Her Four Shifter Mates : Betrayed

Chapter 1

"If I say there's a need, there's a need." Mom marches around the desk. She heads straight for the door marked 'principal' and bangs on once.

"You can't just go in there," the secretary shouts.

Mom totally ignores her. Like she's just trying to find ways to make my life a living hell, she flings the door open and screams, "Holly, get in here!"

I don't dare look at the boy as I rush after her, but I can feel him staring. By the time I get to the door, Mom's inside the office. Principal Sloan is standing behind her desk, looking—well, like a female version of my last school principal. Her hair's up in a tight bun and she's wearing a gray pantsuit that I'd pick over my own wardrobe any day. Her face is marred by a frown that would put my old principal to shame. Then again, Mom just burst into her office without an invitation, so I can't really blame her.

"May I ask why you're in my office, Mrs. Mathews?" Principal Sloan says, skipping the pleasantries. She doesn't stutter, or start to sweat, the way people usually do around Mom. It's actually pretty impressive, since I've seen Mom make grown men cry.

"I need to talk to you about my daughter." Mom places her hands on the desk and leans forward in an attempt at intimidation. When it doesn't work, she spins around to face me. "Holly, close the door and get in here."

I quickly do as she says and then turn to watch her sit in the chair closest to the window. "Sit." She barks. "Not you," she adds when the principal's frown deepens. "Holly, stop gawking. What, do you need, a formal invitation?"

I quickly slide into the chair next to Mom and try to hide behind my hair while my eyes sting. Just when I've finally started getting used to the non-stop sarcasm, she has to go and do it in front of strangers.

"Alright, Mrs. Mathews," Principal Sloan doesn't bother keeping the exasperation out of her voice. "Tell me why you're here."

"As I clearly stated in my email, I want to be sure that Holly is safe here."

"Of course Holly—"

"As you know," Mom raises her voice and speaks over the principal, "Holly was expelled from her last school."

I want to argue, but I don't. I can't, since I'm no longer talking to—or around—Mom.

"Suspended." The principal corrects with a frown. "I've looked over her records."

"She would have gotten expelled if we hadn't pulled her out of that school." Mom waves an arm as if the details are irrelevant. "I need to be sure that doesn't happen here. Which is why I want you to guarantee that the teachers will keep a very, very close eye on her."

"Mrs. Mathews..." Principal Sloan frowns, and her forehead wrinkles. I can tell that Mom is giving her a headache, and after the last three weeks, I can definitely sympathize.

"We're paying for this school to make sure that our daughter does well here," Mom snaps.

"This is a public school, Mrs. Mathews."

"We pay our taxes, Principal Sloan," Mom leans forward in her seat, "and we want to be sure we're getting our money's worth."

"At Thomas Clarance, we pride ourselves on..."

"What I need," Mom interrupts, "is to be sure that all the instructions in my email are followed. Holly should be in full sight of a teacher at all times," she begins to tick demands off on her fingers, "I don't want her going to the bathroom unsupervised. I want an adult keeping an eye on her at lunch. And I want to be kept appraised of her every move."

"Mrs. Mathews, don't you think that's..." The principal hesitates. I can think of a few words, all along the lines of 'absolutely insane.'

Then again, insane pretty much sums my life over the past three weeks. Like the fact that I haven't been allowed behind a closed door since it happened. When I shower, Mom peeks in regularly to make sure I'm not 'doing anything I shouldn't be.' I'm not even allowed to use the toilet with the door closed—Dad made sure of that when he literally took the door off its hinges.

"I'm her mother," Mom practically shouts. It's her explanation for everything. The same explanation she's given me countless time during those first few days, when I still bothered to argue. Back then, I thought I could make her see how insane she was being. Back then, I thought my mom would be on my side. I thought that if I just said the right words, she'd finally believe me. I never, ever imagined things could get this bad.

❀Questions?❀

❀Comments?❀

✿What did you think of this chapter? 👍/👎?✿

❁Let's see how observant you are! How many mates did you spot? 

❁What do you think's going on with Holly's Mom? Why is she being like this? 

❀Shifter Game:❀ If you could shift into any animal, what would you choose? Today, I'm feeling ginger house cat!