Chapter 33
“I’m out on bail. I know it must be a shock.”
Shock wasn’t even the right word for what I was feeling. That’s not possible.”
“It’s very possible. I was evaluated. They diagnosed me as bipolar, Jane. I wasn’t on my medication that night. You know how that can affect someone’s behavior.”
I nearly dropped the phone. “That’s nonsense.”
“I wasn’t in control, Jane. The court understood it, why can’t you?”
“Because I was there.” I could still feel her claws piercing into my cheeks, drawing blood. “You wanted me dead.”
“You have to believe me, Jane.”
My wolf growled angrily. “How dare she? She doesn’t have the right to tell us what to do,” Lucky said to me through the mind link.
“You have thirty seconds to tell me why you’re calling,” I said coldly.
There was a rustle, as if she was fumbling with the phone, and then, “It‘ s Xander. The pack’s worried about him. He’s not doing well. He’s withdrawn, barely even eating. He needs you.”
My wolf stirred inside me at the mention of Xander. I clenched my jaw. But before I could respond, another voice interjected.
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“Give me that. You’re making a mess of it, as usual.”
I would recognize that distinct tone anywhere. It was Amelia Blackwood, Xander’s mother.
It’s been a year since I heard her voice, longer since I’d seen her. She’d been on some endless world tour with her husband Dmitri.
She hated me. Always had. I didn’t even know why. Maybe it was the way I smiled. Or breathed. Or existed. Or the fact that I married her precious son, when I was, according to Amelia, ‘terribly inadequate.
“I’m talking to my daughter. She deserves to know I’m out,” my mother replied defensively.
Amelia laughed bitterly. “What she deserves is a muzzle. The little whore nearly ruined everything. Your bloodline is a disease. The worst mistake Xander ever made was laying down with your kind.”
I hadn’t realized Xander was even there, until he said, “Mom… what are you doing here?”
“I’m here to fix the mess that you caused. I must admit, I’m astounded you married into that family. I saw the divorce filing.” Amelia laughed. “She’s claiming adultery when she couldn’t keep a man like you satisfied. How exquisitely common. Frankly, I’m more surprised it took this long to unravel.”
“Don’t talk about my daughter like that,” my mother snapped.
“Oh please. She’s the reason my son’s name is being dragged through the mud. And you are the one who lost control and went after her.”
“I wasn’t well,” my mother hissed.
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“You’re never well. None of you are. Trash breeds trash.”
Xander’s voice came again in a weak protest. “Mom… stop. We just misunderstood each other. She’s still my wife.”
But she talked right over him. “She’s nothing but a mistake. Good riddance I say.” I could picture Amelia’s ugly expression, the one she reserved for me. “And the woman you ran to… Xander please. I taught you to have standards, but you jumped from one disgraceful whore to something so worse, I have no words for… it.”
I heard Mia gasp. “I’m his Beta, his second in command. You can’t talk to me…”
“Shush, child. The adults are talking.”
“No,” Mia continued. “You can’t talk to me like that.”
Amelia exploded. “Get out of my house, you foolish girl!”
“No,” Mia snapped back. “I’m not leaving…” and then she dropped a bomb, “I’m carrying Xander’s pup.”
I gasped, stepping back as my fingers went slack around the phone as if it had burned me. It slipped from my grasp and hit the floor with a soft thud.
My fingers trembled as I picked it up and shoved it into my duffel bag. I barely heard Becca’s voice as she jogged over to me.
“Jane? Hey… are you okay? You look…”
“I have to go,” I muttered, hoisting the bag over my shoulder. The strap bit into my sore muscle but I didn’t drop it.
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“Wait… what happened?”
“I’m fine.” My wolf growled in anger, making my voice come out harsher than I intended. I turned on my heel, even though pain shot through my calves, my ribs with every single step. But I powered through, determined to get the hell out of here.
I spotted Aaron at the entrance, lifting weights. But the moment his eyes connected with mine, he knew something was wrong. He dropped the weights instantly.
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