Page 80 of Secrets and S'mores
“You are safest when you have power, Ember. And if I can’t protect you, you need to find someone who can. Since you’ve chosen a mate who has no notable ranking, you’ve given away any future position you could have had. So I suppose it’s best you stay away and not come back.”
“I can stay with his pack and Jasper,” I point out, the idea tempting me.
“If you like,” she murmurs, distracted again.
“Actually, that’s why I’m calling.” I clear my throat, needing to recapture her attention.
“Yes?” she asks wearily.
“I’m going to retake the pack.”
There. It’s out there.
Silence rings through the line. Finally, she asks, “How on earth do you intend to do that?”
“I’m going to challenge Orion.”
“You can’t do that.” She sounds horrified, her pitch jumping.
“I’m pretty sure I can,” I say, taking a slow breath to steady myself. We don’t need her approval.
“Ember, you will not win. You and your little mate will be slaughtered.” She finally sounds worried.
“Geez, thanks for the confidence, Mom.”
“I know you don’t think I love you, but I have only ever wanted you safe,” she says, acting like theconcerned mother she isn’t. It’s too much. I want to scream at her.
“You didn’t give a shit about me until Jasper left and you were stuck with me as your Heir.” My words shake.
“That’s not true.”
“Look, I didn’t need to tell you any of this.” I say, the sting of her rejection turning my words bitter. “I don’t know why I thought you’d support me.”
“I support you making wise decisions,” she argues. I cut her off.
“You support me doing what you want me to do. Regardless of how it hurts me. Consider this a courtesy warning of what I’m going to do. If you want to help, like actually help me, you can talk to Jasper about it.”
“There’s nothing to discuss!” she says, her voice growing louder. I’ve finally cut through her facade. But now that I have her full attention, I want nothing more than to end this wretched call.
“Mom, I need to go.”
“You aren’t going anywhere,” she snaps back.
I ignore her. “Be safe. I’ll talk to you when it’s over and we have our pack back.”
“Ember!”
I hold the phone away from my ear as she says my name again, louder. My fingers tremble from the confrontation, but I press down the red button to hang up and let out a long, slow breath.
“That sounds like it went well,” Onyx says from the doorway, a half smile on his face. He’s so damn handsome, even with sympathyin his eyes.
“Come here. I need a pick-me-up after all that.”
It’s too much to handle, and his hands on me transport me to a higher plane, where my mother’s bullshit doesn’t exist.
He leaps on the bed, an eager puppy. I welcome his arm across my chest, pushing me down into the mattress. My legs unfold and my hair fans out around my head.
“You’re so beautiful,” he murmurs, lowering his face and trailing his lips across my forehead and down my nose.
