38

After school that day, Nel decided to deviate from what had become her new norm and went to her mother’s diner, a place she’d seldom go after moving into the packhouse. Some deep-rooted paranoia had convinced her that being in the packhouse meant that she couldn’t see her mother as often as she wanted.

However, since her conversation with Colsin, she felt a little more comfortable with loosening her reigns a bit and taking the risk.

Leana Larken had finished early at the packhouse that day as she’d most often do on Tuesdays.

Nel opened the door, knowing that her mother was getting ready for the six o’clock rush. “We’re not open yet!” someone said.

“I know.” Nel walked behind the counter and saw one of her coworkers, his name Gil, standing at the kitchen sink cleaning a few things he must have used moments ago. Gil wasn’t a whole lot older than Nel but he was older; early twenties and the most spic and span guy she ever knew. “Hey, Gil,” she greeted cheerily.

He paused, a warm smile taking place on his face. “Nel! Well, how are you?” he greeted spritely in return.

“Good, good! What’s on the menu for tonight.”

“Same old,” he smiled. “With a little of the golden touch,” he winked, referring to his skill.

“Then I know it’ll be delicious,” chuckled Nel. “You seen mom?”

His head gestured outside the kitchen door. “Outside cleaning the tables. For the twelfth time.” It was after he said this that his cheerful expression turned to that of concern. “Something seems to be bothering her. She won’t tell anyone what it is. I’m sure you can get it out of her, if no one else.”

Nel displayed a small hint of mirth before replying, “I’ll try my best.” Then she went back out of the kitchen and looked around the restaurant. She peered around the corner, and saw her mother attentively…and aggressively wiping at a table. Her eyes were intent and focused, but her mind was elsewhere. Nel figured she was probably speaking with her wolf.

Neliyah didn’t want to interrupt the conversation, but she was too concerned about her mother not to.

“Mom?” she approached her distracted mother.

Leana’s reaction to her daughter’s call was delayed. Evidently, they were in deep conversation. So deep, that she didn’t even notice Nel until she was face-to-face with her mother.

Leana, when she finally noticed her daughter’s presence paused and then looked up. “Neli!” She smiled brightly and immediately stopped what she was doing. Dropping her rag, she wrapped her arms around Nel as if she hadn’t seen her in months. “Oh, my baby!” she said in a hushed voice. “How I’ve missed you! Are you okay?” she pulled away to inspect her daughter.

“I’m fine, mom,” she chuckled. “Perfectly fine.”

Leana sighed. “Well, I’m so happy to see you but…what are you doing here?”

Nel shrugged. “I just wanted to see you. Without being on the schedule or cleaning the house or…you know. I just…I wanted to be here.”

Leana smiled, and her eyes began to mist with tears. “Well,” she grabbed her daughter’s shoulders. “I am…so glad that you’re here.”

“Me too.”

“So,” Leana suddenly grew hesitant, not sure of how her daughter would react to the next question that she was going to ask, but too concerned not to. “How…how is everything? Did…is everything…okay?”

Nel knew what her mother was referring to. “I…” for some reason, Nel felt obligated to tell her mother the truth of what happened that night. “Mom,” she looked around reluctantly, and then took in a deep breath. “I…tried to kill him.”

“What?!” Leana’s eyes were wide with shock and her hand to her chest as if to keep her heart from palpitating out of her chest. She swiftly took Nel’s hand and ushered her to the cellar down below. “You didn’t!” Leana finally said once they were alone.

“I did.”

“But Neliyah, why?”

“Because mom!” Nel walked away and sat down on one of the benches that sat in front of one of the many barrels lining the room. “I…I couldn’t take it anymore. I had to be free of it…of him and…the only way that I’d be free was to kill him.”

“Did it occur to you that you would not be free whether he was dead or alive?” said Leana with frustration. “Not if his death was caused by your hands! Nel!” Leana was so exasperated, the only word she could manage to say was her daughter’s name before walking away from her.

“That only occurred to me after the fact.”

Leana whirled around. “What happened? Did he catch you?”

“Yes,” Neliyah countered shamefully.

