me… and had taken part herself with her cruel words. She was the one who had taught me to hate myself.
But then my mind flashed to how small she looked in the living room… and the fact that she had allowed me to escape. She had suffered a lot, and I wished that I could have known her in a different life, one without abusive alphas. What would happen to her now? The world was still a bleak place for an omega alone. I leaned into Theo and closed my eyes.
We sat in calm silence, Cam and Theo’s scents blending with the smoky burning logs.
“I didn’t get the point of a fireplace in the kitchen, but this is nice,” Cam said, playing with my hair.
I smiled, leaning over to kiss him on the cheek, the stubble of his beard rough against my lips.
“I… I want her to leave, and I don’t want to see her again. Maybe ever,” I said quietly, looking between Cam and Theo. They both nodded, and Cam’s grip on my thigh tightened. “But… I would like to give her some money. Just a one-time thing. But I’ll pay you back.”
Theo stiffened under me and I bit my lip. I’m sure they were disappointed in my decision, even if they wouldn’t admit it.
“You’ll what?” Cam growled.
My lip trembled. “You said it was my choice,” I whispered. My cheeks heated and shame washed over me.
“Who does our money belong to?” Cam asked, his eyes dark as he gripped my chin.
My brain stuttered. Wait, that’s what he was upset about?
“This feels like a trick question,” I said. Cam threw me a disapproving look. “But you don’t want to give her money. It’s my decision, so it’s not fair for me to take your money…”
I trailed off at Cam’s fierce expression and Theo’s rumbling growl.
“Listen to me, baby girl,” Cam said, agitation permeating his every word. “Everything we have is shared. I never want to hear you talk about paying us back for anything ever again.”
I nodded, my eyes wide.
“Fuck. Going to have to spank you for that later,” Cam said, making me blush. “I’ll get her cash while you all call a cab.” He gave me a hard kiss before leaving the kitchen.
“You can stay in here, love. We’ll take care of her,” Theo suggested. I shook my head. As nice as it would be to just curl up in bed, I needed to see this through.
We headed back to the living room, where my mother and Ben sat without acknowledging each other. Ben’s relief was palpable through the bond as he leapt to his feet. He secured his arm tight around my waist and kissed me tenderly on my cheek.
“Thank you for rescuing me,” he whispered, and I snorted out a laugh.
I heard a sharp intake of breath and glanced over at my mother, who was staring at Ben and me. The look on her face was one of pure longing.
“I called you a cab,” I said. “It’s pulling up now. It’s pre-paid, so have it take you wherever you want.”
I waited to see if she would push the money issue, but she simply stood, straightening her plum pencil skirt and matching blouse. Her shoulders were hunched as she walked towards the door, as if defeated. Or maybe I was reading too much into her posture.
We followed her out, watching as the omega cab service pulled into the driveway. I wondered where she would go, if she was staying with friends. Part of me wanted to ask her, felt the need to reassure myself that she would be okay. But then she was walking towards the taxi, and the moment passed.
Her hand stilled on the door handle. “I’m sorry,” she said, glancing at me over her shoulder. Our eyes met briefly before she cleared her throat and opened the car door.
A gust of cold wind swept over me, sending a shiver down my spine. In the air was the faintest hint of my mother’s scent, twisted with sorrow. Something about this apology felt real, and my heart clenched tight in my chest.
“I don’t want you involved in my life. Please don’t come around or contact me in the future,” I said softly, blinking to keep my tears from spilling over.
My mother gave me a curt nod and got into the cab, but before she could shut the door, Cam walked out, a brown envelope in his hands. He headed straight for her, placing his hand on the roof and leaning down to be at eye level with her. I couldn’t hear what he was saying, but he handed her the envelope with cash. Her eyes widened as she took it. Cam shut the door, the loud clunk having an air of finality.
The cab pulled away. My mother did not look back as they drove off.
Cam stalked over to the three of us, cupped my face in both hands and kissed me on the forehead.
