Chapter 30

Donald

Those words which she spoke were like a shock to my system,

and my eyes were wide in surprise. I sharply exhaled a breath, trying to hold

myself back from growling at her in anxiousness or in astonishment.

I felt the weight of her words settle on me like a burden I had

to take responsibility for. What else could I do when I was looking at her,

clutching my arm like that?

My mind was set on leaving her alone. Ever since she brought

up my mother in our conversation in the morning, my mood had been on the

downswing. I was remembering things I had buried deep inside me for a long

time. I was sure everyone around me noticed, but perhaps attributed it to all

the pressures of being an Alpha, or to the fact that Ray, my best friend, Beta

and confidant, was still out of commission even some days later.

I had no idea that the pain I felt at my mother’s death was

still so unhealed that a word from Julie brought it all back again. She had no

idea what she had done to me by asking about her