Page 38 of A Pack of Cozy

Nick didn't expect me to leave even though I'd stopped talking to him after our argument. He figured I'd just get over it, and he continued to "work late." He hadn't known that I quit my job. One day, when he went to work, I packed up all my things, leaving anything mutually bought, like the furniture, behind. I drove to my new cottage, seven hours away, and never looked back.

Yet here he is, with my parents. Why?

Mom purses her lips at me, clearly feeling she doesn't need to justify meeting up with her only daughter. "We wanted to see you, dear," she says, as if the fact that Nick is standing behind her with Dad requires no further explanation. My stomach twists, and I can barely bite back the reply on the tip of my tongue.

"We?" I ask, my voice shaking. I feel sick as my fight-or-flight instincts kick in.

"Yes and we brought Nick. We've been talking to him for a while. He's been distraught since you ghosted him, and we were all hoping to talk to you and work things out."

I look around, my disbelief deepening. Who do they think I'm going to reconcile with? Winnie and Rose stare at my mother, their expressions mirroring my shock. Clara's gone. My friends know the details of my relationship, the cheating, and how unhappy I'd been. I hadn't even told my parents about the cheating, just that I was unhappy for what felt like an eternity, that I needed to break free.

How could they think I wanted to relive that misery? Just because I've gotten over it with the help of my pack and therapy didn't mean I wanted to open new wounds. And Mom doesn't know that I'm not still devastated, meaning she did this without regard to my feelings. Hot anger makes me clench my fists. I can't hold back the shake in my voice.

"Work things out? We've broken up, Mom. We have been for three months." I honestly can't believe that it's only been three. My time with Nick feels like it could have been years ago.

"Cali, you can't just throw away a two-year relationship on a whim. This is something that can be worked out. Let's go talk about it somewhere more private," Mom urges, extending her hand as if to guide me back to the life she envisioned for me, like a small, lost child.

After so much work on myself, with my therapist, with self-help books, with my pack, I know I never want to see Nick again. And yet my parents thought it was acceptable to just come up here and invade my new space, whether I liked it or not, my ex in tow. I'm a twenty-eight-year-old woman, not a teenager, as much as my mother always makes me feel that way. I don't have to do anything that I don't want to. I picture my pack in my mind and my friends behind me.

"No," I say, my voice trembling with frustration. My mother's eyes widen in shock. I've rarely told her no in my life. The times it has happened include when I told her I would never eat olives again when I was five, and when I told her I was leaving Nick.

"How can you not see how damaging this is?" I continue, my heart pounding. "You really thought bringing Nick up here without any call or warning was a good idea? Expecting me to just... what, pretend everything's fine? Why are you even in contact with him?"

I can feel the weight of my mother's disappointment pressing down on me. This one action has obliterated any trust between my parents and me.

"Well, I knew you'd just make an excuse if we called. Besides, I don't have towarnyou. I'm not a natural disaster. I'm your mother." She laughs as though this was all some big joke that could blow over. I close my eyes and take a deep breath.

She continues, "Besides that, we've known Nick for two years. You can't just expect us to cut him off after all of that time."

When I open my eyes, my mother has moved to the side, and Nick is a few feet ahead of me. I squeak and jump back. God! He needs to wear a bell.

"Cali, I know we had an argument, but you can't just storm off and act like it's over. We've spent years building something, I don't want us to let it go." His eyes are all plaintive and pleading but I see the hard edge underneath. The one I ignored for years.

He reaches for my hand, but I jerk it back and step away. Winnie and Rose stand beside me, and when Winnie wraps her arm around my shoulder, I feel a surge of strength. Their presence only solidifies my conviction that I deserve better than this.

"I absolutely can decide it's over," I say.

"Why?" he asks. "It was just a mistake. Why are you making it such a big deal?"

Once again, we've reverted to gaslighting, and it happened so quickly. But I realize he hasn't told my parents the truth. I have several options. I could talk to them about the cheating, reveal the lies, or confront him directly. However, I know Nick can twist the narrative to his advantage. He might have already framed the kiss as something trivial. Another option us to refuse to rise to his bullshit.

I take a deep breath and step forward, clasping my hands to keep them from shaking. Winnie, let me go. "Nick, I am not going to argue with you. I don't want to be in a relationship with you. End of discussion."

He splutters and tries to say something, but I turn away and stand before my parents. My dad looks uncomfortable. My mother looks angry. Both of them looked stunned.

"I'm sorry that you're disappointed that I'm not a beta, and I don't want a beta life," I say. "Even if I had been a beta, I would not have been happy with Nick. I won't be with him. None of these ridiculous stunts will change my mind. I am your daughter, and I hope I'm your priority. If you can't respect my decision, you should just leave."

I try to turn away, but my mother grasps my upper right arm, holding me in place. "What happened? I'm sure we can figure this out if you tell me," she says.

I look down at her hand on my arm and then back up at her face. "I don't need to tell you every detail of my shitty relationship with Nick to justify my decision. It should be enough for you that I say no. Now let go of my arm." She doesn't. She stares at me as if she doesn't know who she's looking at. It hurts me to realize that she probably doesn't. Like with Nick, I tried to morph myself into something I wasn't for them.

"My omega told you to let her go," A rumbling voice from behind me says.

Bax

ThewomangrippingCali'sarm is unmistakably her mother. She resembles my omega, with the same hair and nose, though she's taller and slighter. The beta characteristics are evident, but as I watch her grip tightening around Cali's arm, likely leaving marks beneath her coat, a low growl rumbles deep in my chest, protective instincts surging. The passersby quickly move away, sensing the tension in the air. Seth and Connor join me on either side, their expressions mirroring my concern as we focus on the woman's hand constricting around our omega.

Cali's mom's wide, horrified eyes meet ours, but before she can say anything, I step forward, a silent promise in my stance. My priority is clear. No one will hurt Cali. Not even her own mother. This woman needs to understand that her actions aren't just unacceptable. They're threatening the safety and well-being of my pack.

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