“Oh, gosh! What-what did he do? What happened?” Before she could allow her daughter space to answer, Leana’s mind began to veer into the worst-case scenarios. “Surely, he’s going to tell your father. You’ll be severely punished for sure. He’ll give you the death penalty! His only son? There’s nothing that I can possibly say that would…”

As her mother continued on her tangent, Nel quickly went to her and grabbed her by the shoulders. “Mom. Mom! Please, calm down.” Where Leana was suddenly breathing harsh and heavily, Nel said, “Everything is going to be fine.”

“But how, Neliyah?” Leana asked. “After the treachery you attempted to commit against the Stone heir?”

“After he disarmed me, I…we talked, and he listened. I think I got through to him. We are…okay for the time being.”

Leana breathed a sigh of relief and took her daughter’s hand. “Oh, thank you, thank you.” She muttered much thanks to whomever was looking out for them from above. Tearing her eyes from the ceiling, she regarded her daughter again with newfound concern. “And what of that girlfriend?” she asked. “I will not see you in such pain again, Neliyah Larken. I will kill him myself if I have to.”

“Then you’d be on the run, mom.” Neliyah chuckled, shaking her head.

“It would be well worth it. Besides, I’m older and have lived a life that you have not yet got to experience. So don’t worry about me.”

“I will always worry about you, mom,” said Nel. “But thankfully, on this subject we will not have to worry. He swears that he will not commit such acts again.”

“We’ll see about that,” retorted Leana. After she calmed down a bit, she regarded her daughter with disappointment. “I’m glad that everything is okay, Nel, but…but what if it wasn’t? You can’t imagine how I’d feel if I lost you. How Manari would feel.”

“I know, mom, I know.” Nel was so ashamed of her actions. “I was being selfish, and only thinking of myself.”

In her saying this, Leana suddenly felt a tinge of guilt. For her whole life, it seemed that her daughter had been thinking of others; putting everyone else’s needs over her own.

Leana lifted her daughter’s chin. When Nel finally met her mother’s gaze, Leana said, “You were owed this one, love,” she finally said to her daughter. “I cannot imagine how difficult it is to be you and I’m sorry for making you feel like you didn’t have a right to those feelings because you do.” She wrapped her arms around her daughter. “Just…just please be careful the next time such a brash and risky decision comes to mind.”

After their heart-to-heart, Leana and Nel spent the afternoon talking and having tea as they once had when she was living with her. It was a nice time to be had but Leana did not want to risk her getting into trouble because she decided to stay out too late. Nel nearly insisted that everything would be alright, but she also knew that her mother was concerned about her getting along well in the packhouse; especially, since she’d already made a natural enemy out of the Beta’s daughter.

Nel left, and walked home, texting Manari as she did. The girl was close to her wit’s end with what was going on between herself and her mate. “Poor Nari,” Nel murmured to herself as she made a steady pace down the street, the sun gradually setting into dusk.

“Hey there,”

When Nel heard Liam’s voice, she immediately turned around. “Wh-Liam!” her breath hitched and her heart began to palpitate as he approached her.

Being around this guy had been nothing but trouble for Nel since his arrival in Mystic Cove. Admittedly, she liked Liam. A lot, but it did not change the reality of her situation.

“Hi, Liam!” In a spur of the moment, Nel thought better of continuing the conversation, twirled around and started to walk away. “Bye Liam!”

“No, hey, hey, hey, wait!” he went after her, grabbing her arm to slow her down. “I-please, stop.”

Nel took a distressed breath. “Liam, I have to get back to the packhouse or…”

“Or what?” pressed Liam, his expression quickly switching from concern to anger. “Has he got you on a leash or something?”

“Wh-no!” Nel backed away in surprise at his assumption though she should not have been so surprised when she thought about how adamant she was about getting back to the packhouse. “Why would you think something like that?”

“You know why?” Liam hissed.

“No, I don’t.” Now Nel was beginning to get offended on Colsin’s behalf. “How about you explain it to me and stop speaking riddles.”

Liam’s brow furrowed with bitterness as he spoke snidely. “So, they got to you. Turned you out.”

“Excuse me?!” Nel was beginning to get angry at this point.

“You heard me,” Liam spat. “Those wolves, they’ve brainwashed you.” He shook his head. “I thought you were stronger than that Neliyah Larken.”