Page 16 of The Grizzly Situation
My father’s nails dug into the surface of his desk, pitting it deeply. “Get out of my house.”
“But Gavin, I?—“
“Louis, I’m giving you this one chance to leave now. I’m this close to tearing you apart. Tell Peter that if he ever comes near Brent again, he won’t have to worry about Chaim. He won’t have to worry about anyone ever again. Do I make myself clear?”
Gavin Small swallowed hard. “Yes, sir.” And then he flew out the door like the hounds of hell were nipping at his heels. As soon as the door closed, my father turned to me, and his expression was icy.
“Why is this the first I’m hearing about the incident?”
“Because Chaim?—“
“No.”
That one word carried so much weight. “Father?”
He turned, his expression something I could only describe as murderous. “Is Chaim your sire?”
“No, of course not.”
“Is Chaim your leader?”
“Well, no, but?—“
“There are no buts here, Brenton. You have disrespected me today, and I won’t tolerate that. Go to your room, and we’ll discuss your punishment at a later time.”
“But, Dad, I?—“
He snapped his arm toward the stairs. “Go to your room!” he shouted.
I flew up to the second floor, my entire body shaking with fear. I’d never seen Dad angry like this, and it scared the hell out of me. Mom bailing on us all those years ago must have hurt him more than he let on.
A nudge in my ribs jolted me. I jerked upright. “I’m awake,” I said, a bit too loudly, looking around and trying to orient myself.
The woman beside me, Tessa Montgomery, snickered. “I’m sorry. I would have let you sleep, but you… snore kinda loud.”
Shit. “I’m so sorry.” I sat up straight. “I’ll try not to let it happen again.”
Why was I thinking about Chaim so much lately? After that incident, Chaim said he couldn’t lift with me anymore. We still nodded at each other if we passed in the hallway, but the bond I thought we shared was gone. After graduation, and without warning, he and Benjy left for school, and they never returned. I was fourteen at the time, and I knew I’d lost my best friend that day.
I confronted my father, demanding to know what he’d done or said to Chaim, and he wasn’t at all happy with my rebellious attitude. I didn’t give a shit. It didn’t change anything, but I was angry, and over time the rift between us became a chasm that widened with every year. It never healed.
I focused on the play. Eddie and Jack were such cute cubs, like all bear shifters. Wolves, on the other hand…. Ugh, wolves. Damn shifters who think they’re all high and mighty. I could beat them any day of the week, with one paw tied behind my back. When my boys approached the mike, I was surprisedby the duet they sang. They had lovely voices, another gift from their mother. They both stared at me, likely seeking my approval. I smiled so hard it hurt. When they finished singing, they stepped back into the group, which closed ranks around them. Tessa leaned closer.
“They were amazing.”
Pride wasn’t a strong enough word for what I was feeling. My father wouldn’t have stood for me singing. He was the very definition of gender roles. Women were supposed to keep things running smoothly at home. They didn’t work outside the house. Instead they raised the kids, and the man supported them by working hard. Everything was very cut and dried in his world. When age caught up with him and he stepped down, I immediately took over as leader. It shames me that I was going down the same path as he was, until Jenna informed me she was going to work outside the house.
“I forbid it,” I’d snarled.
She opened her eyes wide. “Excuse me?”
“Your place is at home, with our children,” I said, like that was the last word.
She smiled, and I knew I was in trouble. Jenna wasn’t a shrinking violet at all. She and I had more than a few arguments in the years we were married. She gave as good as she got, and usually my point would crumble because she helped me to come around to her way of thinking. It was a whole growth montage with Eye of the Tiger playing in the background kind of thing. Living through it sucked, but I’m glad she dragged me kicking and screaming into this century.
“Who helped make those beautiful boys?” she asked, her voice sweet as honey and hard as steel.
“What does that have?—?”
