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“I’m so sorry,” Mam said.
“They were murdered, so I suppose that had a big impact on everyone in the family. After that, Byron and our grandparents raised us. Byron’s wife had already died, and he could be quite cold.”
“Byron was?” Mam sounded surprised.
“He was very different when I was growing up,” Amelia admitted. “He kept us all at a distance, even Jeremy. My grandparents were loving though, at least until my grandmother died. Then my grandfather sort of lost his mind without her, and Byron had to be the one to step up.”
“You poor thing,” Mam said. “You’ve had a tough time.”
“It’s all right. A lot of time has passed. Things got bad for a while, but once Byron became alpha, everything slowly got better. We started to grow closer to him. Taking in the rest of the pack changed him, too. Jeremy always seemed to hate it though, hated us for being around, hated our relationships with him.”
“Maybe he was jealous,” Mam said. “Upset that he didn’t have the chance to get closer to him. He lost his mother, too. That had to be hard for him as well. Will he stay here now?”
Amelia shook her head. “I hope not. He’s been living in Europe, partly to establish a pack system. There isn’t room here for everyone. It’s just as well. He and Nathan have very different values. Jeremy expects to take over from Byron someday, and I’m scared of what that will look like.”
“I won’t pretend to understand it all, but you’re right, it does sound complicated,” Mam said.
“Nathan could take over, no?” I asked.
“That would be both better and worse,” Amelia admitted. “We just had dinner together, and Jeremy spent the entire time trying to one-up Nathan. Even with his baby. It’s ridiculous. I’m worried things will get worse, I suppose. Nathan always tries to hold himself back, but we can’t afford any distractions that could get in the way of protecting Margo.”
Mam glanced at me and gave me a reassuring smile. “I might not like everything that has happened, Amelia, but I don’t believe that you or Byron would let a family dispute put Margo at risk.”
Amelia nodded. “You’re right. Deep down, I know this, but I have a role in the pack. I’m supposed to keep the peace, keep the balance, calm everything down. But I can’t even do that for my own family. What use am I to the pack?”
“You all do that,” I said with a laugh, though it was a little sad. “You all think you aren’t good enough. You don’t have to succeed every time if you keep trying. You told me that. Giving up is the only way you fail, right?”
Amelia picked at a muffin. “Great. Me and my big mouth.” But she smiled. “With so many people, it’s easy to get lost in the crowd. We’re trying to change the way all werewolves live, but it’s taking so long. All of the potential I saw in myself has come to nothing. I don’t know what I’m here for, what my purpose is. I’ve been so frustrated lately. It seems like I can’t help anyone, no matter how hard I try.” She shrugged. “I know it’s childish, but I’ve never grown out of that feeling of needing to constantly prove myself.”
Mam reached out and patted Amelia’s hand. “You don’t need to prove yourself to anyone.”
“I’ve made a lot of mistakes that I’m sorry for. I keep thinking if I work hard enough that I’ll make up for it all.” She glanced at me. “But I keep making more of them, don’t I?”
“We all have to make mistakes to learn,” Mam said. “Keep your chin up. You’re not alone.”
They shared a look that did more to get past the bad feelings between them than anything else.
Afterwards, when Amelia had left, looking cheerier, Mam blew out a heavy sigh. “Great. Now I pity her.”
“Mam. Be nice.”
“I’m trying. I do pity her. She’s had a rough life, by the sound of it.”
“I don’t think either of us knows the half of it."
“Deep down, everybody wants to be loved or have their hard work acknowledged.” Mam patted my back. “Know that I love you, and I acknowledge your hard work.”
I laughed and teased her back, but I could tell she was serious, and I appreciated it.
CHAPTER14
Dorian
Victor knockedon my front door then stepped away as soon as I opened it.
“What’s up?” I asked, following him outside.
He nodded at the alpha’s house in disgust. “Look at that.”
