Francis shook her hand off and walked away.
Perry froze—wait, could it be her mom had wronged Francis somehow? That didn't add up. Helena had passed when Perry was barely four; she didn't remember much, and Grandpa never talked about it. All this time, she believed Francis and Irene had kicked them out of the Ashen Pack, turning their backs on her and her mother, pushing Helena into a downward spiral. So now Francis had the nerve to speak badly about her mom?
She never liked Francis anyway, so whatever he said shouldn't matter. But hearing him throw shade on her mother still lit a fire in her chest.
She pulled out her phone and called her grandpa. She meant to ask about the past, but when he answered, her throat tightened and the words stuck.
"Perry? Perry?"
She blinked a
