Alpha Ember (ALPHA KANE BOOK 2)

15. Handle It

Ember

Donna and her friends had struck out at me in a way I least expected: after Jett kicked them out they snuck into my mom's apartment, whisked her back to Nina's house, shot her in the foot and abandoned her there. A neighbor- who was a pack member- heard the gunshot and investigated. He found my mom bleeding out in the hallway of the empty house and hurried her over here.

Thus the reason for the screaming.

While Kane and Jett went searching for the culprits, Bluebell had tended to my mom's wound, wrapped it up in a cast and deemed her safe. Her foot would be as good as new if she rested in bed for a week and didn't walk on it.

I felt guilty about the whole situation, but it didn't make it easier to stomach the seething looks Mom sent my way while Bluebell was examining her and the scolding that began the moment Bluebell moved on to Tom. He'd been lying a few beds away from us waiting his turn, casting wary glances at me every other minute.

"Why did you lie about Kevin and get him killed?" my mom demanded, pulling the white blanket up to her chin angrily.

I grimaced, she wasn't keeping her voice down and I had no doubt Tom and Bluebell could hear. What if Tom thought I was another terrible person? What if he decided that he'd rather settle for the devil he knew and snuck back to his awful mate when we weren't looking?

I clenched my hands at the thought. "I didn't lie about Kevin, and I didn't even tell Kane myself. Darius did it for fun."

She narrowed her eyes as she studied me at the end of her bed. "Lies tend to pile up. Where were you this past month? Did you leave our alpha to fool around with another man?"

Tom was staring at me...with uncertainty?

Shit.

"Why do you always think the worst of me?" I demanded.

"Why are you getting angry at me when you're the reason I'm glued to this bed for a week?" she returned coldly. "You have a terrible personality, you should fix it."

"I already apologized," I said, stepping away from the bed.

"If you were a better person you wouldn't have to apologize all the time," she replied.

"Wow," Helen said, appearing at the doorway with a hand on a hip. "So the reason you always let us walk over you in school is because your mom basically groomed you for being stepped on by other people."

I gave her a confused look. Was she dissing me? Was she dissing my mom? Was she dissing us both? Only Helen could manage to stick up for me and insult me at the same time.

"I'm not walking over her," my mom protested. "My words may sound unpleasant, but I'm guiding her because I'm her mother and I love her."

Helen curled her red lip. "If someone tried to give me that kind of love I'd claw their eyes out." She flicked her blonde hair over her shoulder and walked out, ignoring the gasp from my mom.

Giggling.

I jerked my head to the side. Tom and Bluebell were both clearing their throats very dramatically, eyes everywhere but in the scowling direction of my mom. My mouth twitched as I tried to hold back my own laughter, thankfully I was better at controlling my expressions. "I'll be back to check on you, if you need anything call me on my phone," I told my mom and hurried out of the infirmary.

I found Helen in the living room, high heels kicked up on the table like she was in her own house. She might as well have been, the alpha's house was technically everyone's house too. If I wanted my privacy back soon I'd better find a new job quickly.