lenora
Emery's hand on my arm is the sole reason I find myself reconsidering the urge to fling my biological egg donor across the cafe.
"Who's this?" my mate asks in a sugary voice, one I know is intended to lower my raging blood pressure.
"Yeah," states my mother. "Who is this, Lenora?"
Her dull denim eyes hook into me with what I suppose is hostility. My muscles tense but Emery rubs my arm and flashes her a polite smile.
"I'm Emery." She offers her hand to my mother.
My mother disdainfully eyes her palm until I flash her my teeth in warning. She takes a deep breath and shakes my mate's hand. I watch closely to be sure she doesn't try anything.
"This is my mate," I say, though she must have already seen Emery's mark by now.
My mother's eyes flash with emotion. She's aged like shit, but I guess that's the result of four decades of careless, reckless behavior.
"Wow. I never pictured you with a human," she says. "Never pictured you with anyone, actually."
"What are you doing here?" I demand again.
"I was just passing through. Crazy coincidence, no?" She fakes a demure look.
"Bullshit," I hiss.
Emery squeezes my arm again and I glance down, catching the worried look on her face. I feel a brief jolt of regret at knowing this drama has interrupted our time with her parents. Then, I get pissed again because I have yet another reason to loathe the creature before me.
"You're on pack territory," I grit out, forcing my attention back to my mother. "State your purpose or I'll throw your ass out where it belongs."
Her steely eyes cut at me. "You so easily forget where you come from, girl."
That term snaps my last remaining twig of control. My free arms jets out to chop her in the throat with the side of my hand. She immediately grabs at her wrinkled neck, eyes shooting wide.
"Lenora!" hisses Emery.
I shove her behind me. "Stay back. You don't know what this bitch is capable of."
"This bitch is your mother," the demon spits back, still rubbing the column of her throat.
"I don't have a mother."
She rolls her eyes and then looks behind us, nodding. "Of course. I saw you found a new family and everything."
"Oh, cut the shit," I snap. "Don't act like you care. If you don't state your business now, I'll break your goddamn windpipe this time."
"Len, please," Emery whispers. "My parents . . ."
I squeeze my eyes shut for a second. When they reopen, that sinister glimmer has returned to my mother's eyes.
"I guess I'll see myself out," she says, lifting her nose. "You should know better than to treat your real blood with such disrespect, Lenora. You would be nothing without me."
My blood boils as I watch her sashay out of the coffee shop. I want violence. In fact, I can't recall any encounter with my birth mother that has not resulted in me wanting to strangle her.
Emery moves to stand in front of me, her palms pulling my cheeks downward. Our eyes connect and the ice shards in my chest melt a little. She looks distressed and I hate knowing it's because of me.
"I'm sorry," I say. "I didn't mean to cause a scene."
Threading my fingers through my hair, I steal a sheepish glance back at her parents. They still seem to be in discussion with Denver and Bella, but they peek in our direction every few seconds.
"Are you okay?" she asks. "Should we step out and talk for a sec?"
I shake my head. "No. I'd rather not. It'll just piss me off again."
Her expression displays her disbelief but she indulges me with a nod.
"You can talk to me about anything," she says. "I hope you know that."
"I know, baby. My parents are just . . . a sore subject. Maybe another time."
She licks her lips and sighs before slipping her fingers into mine. "Sure. You okay to head back to the table, or do you need a minute?"
"No, let's go back. I don't want to take any more time away from your family."
Her mouth parts in what I already anticipate to be some kind of rebuttal, so I tug her in for a kiss. She jolts at the unexpected affection.
Pulling back, I give her a tight smile and tug on her hand. "Come on, baby."
When we turn back to the table, everyone is standing. Emery raises her brows.
"What did we miss?" she asks.
"Mom and Dad are going to rest up at their hotel," Bella says. "They're meeting with a realtor this afternoon."
"That was fast," Emery murmurs.
"I swear we weren't eavesdropping," says her mother, "but was that woman your mother, Lenora?"
I stiffen, my free hand curling into a fist. "It's complicated, unfortunately. I'm not close with my family."
She nods. "I understand. Well, you have us now."
"Thank you." I smile at her and her husband. "That means a lot to me."
No one's ever invited me into their family. While the pack is basically one big family, I still had to fight and kill to get my position. There is something about being accepted without having to change myself or do something to earn love.
Although my temper is still reeling from that encounter with my mother, I feel an unfamiliar warmth pool in my abdomen. It's a cozy feeling, like curling up in a thick blanket on a cool winter day.
We said our goodbyes and went to our vehicles. I found myself scouting the town blocks around us for any sign of my mother. Her citrus scent lingers faintly in the air. It's strong enough of a trail for me to track even in my human form, but I don't.
When we face off, I want to be away from town and humans. I'm going to rip her head off of her body if I find her loitering in town. She's up to something.
Denver shares a knowing look with me. We'll take the girls back to the pack house where they'll be safe and then we'll find my mother and handle her.
"So, what the hell are we going to do about Mom and Dad?" asks Bella from the back seat.
My eyes notice Emery shake her head while Denver takes a deep breath from beside me.
"It's not a great idea," I grumble. "They cannot know about the pack or werewolves. At all," I add, staring my mate down in the mirror.
"Don't give me that look! I know the rules," she scoffs.
The corner of my lips twitch. "That's what scares me. Every time I've ever told you not to do something, it magically happens."
She crosses her arms and glowers back at me, making my core pulse.
How can I possibly be turned on right now?
"We have a pack member who's a realtor for Lemley," I say. "We'll use him to throw off their search."
Denver nods and Bella taps a finger to her chin.
"Not bad," she says.
"What if they just fire him and find someone else?" Emery asks.
"There's only one decent real estate company in Lemley," I tell her. "It won't be hard to skew their service."
"It's seriously eerie how much power you have over other people, Lenora," says Bella.
I shrug. "When we get to the house, we're going to drop you two off. Stay close to the pack house. Don't wander off without Caden or someone."
"Where are you guys going?" Bella pouts.
Exhaling through my nose, I adjust my grip on the steering wheel. "We have some business to take care of."