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“That’s not true!” Bernadette’s hands balled up into fists. “He always used to talk of how glad he was that he’d found his mate.”
“It sure didn’t seem that way when he told me he’d be better off if he killed me.”
There was a boom of shocked silence.
“He wouldn’t have said that.” Bernadette shook her head. “I don’t believe you.”
“Believe what you want. But you won’t kid me into thinking that you didn’t see something wasn’t right with him. You’ve clung to the hope that he’d come back for me because you think I can fix him. You think that bonding with his true mate will make him better. That’s not how it works.”
“You owe him,” snarled Moira. “You got all the light, which left him with all the—”
“Do I look like someone filled with fucking light?” snapped Bree.
The front door swung open, and then … “Funny how none of you came here until I was preoccupied elsewhere,” said Alex, his voice deceptively casual.
Bree’s eyes flew to him. Ooh, he was not a happy bunny at all. She’d bet someone in the shop had texted him to let him know the Cages were there.
“You know,” Greg said to him, “I was just thinking the same thing. I was also about to suggest that they leave.”
“Paxton’s your cousin, Alex,” said Bernadette. “Your cousin. How could you date his mate? He needs her. You know he does.”
“She renounced her claim on him,” Alex reminded her. “She wants nothing to do with him—she told you that already.”
Bernadette’s nostrils flared. “You lost your true mate, you know how painful it is to be without them, and yet you’re willing to put Paxton through that?”
“Let me be clear: no amount of droning on and on about how hurt Paxton will be is going to make me give up Bree. This is all pointless. Just let it go.”
“Let it go? Just overlook that you’ve stolen my boy’s mate from him?”
“Stolen her? That’s how you honestly see it? He left her, he stayed away, he never contacted her. In sum, he gave her up. Really, it was the best—and only decent—thing he ever did for her. He didn’t want her, and she doesn’t want him.”
“He’s back now—”
“Maybe, but if he is back, he’s obviously not here to claim her, or he’d have tried to do it already. You can’t expect Bree to live her life alone just because she might have mated with your son if things had been different; if he’d been different.”
“There’s nothing wrong with him.”
“It’s guilt, isn’t it?” Alex tilted his head. “It’s guilt that makes you so determined to not see the bad in him. You know some people believe that the drugs you took when pregnant damaged him, and you’ve come to believe the same, haven’t you? You’ve taken on the blame for every bad thing he ever did. His choices are on him, Bernadette. You didn’t ruin his life. He did that all on his own.”
Ruben curled a hand around his mate’s arm. “We’re wasting our time here.”
Bernadette’s eyes danced from Bree to Alex. “As far as I’m concerned, you’re no longer my family. Neither of you exist for me now. But be warned, Alex—she betrayed my son, and she’ll betray you. Probably not before he makes you pay for this, though. He’ll be furious.” The Cages then breezed out of the store.
Sighing, Bree rubbed at her temples. “Well, that was fun.”
Elle rested a hand on her shoulder. “If it helps, your words got through this time. Bernadette does enjoy deluding herself, but she heard what you said. Really heard you.”
“I agree,” said Valentina, crossing to the counter. “They know you are serious. If they have any sense, they will let this go.”
But that was the thing, Bree thought. The Cages had never had any “sense” when it came to anything related to Paxton. None whatsoever.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Hearing a knock at the door the following evening, Bree paused in rolling up her yoga mat. Alex had gone to his apartment to get a change of clothes for tomorrow, since he intended to stay over again. She’d have thought it was him at the door if it wasn’t for one thing—he always just let himself inside.
Bree stuffed her yoga mat in her bag and then headed for the front door. Glancing through the peephole, she frowned. Well, this was indeed a surprise. And not a welcome one.
Opening the door, Bree forced a smile. “Drina, hi.” If the woman was here for Alex, Bree would so rip her a new asshole.
Having had a long chat with Drina, Vinnie had assured Alex that she’d no longer be a problem. Drina had kept a low profile since then, which gave Bree hope that the female had listened to their Alpha. But this … Bree didn’t know what to make of it.
