Total pages in book: 116
Estimated words: 109705 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 549(@200wpm)___ 439(@250wpm)___ 366(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 109705 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 549(@200wpm)___ 439(@250wpm)___ 366(@300wpm)
Marcus couldn’t help it—the laughter simply exploded out of him.
“Sis, you’re evil! Everyone now thinks I’m gay, submissive, and into kinky shit!”
“How many responses have you gotten so far?” chuckled Marcus.
“A shocking amount. I wouldn’t have even suspected these people were into this stuff.” Eli looked at Roni like he wanted to strangle her. “I will get you back for this.”
“So you always say, little brother.”
“Roni, how could you?” Kathy turned to Marcus. “Still think ‘petulant’ can’t be applied to her? Honestly, she’s so immature, it’s embarrassing.”
Sometimes, Marcus really wanted to yell at this woman. “That’s not petulant or immature, it’s inventive and hilarious. Your daughter never fails to make me smile.”
She snickered. “Well, I’m guessing she must be very talented at making you ‘smile.’”
Picking up the double meaning, Marcus released Roni and turned to Kathy. “Don’t talk about Roni like that.”
The dark, menacing tone made Roni tense. Marcus looked just as he had on Quinn’s territory—intense, dangerous, and intimidating. Crap. Not that she thought he’d actually attack her mother. No, the problem was that Eli had straightened in his seat, his wolf watchful and weighing whether Marcus was a threat that needed dealing with. This could get bad.
Kathy gasped. “Excuse me? She’s my daughter.”
“Which is all the more reason why you should talk to her and about her with respect.”
Roni tugged on his arm. “Marcus, just leave it.”
“No, I won’t leave it. All she ever does is put you down, criticize you, and make out like you need to change—and all because she can’t handle that you’re more dominant than she is.” Surprise flashed on Kathy’s face. “What, you think no one senses it just because you dictate to her like she’s less dominant than you?”
Again, Roni pulled on his arm. He didn’t budge.
“Do you really think it’s fair to do that to save your pride?” continued Marcus. “You treat her like a victim because you think making her look weak will make you look stronger.”
Roni yanked his arm this time. He still didn’t move. Trying a new tactic, she proceeded to leave the lodge, hoping he would follow her.
“You think you know my Roni so well, don’t you?”
“I know her a lot better than you do. Oh, and she’s my Roni, just to be clear.”
Outside, he trailed after Roni, calling out her name. She didn’t even slow down as she stalked to her lodge. Yeah, okay, he knew dominant females liked fighting their own battles. And yeah, okay, arguing with her mother probably hadn’t earned him brownie points. But he hated seeing that strained expression on Roni’s face, hated seeing the hurt in her eyes.
He found her in the kitchen making coffee. “Why do you let her get away with it?” He hadn’t wanted to snap at her, but his anger at Kathy was still fresh in his system.
Avoiding his eyes, she said, “Let it alone.”
Cupping her chin, he lifted her head to meet her gaze. “Roni, you don’t deserve that. Why do you take it? Why do you accept it, day in, day out?”
“She’s my mother. I’m supposed to take whatever she does.” As pain briefly flickered in his expression, she sighed. “That’s not what I meant. Or, at least, that’s not how I meant it.” It was a completely different situation with his own mother.
“I know.”
“Kathy . . . She’s had a bad time of it. When my dad died, she sort of . . . latched onto Nick, Eli, and me like we were a lifeline. She could have let go and died with my father, but she didn’t. She fought to live for us.”
“That’s not a reason for you to take her shit. There’s no reason for you to take Nick’s either.”
“You don’t know what they went through because of me.”
He framed her face with his hands. “Roni, none of what happened was your fault.”
“I know. The blame belongs to those fuckers who tried to rape me—I know that. But the aftermath . . . it was bad, okay?”
“Tell me.” He could see the struggle on her face. “It’s not weak to lean on someone, Roni. It doesn’t make you helpless; it makes you normal. In fact, it requires strength to let someone else take some of the weight.” He guided her into the living area and over to the sofa. Sitting down, he then positioned her between his legs, and began massaging her shoulders. “Let me take some of the weight, sweetheart.”
“I’m not good at confiding in people.”
“Then think of it as telling me the story.”
Relaxing slightly under his touch—damn, the guy was good with those hands—she spoke. “People think that if you’ve been attacked, those around you will give you the support you need. It doesn’t always work that way. The court case put our pack under the spotlight—no one liked that, and it bred resentment. I was basically alienated.”