“What did you say to her?” I asked.
“I told her that what I gave her was nothing compared to our resources and that we wouldn’t hesitate to use everything we had against her if she did anything to make you unhappy.”
Cam’s jaw was set, his expression almost defiant, as if he expected me to be angry at his threat. But I wasn’t angry… I was exhausted. I melted into his chest, letting my alphas wrap their arms around me and keep me from collapsing.
“Am I bad for not forgiving her?” I asked as the tears I’d held back slowly rolled down my cheeks.
They held me close, murmuring reassurances as I cried in the driveway. I didn’t understand why this felt like heartbreak. She hadn’t been my mom for a long, long time, and yet seeing her leave me, cash in hand, felt like reopening a raw wound.
I ran my hand along the bumpy rows of Cam’s newest knitted blanket. It had bright yellow and orange stripes and was somehow more lopsided than his previous projects. But it was soft and smelled like him, and having it in my nest was a reminder of his love, that he would take the time to make something just for me.
After my mother left, I needed some alone time and retreated to my nest in the attic. Most omegas wanted to nest in windowless rooms because they felt more secure. The guys had offered to transform the basement into my nest, but I told them they should use it for a gym, and I claimed the attic instead. The main attic room had a vaulted ceiling with exposed beams and two windows on either side. It made me feel like I was in a tree house. I never wanted to feel locked in again.
We laid new hardwood floors and had plans to add a large bathroom and kitchenette so we wouldn’t need to leave during my heats, but so far, there was just a massive mattress on the floor. We’d decided to spend my upcoming heat at the cabin, so we had some time to finish this space.
I waited for my emotions to overwhelm me after my mother’s visit, but the tidal wave never came. Maybe I was numb… or perhaps I’d come to terms with not having a mother a long time ago. I had my own family now, and while that didn’t erase the suffering I’d experienced at the hands of my parents, it meant I was no longer waiting for them to give me love that would never come.
The stairs creaked and I looked at my phone to check the time. Cam’s face appeared in the doorway.
“Can I come in?”
“You made it all of seventeen minutes before tracking me down. Might be a record,” I said with a small smile.
Cam moved to stand in the doorway and leaned against the unfinished frame.
“I can leave if you still need alone time,” he said gently. I knew he meant it—my guys were getting much better at giving me space. But I wanted him here.
I opened my arms and he grinned, flopping down next to me and pulling me on top of his chest.
“You messed up my pillow configuration,” I said, voice muffled in his shirt.
“Sorry, baby, you want to fix them?” he asked earnestly.
I fought my omega nature for a split second before capitulating. I reached over and rearranged a couple of the pillows until they felt right. Then I stripped off Cam’s shirt for good measure. He chuckled as I placed the shirt in my nest before settling back on his chest.
We lay quietly for a few moments. I closed my eyes, running my fingers down his bare skin and soaking up his scent.
“Are you upset with my decision?” I whispered.
“I’m not upset, sweetheart,” he said, holding me tighter and kissing my forehead. “Well, not upset at you. I’m pissed at her.”
I hummed, nuzzling his neck.
“Do you think…” I trailed off, a lump forming in my throat. Cam waited, his hand working its way under my shirt and stroking the skin on my back. “Do you think she meant it? That she was sorry?”
Cam hesitated, his hand pausing its movement before starting back again.
“I think she did,” he finally said.
I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding. “Yeah?”
“Yeah. She did help you escape Glen,” he said begrudgingly. Then he muttered something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like, “Fucking bare minimum.”
I pressed my smile against his neck, letting the scent of cinnamon rolls surround me.
“Thanks for supporting me,” I whispered, snuggling in closer.
“Always.”
He ran his hands up and down my body as he gently massaged me. My muscles slowly released, leaving me boneless. The last thing I noticed before falling asleep was the dip on the mattress as Theo and Ben joined us for an afternoon nap.
