With one last parting glance at my petrified mate, I follow Shirley out of the room. Gripping her arm, I drag her away and out of earshot of Kat, not wanting this to cause her any more distress than is necessary. Hearing the door shut, I glance back, seeing Mateo close it to keep her from listening in.
However, turning back to the woman whom I know is responsible for injuring my mate and almost killing her, I find her glaring at me.
"My daughter is your mate, isn't she?" Shirley demands, her tone of voice does not sit well with me. She is lucky she is my mate's mother, because if she were anyone else right now I may have killed her for what she has done.
"You don't demand answers from me. Why would you poison your own daughter?"
"I told you why, she needs to build up a tolerance," she replies while folding her arms across her chest. She looks away from me.
"That’s not good enough. Where did you even get it from?" Wolfsbane is banned in our Pack, from most Packs. Her heart rate skips a beat and I can smell her fear at answering.
"I grew it in my old Pack, I still had some of my stash left," she finally admits, stunning me further.
Wolfsbane is allowed to grow in the wild naturally because we know better than to touch it, but it is illegal to grow it. "Where and how much have you got left?" I demand.
She looks away defiantly. How much longer is this woman going to push me?
"I don't get it. Why would you want to grow it and use it on your own daughter? None of this makes sense. You know I can have you banished for this or have you killed? Is that why you left your last Pack to avoid punishment?"
“No, we were banished, or going to be anyway because I hit the Alpha’s daughter,” Shirley tells me, not giving anything away, yet I know there are other reasons. Too much does not add up and something in my gut is telling me more is going on. Realizing she is not going to give me a truthful answer irks me, but if I command her I know Kat will hear her distress and that will not be of any benefit to me in gaining my mate's trust.
“Kat will be staying at the Packhouse until further notice. Tell your husband to drop her things off tomorrow,” I inform her. She goes to object when I glare at her forcing her mouth shut. “I wasn’t asking, until I know what is going on, Kat remains with me.”
I turn to go back to the room when she finds her voice. “Can I at least speak with her privately? I need to apologize, so I know she doesn’t hate me. I honestly didn’t realize the difference in strength from the pills to the shot.”
“Unless you hand your stash over, you won't be going near her,'' I tell her. Shirley presses her lips in a line before reaching into her back pocket and pulling out what I think at first is a wallet. She grabs my wrist, shoving the container into my hand.
“I want to see my daughter!” She growls at me before she realizes what she did.
Maddox shoves forward instantly. My eyes turn to that of my beast which makes her step back and she lets my wrist go. “If she permits it,” I tell her, turning my back on her and walking into the room. I shut the door in her face before she can enter. However, I notice she remains at the door peering in the little window but I ignore her turning my attention back to Kat.
Kat looks behind me worriedly. Mateo, still sitting on the edge of the bed, moves quickly and I take his place beside her.
“Is my mother okay?” Kat asks, trying to see around me to the door. She nearly died because of that woman yet, she worries this much?
“She is fine. She wants to speak to you. I told her it is up to you, though I don't know why you would ever want to see her again after what she did,” I say to her. Kat sighs, leaning forward slightly and I am tempted to force her to lay back down. She is still a little too pale for my liking.
“She is my mother, she would never intentionally hurt me,” Kat objects, looking back at the door.
“Do you want to see her?”
“Yes, I want to go home now,” she says, trying to get up, but I tuck the blanket back around her, before grabbing her face in my hands.
“We will talk about that after your mother leaves, I will give you five minutes with her,” I tell Kat before letting her go. I nod to Mateo who walks over to the door opening it.
“Wait, what do you mean after she leaves?”
“You’re not going home Kat, you’re staying with me,” I tell her and I hear her heart start pumping harder in her chest, her breathing getting heavier.
“No, I want to go home. I need to go home,” she says with tears in her eyes and I look at Mateo who chews his lip staring at her. Her fear of going home with me is leaking from her pores, suffocatingly strong as it fills the room with her scent. Why is she scared? We haven’t done anything to her, yet she wants to go home with the monster she calls mother?
“We will talk about it after your mother leaves,” I tell her, motioning for Mateo to leave and tell Shirley to come in. He dashes out the door quickly and her mother steps in before moving swiftly to her side.
