“I hope you realize that there will be no repeat of Kate’s situation.” Her voice was so cold it sent a chill up my spine. “He will never marry you. Ever.”
“And why would you think he’d even want to?” My voice was calm despite the mix of anger and anguish boiling through me. “I’ve never been under a
ny illusion as to how this relationship would end, Mrs. O’Connor.”
“Perhaps so, but the fact that he cares for you—”
“Caring is not love. We have a strong relationship, yes, but I’m not a wolf, and neither of us have ever forgotten that.”
Her eyes were chips of blue ice, and the spine chills got stronger. “His sister said such a thing, once.”
“Yes, and had the situation been different, would she have been given permission to marry Gabe?”
“Of course not.” Her gaze remained hard. Ungiving. “And for one very good reason—the offspring of any such union rarely survives. Those who are not stillborn often have such serious defects they die before their first birthday. Few are those who live to claim their wolf heritage, let alone make it to adulthood.”
A few still meant some had survived. A few meant there was still hope.
And yet, there was no such hope. Not for me.
“I’ve seen the anguish of such a situation,” she continued relentlessly, “I’ve seen what it does not only to the couple involved, but to everyone around them. I don’t want that for my son.”
“Your son is a grown man and he has the right—”
“I will not stand idly by and see him hurt,” she cut in curtly. “Not when he was younger, and certainly not now. Perhaps one day, when you have your own children, you will understand. In the meantime, take a bit of advice and end this relationship. Soon.”
I stared at her, feeling like I was standing on the edge of a precipice; one step either way would lead to my doom. My heart pounded and my throat was dry, but the fear she stirred to life was met by something else—obstinacy, and perhaps even a bit of stupidity.
If my growing suspicion that this was my home—that there was no going back for me, no leaving—was true, then I had to be respected by all the members of the governing council. And right now, one of the most outspoken members of that council had me in her sights.
“I’ve already foreseen the end of our relationship, Mrs. O’Connor, and it ends with my heart broken, not his.” I stepped closer. We were, surprisingly, the same height, despite the fact her rangy form and the way she held herself made her appear taller. “Until that moment, however, I will continue to see your son and enjoy every moment I can with him. And you can’t—and won’t—stop me.”
Her eyes were now so narrow I could barely even see the chips of blue, and her aura dark with anger. “I could have you thrown out of this reservation—”
“Oh, you can try,” I cut in. “But I think you’ll find neither Katie nor the wild magic itself would like that situation.”
“Is that a threat?”
My answering smile held no humor. “No. Simply a statement of fact.”
“Then at least we now know where we both stand on this matter.”
“Yes.”
She would be doing everything in her power to end my relationship with Aiden, and I would be doing everything in my power to thwart her.
Lights swept around the corner and sped toward us. I stepped back. The slight uptick of her mouth suggested she knew it wasn’t a retreat.
Aiden pulled up and climbed out of her BMW. As he helped her into the car, I walked over to the truck and waited. Now that the confrontation was over, my gut churned and the shakes had begun. It took several breaths to calm them—or, at least, outwardly enough to hopefully fool Aiden. The inward shakiness would take nothing less than several large glasses of whiskey to calm.
“Is everything all right?” He clicked the truck’s remote and then opened the door.
“Yes.”
He snorted and helped me into the cab. “I got the same monosyllabic response from my mother. I believe neither.”
“Honestly, there’s nothing for you to worry about.”
“Meaning there’s absolutely everything to worry about.” He slammed the door shut and ran around to the driver side. Once he’d pulled out and was heading out of town, he added, “What exactly did she say to you?”