a Primal Pursuit

fifteen

Was I truly that bad of a person? Wishing she never had me was cold, and it made me wonder if she resented me from the very beginning.

Mother sighed before her eyes narrowed into a sneer. "What the fuck are you doing in my house, girl?"

I shook my head, forcing my debilitating thoughts away. "Where is Arabella?"

"Get out of my house. You do not belong here." She rose to her knees.

"What have you done with her?" I gritted my teeth.

"You should've died along with your father." She hissed. "You always want, want, want and never give!"

"I gave you and Arabella everything. My money, my time, even my health." I snapped, my heart pounding in my ears. "It ripped my entire life away because you are so fucking selfish!"

There was a low growl outside, but I doubt my mother's drunken state heard it. I lowered my voice.

"Me? Selfish?" She laughed, swaying as she shook her head. "After your father died, I raised you into a young woman, even though I was alone. I gave you everything, and you-you just whored yourself around! Leaving the house early in the morning and coming home late at night! I never knew where you were! And then, you would always be covered in bruises from your bedtime adventures! Darius's father always confides in me how miserable you made his son!"

She really was drunk; I never stayed out late.

"Like fuck you did!" I hissed. "I was out there working all fucking day long to keep this house. You do not know the shit I went through because you were such a terrible parent!"

She suddenly reared up, her hand coming to land a slap on my cheek. My head swung to the side at the impact and the room's tension snapped tight. It barely affected me, despite the blood I could taste. It was a feat I was used to, but it had taken me off-guard.

I thought she couldn't land a hit when pissed. Perhaps she was learning to swing whilst intoxicated. Maybe there was a class for that in the town hall.

A growl filled the air as soon as her hand fell from my face. It was so low and threatening that my back became tense and the hairs along my arms rose. Mother's eyes widened, darting to behind me as the light vanished from the room. I knew Asra had appeared, his wide form filling the door more than Caleb.

"W-w-w..." she stammered.

Asra growled, pulling me behind him. "You dare lay a hand on her."

My mother's eyes were wide, her skin as pale as saucers as she looked up at him. "M-me?"

"You are lucky I shall not kill you for what you have done." He rumbled.

She swallowed, peering at me from behind my mate's body. I remained still, my face neutral as she sized up the impossibly large male that was seconds away from eating her.

It would be a rather bitter snack, Asra.

"I have done nothing. You have intruded in my house." Mother huffed, still moving backward.

Asra was tense, not allowing me to move around him. I watched as my mother pinched the gap between her eyes, trying to clear her foggy brain. She swayed, yawning softly, before gazing down at the pillows.

Wine really made her a whole other person.

"You are dreaming. Close your eyes and you will wake up." I mumbled.

My mother nodded, stifling another yawn. In her drunken state, she stumbled on the bed; her face falling into the pillow before her body could catch up. She was muttering something I couldn't hear as her hands shakily pulled the duvet over her body. The moment her eyes slid shut, Asra was turning around and grabbing me around the waist. I squawked at how he held me; his elbow wrapped under my ass as he lifted me. I felt like a pencil, forced to straighten my spine so I didn't fall.