Bella:
What was this? My mother knew Alpha Fred when they were younger—and worse, they had taken a picture together. Not just anywhere, but on the hills, the very spot Ryder had introduced me to as his favorite. The view in the photograph replayed in my mind, the way they sat with their hands intertwined, which could only mean they were more than just friends.
“What cannot be?” My mother’s repeated question snapped me back to reality. I panicked and shoved the portrait behind me, tossing it into the unlit fireplace. The picture slipped from my trembling fingers, sliding down the cold bricks with a soft thud. I forced a neutral expression as I turned to face her, my heart pounding in my chest.
She stood there, her brows knitted and her arms crossed tightly over her chest.
“You asked the
