Chapter 13 A Jealous Mother
Kristen's POV
"Kristen, wake up."
The gentle shake on my shoulders flicks my eyes open to my mother staring down at me.
"Mom?" I breathe out, utterly confused because I'm on the bed and I have the sheet covers on me.
I was dreaming about participating in the pack run, right?
"You've been out for three hours," Mom looks away from me as she informs me of this, "You passed out after winning the pack runs."
Suddenly images of me contesting for the pack run through my head and I can remember everything.
Holy shit!
I can't believe Alpha Calhoun left his position and ran to my side. I was weak but I can recall when he carried me in a bridal style. No. He did not.
How could he do such a thing? Mom might even suspect a thing and his people on the other hand would think something is going on between the two of us. Alpha Calhoun married Mom yesterday, so there's no way a man and his stepdaughter would bond so fast.
It's dark and the music from outside is enough to notify me of the pack run afterparty. I can make our screams of excitement and all. Upon stealing a glance through the window, my thoughts are indeed right.
"Can I get some water?" My request immediately turns Mom in my direction. She's been quiet since I sat up upright.
"Sure, honey," Mom calls the attention of a servant and in a few minutes, there's a knock on the door with a bottle of water and a glass cup settled on the tray.
Mom pours the water into the glass cup and hands it to me herself.
"You did great today," she commends as she hands the glass of water to me, but her voice has no trace of excitement. It's just dull like her countenance.
"Thanks," I mumble before dawning the glass of water in one gulp.
And before I can worry about her mood, she holds out her hand so I can settle the glass cup in it.
"It's fine, mom. I can do it on my own," upon saying this, I leave my side of the bed and put the glass cup aside.
"Why aren't you at the party?" I am trying to lighten up the mood right now, or else I'll dawn myself in the scary and embarrassing moments of Alpha Calhoun abandoning everything else and having me in his arms.
"You fainted, I need to be next to you," Mom's response is just like she forced it out of her throat, and it makes me swallow hard.
"Are you okay?" Now, I have to admit the fact the energy pouring out from her is eating me up. We were never close but she's never been like this with me before.
"Have you met with Calhoun before?" She asks this question.
Chills travel down my spine, making me grow still.
"From the look of things, it seems so."
My stomach churns when Mom turns her back to me and picks up the glass cup, the one I had used a few minutes ago. "We only just saw ourselves yesterday, Mother," my voice is shaky, giving out that I'm not being honest.
"Something doesn't seem right, at first you two were so stunned to see each other, this morning I found you with your box and he was standing out there alone with you," the claws of Mom's wolf are beginning to creep out from her fingers because she's holding the glass so tight.
"My husband was enthusiastic throughout the race because you partook in it, and when he saw that you were close to fainting, he left everything behind and carried you up," the glass cracks in her hand, making me flinch.
"Now, that doesn't seem like a stepfather and daughter relationship."
"What are you implying, mother?"
It's true that I'm scared. Mom can change from an angel to a monster like a switch being turned on. It's one of the reasons why we weren't close because she treated me more like I ruined her life. When I was little, she would rain my cheeks with slaps and pull my hair at times, and then she would apologize and cry with me.
She was always sorry after she did this. And soon, she began staying outside more, until she secured some jobs and had to leave me under someone else's care.
No one knows what she did to me behind closed doors. When I turned sixteen, she stopped hitting me and would just yell and smash things.
Mom's oddly quiet right now, making the glass crack even more and digging into her flesh, and making her bleed.
"Mom, stop, you're hurting your..."
My plea is cut short when she throws the glass on the marble floor, shattering it into pieces.
"Are you trying to seduce my husband!?" Her question makes me flinch like I stepped on a nail.
"Why would I ever do that, mother?" I am trembling because my heart is pounding so hard that I can hear the sound of it in my
ears.
The door creaks open, revealing Bruce's confused face before Mom can yell at me once more.
My chest is rising and falling from my heavy breaths. Alpha Calhoun is the cause of it all, if he hadn't carried me in his arms, Mom would've suspected a thing.
"What's going on?" Bruce steps into my room and looks at the glass pieces on the floor.
"Nothing, Bruce," Mom smiles quickly, as if someone popped a remote to control her, "I was trying to talk to Kristen but she got mad and destroyed the glass cup," she lies. But I can see Bruce's eyes squinting at her bleeding hand which she hurriedly hides behind her black dress.
"Can you leave us alone?" She requests, her fake smile never wearing off.
Don't go. Please. I make this plea with my eyes that are on Bruce.
"Actually, I'm here to get Kristen. It's something urgent," Bruce replies. I can tell he's noticed that I am currently in a position where help is required.
Blowing out a low breath, I run towards Bruce's side.
"It's true, Mother. I'll be back shortly," my voice is cranky because I am still shaken from what just happened. Mom is only acting this way from what she saw, she doesn't even know that I fcked her husband.
"Very well then," she agrees at last and Bruce leads me out and shuts the door behind him.
"What was that all about?" He pops this question as we take our leave.
"Nothing," my response is quick and I am walking faster than him.
"Slow down," he grabs my arm to stop me, "tell me what happened? Did she try to hurt you with that glass? She found out the truth?"
"Can we not talk about this?" I gulp out, teary-eyed.
"Why not?" He seems curious.
"Because it's not important," I wiggle my hand free from his grip, "and don't mention this to your Alpha."
"Right," Bruce nods and thins his lip for some seconds before adding, "It's time for the rejection. They're waiting for you at the council hall."