I continued reading, growing angrier as I went. “How dare they?”
“What’s wrong?” Ronnie leaned closer, trying to read the texts. I just closed my phone since I already finished reading. “Amy, talk to me.”
“I don’t even know where to start.” I muttered as I turned to face my uncle. He gestured for me to go on, and I shook my head in disgust. “It started normally. She was checking in, wondering why I wasn’t answering. But then after about a week, Shannon spiraled.”
“Why?”
“I Alpha commanded her to stop going into my room. I figured out the day I left, she was going in and stealing some of my clothes to wear around Brandon. They initially started dating because of my…” I trailed off and looked at Lynn, but I had to be honest with her, eventually. “My scent. He thought Shannon was his mate, but in reality…”
“You are,” Ronnie finished, and I nodded.
“So she spiraled. She threw tantrums to my mom, trying to get her to get something from my room. To keep up with her charade, but my mom stood firm.” I rubbed my hand against my eye. “But then she attacked her.” I felt the snarl build. “My mom wouldn’t stand up to her, because of her father, and the Alpha. So she has been just taking it.”
“You’re joking.” Ronnie flopped back into his seat.
I nodded. “She says it’s fine. That she is weak, and it isn’t painful, but she sent pictures for documentation.” I snarled as I opened my phone and shoved it into Ronnie’s hands. Lynn got up and looked at the pictures with him, her face a mask of calm.
“I’ll kill her.” Lynn’s voice was dark.
“You can’t.” I took a deep breath. “She’s the Beta’s daughter, and my mother’s stepdaughter. The Oakenfang pack doesn’t discipline abuse within the family.” I bared my teeth as I choked out the first secret of the pack.
Ronnie reeled. “What the fuck do you mean?”
“I mean that anyone in the family touches or hits another, The Alpha looks the other way because he believes that the family will work past their disagreements. He says it’s below his station to deal with petty squabbles between family members.”
Ronnie and Lynn scoff, but Lynn grabbed my shoulder. “This works in your favor.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, you can dish out the same treatment to Shannon…and her father for allowing it.”
I stared up at Lynn and once the realization sunk in; I broke out into a smile. “You beautiful woman.” I jumped up and grabbed her arms. “You’re right.”
She nodded and smiled. “You can dish out every bruise and cut lip your mother suffered through and give it back tenfold. And the Alpha won’t be able to step in because of his own rules. Otherwise you can call the King.”
I turned to Ronnie, and he nodded. “I would call the King ahead of time and give him a warning.” He winked. “Just be proactive.”
I nodded and settled back into my seat. “Brandon has been making my mother’s life a little difficult. He has been doing his best to weasel his way into my space as well, but my mother has barred him from the room.”
Ronnie chuckled. “She could always get her way with Alphas.”
I cut my eyes to him and I could see bitterness there. “Do you know why my mother married Morgan?”
“Because she loved him.” Ronnie shook his head like it was obvious. “Your dad betrayed her, and she moved on. Without breaking their bond.” Ronnie’s face morphed into something I had never seen before. Betrayal and anger didn’t sit properly on his face. It was too alien. He was always such a cheerful man, but this, this was his line.
“No.” I whispered. Ronnie shot me a look like he didn't believe it. “When we moved to the Oakenfang pack, my mother was a betrayed wolf. Do you know what that means?”
“She wasn’t though.” I lifted a shoulder.
“No one knows the truth. She was a betrayed wolf. With a pup. I was a baby, but when I got older, I used to scream at my mother, until I picked the wrong day to throw a tantrum.” I remembered the day vividly.
“What do you mean?”
“My mother drinks.”
“No, she doesn’t. Her father was an alcoholic, and she swore to never touch the stuff.” Ronnie shot back, but my look cut him off.
“You are right. But there are certain days where she drinks so much she is falling down drunk. And a few years ago I attacked her on one of these days. I called her all sorts of names for sleeping with Morgan. For making us live in this fucking disaster of a pack, and after yet another screaming tantrum from me, she broke.”
