GABRIEL
My mother’s sudden appearance had ripped something open inside me. Her face—her voice—brought with it a torrent of agony I’d buried long ago. It destroyed me. I abandoned my duties as Alpha. I couldn’t function, couldn’t think straight.
How did she find me?
Why did my pack let her in?
Did she manipulate them the same way she deceived my father—with false affection and sweet poison? Where had she gotten the audacity to show up at my house… after all these years, after all the pain she caused, the torture I endured?
Did she really think I would welcome her back with open arms?
A sharp knock at the door yanked me out of my spiral. My eyes stayed fixed on the entrance, suspicion curling in my gut. Was it one of her allies? Another person comes to twist the knife? Even my pack se
