Page 67 of Secrets and S'mores
Onyx
Two days later and every bit of me still hurts, but none of it matters when I had to leave Ember behind. My soul aches, distracting me from the work before me. Grabbing the arms of my chair, I force my focus to the screen in front of me, where Sienna looks down her nose at us.
Jasper shifts his weight, clearing his throat as he addresses his mother. “Please, I need to know everything you can remember. Any detail might help.”
Sienna sits straight and proud, despite the purple bruise across her cheeks and the medical tape over her swollen nose. A small, vicious part of me is gratified to see her hurting like I am, but considering Ember is now in greater risk, my feelings toward Sienna are moreover apathetic.
“The details aren’t important.”
“Ember is still there,” Jasper says patiently.
“Who knows what’s happening to her right now,” I snap, unable to stay silent.
“She’s most likely preparing to become mates with the new Alpha,” Sienna sniffs.
“You can’t be serious.” Jasper scowls at his mother.
She ignores him.
“I will do whatever it takes to get her back,” I say, desperate to get her to care.
“You’re not capable of what it would take,” Sienna says, her cold, dark eyes meeting mine through the screen.
I growl, rising and slamming my hands down on the desk. “There is nothing I wouldn’t do for her.”
“Jasper,” Sienna says, her voice light and unconcerned. “Tell me about this pup.”
I bristle, but Jasper pats my hand. With a forceful exhale, I settle back into my seat.
“He’s the son of the pack’s Delta. He’s ranked as a Zeta and is responsible for all of our digital security. Onyx is also the closest childhood friend of our Alpha and has his support.”
Her gaze flicks back to me, contemplating my resume. It shouldn’t matter. She’s wasting time. What kind of mother wouldn’t want to help her child?
Flexing my hands, I lock eyes with her. Time to lay everything on the table. “I am in love with her, and I believe she is with me too.”
“It’s easy enough to say that, but much harder to prove it,” she quips. I want to throw the screen across the room.
“Give me a chance,” I growl.
“What would you do?” Sienna asks.
“We’d like to remove Ember from the situation, just like you originally intended,” Jasper explains.
“But what if she prefers to stay with Orion? That’s the quickest and perhaps only route to power available to her.”
“I was just informed she’s currently locked up in your basement, so I doubt she’s on board with Orion’s proposal,” Jasper says with clenched teeth.
My hands tighten on my chair so hard my knuckles pop. Jasper neglected to tell me that detail. No doubt feeling my anger through the pack bond, Jasperlooks over at me with raised brows. With a slow exhale, I relax my posture, though my heart still pounds.
“Alright, what do you want to know?” Sienna finally says.
“What happened after Ember came home?” I ask.
“You came bursting in like a stalker and put everyone on the warpath,” Sienna says, crossing her arms gingerly, avoiding her broken wrist.
“I was talking with her and we would have left together quietly,” I say.
“Good job with that.” The disdain in her voice raises my hackles. This mother-in-law relationship isn’t off to a great start.
