Page 91 of Pack Rivals: Part Two
“Punishing them? How?”
“I told the housekeeper to take a vacation along with the gardener. These boys have been scrubbing toilets and shoveling manure. But if you want, we can sit down with a pen and paper and brainstorm some other punishments.”
“She can punish me all she wants,” Nate says with a wicked grin that makes me blush.
“None of that,” Molly says, “we’ve got to go and introduce Bea to Mom. She’s been asking me every minute for the last hour if you’re here yet.”
“Mom won’t be joining us for dinner,” Angel explains. “She’s not up to it.”
“Just as well,” Molly adds, “Nate insisted on cooking.”
“I like Nate’s cooking,” I say, peering over my shoulder to smile at him.
But I’m not given a chance to linger because Molly tugs me through the cavernous, old house. There are fireplaces in all the rooms, intricate coving around high ceilings and some of the windows are decorated with colored glass.
“She’s in the lounge,” Angel says, opening the door, “I told her to stay in bed but she insisted she wanted to get up to meet you.”
“She really shouldn’t have made the effort,” I say, feeling guilty that this woman is making such an effort to meet me.
The lounge is bigger than Courtney’s apartment with an array of sofas and armchairs and large paintings hanging on the walls. The blinds have been drawn against the setting sun and an older woman, frail and thin, lies out on a chaise, covered in a mountain of blankets and propped up against pillows.
I know instantly she must be an omega, even though I catch no whiff of her scent.
“Mom,” Angel says, guiding me towards her, and maneuvering a seat so I can sit beside her. “This is Bea.”
“Bea,” she says, her smile stretched so wide I’m concerned it might rip her fragile skin. “Well, you’re a million times more beautiful than anyone had me believe.”
“I’ve told you hundreds of times how beautiful she is,” Angel mutters, starting to pull up a chair next to mine.
“Oh no, off you go. I want to talk to this young woman in peace. I want to ensure you boys have been telling me the whole truth and I don’t want you hovering at her shoulder trying to edit.”
“I wouldn’t–”
“Angel,” his mom says sternly and with a huff; he squeezes my shoulder and stands up. “I’ll go get you a drink,” he tells me.
“It’s very nice to meet you Mrs. Stormgate,” I tell her, when Angel’s gone. “Your house is gorgeous.”
“Isn’t it? My mate found it when we first started dating and told me one day he’d earn enough money to buy it for me. He didn’t have two cents to his name back then, but you know what, I never doubted him.” Her smile falters a little, and she peers towards the door. “I was hoping my sons would grow up to be like their father but it seems I’ve failed slightly there. I’m very disappointed in them.”
I stare down at my lap. Not knowing what to say. I certainly don’t want a dying woman to think she failed her children. At the same time, I can’t deny that their actions hurt me.
“You have two lovely sons. You should be very proud.”
“Two lovely sons who I hope have learned the error of their ways. There’s nothing like losing the person you love to make you see sense.”
My cheeks heat so fast I’m sure Angel’s mom must see them sizzle. “Love … I’m not sure …”
“I am,” Mrs. Stormgate says, holding my gaze. “Ten years I’ve been trying to get these boys to mend their rift. My husband and I tried everything. Molly, my daughter, too. The stubborn goats wouldn’t budge. Then you come along, and it’s like everything has shifted. It takes something fundamental, something like love, to bring about such a change.”
I fiddle with the hem of my skirt. “I wish it hadn’t, though,” I admit.
“What do you mean?”
“I wish they hadn’t done what they did. I wish they hadn’t lost me. I had no desire to be the catalyst in their change.”
The older woman is quiet and when I look up from my hands, she is studying my face.
“You’re an intelligent woman. I’m pleased. A pretty face is one thing but,” she shrugs, “the number of girls they’ve paraded through this house with nothing but air and the desire for glittery things between their ears. I hear you have other ambitions.”