“What did you do to her?” Shirley demands, brushing Kat’s hair from her face, and trying to calm her down. My mate looks like she is hyperventilating and I fight the urge to let Maddox out to rip Shirley to pieces. She doesn’t deserve to touch her after what she did, and I hate seeing the hands that caused this, touching my mate.
“Nothing, you have five minutes,” I tell her, walking out. My wolf urges me to stay and calm my mate, but I will have time for that when her mother leaves. Doc comes out after me a few seconds later.
“Can you give her a sedative?” I ask him and he nods.
“I can but let's see if her mother calms her." He takes a breath like his next words are hard to get out. "She is frightened of you, Alpha. Are you sure you should take her home with you?”
“I am not leaving her with her mother, and she has no reason to fear me,” I tell him and he nods in agreement.
We wait in the hall and I have to move away from her door. I don't want Shirley anywhere near my mate, and knowing she is there with her is making Maddox nervous. I worry about my wolf taking control from me. Mateo nods as I step away from the door and he takes my place to keep eyes on Shirley. I now understand why her mate hit her. To do that to your own daughter is disgusting and unforgivable.
By the way he spoke to her, this wasn’t the first time he had dealt with his wife poisoning their daughter. All for the sake of her building tolerance to a poison that could kill her.
Cigarette smoke wafts to me, I look down the hall to see Kat’s father coming back inside. His hair is all ruffled like he has been running his fingers through it constantly. He seems calmer, but by the hard set of his eyes, I can tell he is still furious.
As he should be.
“Derrick,” I acknowledge as he approaches. He looks at me, the anger leaves him, and I can tell he has been crying by the redness around his eyes.
“Is she alright?” He asks and I nod.
“Your wife is in there with her,” I warn him, looking toward the door.
“I know my wife wouldn't intentionally hurt our daughter, she is extreme sometimes, but she loves Katya.” He goes to enter the room when I grip his arm pulling him back, he looks down at my hand on his arm before meeting my gaze.
“There is something you need to know. I would rather tell you before Shirley does,” he stops turning around giving me his full attention.
“What is it?” He asks, looking over his shoulder briefly at the green door where his mate and daughter are.
“Katya is coming home with me,” I tell him, and he puts his hands out in a placating gesture and shakes his head.
“Alpha, my mate wouldn’t hurt her intentionally. It was an accident. I can assure you I will speak with her–” he tries to say more but I cut him off.
“Your daughter will be safe with me, she is my mate and I don't trust your wife right now.”
He seems stunned for a second, his eyes darting between me and the door. “She is your mate?” He whispers, his brows bunch together in confusion. His wife figured it out but he seems more shocked than her. “Does Katya know? Did you tell her?” He asks, glancing between me and Mateo.
“No, and she is reluctant to come home with me.”
“Because she doesn't know you are her mate, I will speak to her. Are you going to tell her?”
I shake my head. “No, she will find out on her own when she turns eighteen, assuming your wife hasn’t told her already.”
He nods, but almost looks relieved at the news. We look to the door and I hear Katya sobbing, begging her mother to let her come home.
“This might be a good thing then, I will talk to Kat,” he suggests.
“What do you mean?” I ask, how could any of this be a good thing besides her being my mate?
He looks over his shoulder at me. “I mean you being her mate, it might help her.”
“Help her? What aren't you telling me?” This family and their half answers are getting to me.
“Until I am sure you won't reject her, I won't tell you anything. Besides, it is not my secret to tell. Katya is a good judge of character, always has been. If she trusts you, she may tell you herself, but until you figure it out or she tells you-” he doesn't finish and I can see he is debating something with himself. “Promise me you won’t reject her.”
“Now why would I reject my own mate?” I question.
“I want your word, all the rumors that I have heard about you, one that always stuck is you are a man of your word. I want your word. You will give her a chance to prove herself, don't shun her. My daughter deserves better than that and if you hurt my girl, Alpha or not I will cut your throat in your sleep.”
Mateo snorts at his threat, yet his eyes never waver from mine. He really would try, even if it meant his death.
“You have my word, Derrick. I have no intentions of rejecting my mate, nothing will change that,” I promise and he nods his head once before turning and opening the door.
“I will convince her then,” he says before walking inside and shutting the door behind him.