Total pages in book: 109
Estimated words: 103681 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 518(@200wpm)___ 415(@250wpm)___ 346(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 103681 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 518(@200wpm)___ 415(@250wpm)___ 346(@300wpm)
“I have a problem with my son involving himself with lone wolves.”
Makenna blinked, wondering what the fuck the woman was talking about. Then she noticed the beady azure eyes she’d seen somewhere before. “You must be Remy’s mother.” A depraved, twisted bitch who had molested her own child.
Her wolf wanted to lunge, rip off the bitch’s ear, and spit it into her face. Creative, but Makenna knew better. Hurting this female would have grave consequences. As a loner, Makenna didn’t have the support and protection of a pack. Oh, she didn’t doubt that Ryan wouldn’t do all that he could to defend her, but that would bring trouble to him and the other Phoenix wolves. Remy’s pack was large and he had many alliances. There was every chance that if it came to a battle, the Phoenix Pack would lose . . . and all because she couldn’t just play this smart. Besides, she didn’t need to physically harm the woman to piss her off.
“Yes, I’m Deanne Deacon.” Like that made her special. “I know he’s been sleeping with you. Don’t deny it. Selene told me he’s been flirting with you.” And apparently to Deanne, that meant Remy had most definitely fucked Makenna. Well someone was a little paranoid.
Suspecting that any denials she made wouldn’t be believed, Makenna simply said, “Really?”
“No doubt you think you can convince him to take you as his mate and become our Alpha female.” Her mouth tightened. “Over my dead body.”
The latter sounded good to Makenna. “I thought he was exaggerating. He warned me you were freakily jealous and a little unbalanced. But I thought to myself, ‘Surely not. What kind of mother would be almost incestuously possessive of her son? She’d have to be a pretty sick bitch.’”
Baring her teeth, Deanne said, “Remy is my son—”
“But not your mate. Or your lover. Right?”
Deanne’s flinty eyes narrowed to slits. “You will not touch him again.”
“Oh? Why is that?”
“Do not test me, loner.”
“Remy actually wants me in your pack, so it’s possible that I won’t be a loner much longer.”
“He doesn’t want you or your friends in our pack,” scoffed Deanne. “He wants the shelter and the land it sits on—nothing more. He’s using you, trying to soften you up and win you over so that he’ll get what he wants. You’re nothing to him.”
“If you’re so convinced of that, why are you here warning me away from him?”
“You’re a loner; that’s enough of a reason.”
But it was more than that. Makenna suspected that Deanne saw every female who existed on even the periphery of her son’s life as a threat. She was no longer secure about her place in his life. Maybe it was because of the power and authority he now had. Maybe she was unable to control him the way she once had, now that he was older. Or maybe she doubted her ability to sexually attract him. Well, if the guy had an interest in young boys, he definitely wouldn’t find his mother’s body all that exciting. She’d have to sense that disinterest; she’d have to worry on what it meant for her.
Once again, Makenna almost felt sorry for him. But being abused didn’t give him the right to inflict such abuse on others. He could have become someone who protected others from such harm. Instead, he’d chosen a path that robbed children of their innocence, despite knowing how much that hurt.
Figuring it would be best to get this perverted bitch out of her sight before Makenna was tempted to act on the violent fantasies swirling around her head, she forced a smile. “Well, it’s been great talking to you. I don’t want to keep you, so . . .” She flicked her fingers.
“You think you can dismiss me? You think I’m weak?”
“I think you’re twisted and evil and you fucked up your child’s head so badly he’s now just as sick and depraved as you are.”
A flush stained Deanne’s cheeks. There was no shame or remorse in her expression, just anger. She didn’t deny her actions or defend herself, which was confusing as fuck. Could she genuinely not believe she’d done anything wrong? If so, that made her as chilling as it did warped.
“Just stay away from my son.” She marched off, head held high. Someone needed to kill that bitch. Hopefully karma had some interesting things in store for Deanne Deacon.
Hearing her phone chime, Makenna scooped it out of her pocket and swiped her thumb over the screen. “Hey, Madisyn.”
“Makenna, please tell me you’re on your way here. Something weird is going on.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Standing in Dawn’s office, Makenna looked at the feline in disbelief. “I’m going to need you to repeat that.”
Dawn rubbed her temple, shoulders curling forward. “Four of our biggest sponsors pulled out.” As news went, that was extremely bad. The shelter couldn’t afford to lose sponsors—big or small. The grants Dawn received were helpful, but they didn’t cover the full cost of the shelter’s upkeep or fund the other services Dawn provided, such as therapy, education, and substance abuse projects. Those services were important. They helped the residents have what they needed to move on and start afresh, thereby making room for other loners to stay at the shelter.