Page 46 of Wolf Unseen

My petite mother flung her arms around my waist and hugged me so tightly I could barely breathe. She’d lost weight, I noted. More weight than she could afford to lose. Was Dad restricting her food intake again?

“How are you, darling? Enjoying school?” Despite her attempt to sound upbeat, I caught the slight wobble in her voice.

“School’s fine. Are you okay?” I pushed her away gently and studied her face, searching for signs of abuse. But there were none. He knew I wouldn't stand for it.

Now that I was taller than him, he was more careful. Not since the last time we'd fought, when I’d come close to killing the bastard after his wolf tried to make me submit.

If I challenged him today, I would win, but our pack law stated an heir couldn’t become alpha until they’d completed at least two years at a shifter academy. It was supposed to ensure ruling alphas had the skills needed to lead the pack.

I called bullshit, but since I wasn’t exactly looking forward to becoming the Montes pack alpha, it didn’t matter to me. It should have been Atticus, not me. Something my father never failed to remind me each time I disappointed him.

But Atticus was gone, and in the meantime, my father continued to grow his empire and pull us deeper into the murky world of the shifter mafia.

“I’m fine, darling.” Mom smiled, but the shadows beneath her eyes gave her away. That and the way her dress hung from her slender frame.

At only thirty-nine, my mother was in her prime. She should be hale and hearty, with many decades of good health ahead. But my father’s iron grip on all aspects of her life, from what she ate to how much sleep she got, had slowly and irrevocably affected her well-being.

“You’ve lost weight,” I told her as she led me into the kitchen.

“Maybe a few pounds,” she conceded. “Your father’s had a lot of visitors lately, so I’ve been extra busy cooking and cleaning.”

Visitors?

Mom switched the coffee machine on and pulled out a chair. “I’ve made your favorite cake, darling. Chocolate with pecan nuts.”

I let her fuss around me, cutting a wedge of cake and making me a coffee the way I liked.

The cavernous kitchen was spotless, as always. Every surface gleamed. No doubt the rest of the house was the same. As the pack luna, my mom could easily have hired people to help her manage such an enormous property, but Dad refused. He said a luna’s role was to care for her alpha, and if she couldn’t manage her daily tasks, she didn’t deserve to be luna.

“Who’s been visiting Dad?” I asked casually. Nobody good, I imagined.

“Oh, I didn’t ask,” Mom replied dismissively before turning the faucet on at full velocity. Then she wandered over and whispered in my ear as she collected my used plate.

“The Frosthaven alpha and his beta, plus several mages.”

“The cake’s lovely, Mom,” I declared as she walked back to the sink to wash my plate.

“Thank you, darling. I love to bake for you and your father.”

My paranoid father had cameras installed all over the house to monitor Mom and pick up useful snippets from visitors and pack members.

I desperately wanted to know why the Frosthaven alpha, Tank’s father, had visited Dad, but didn’t dare risk my mother’s safety by asking her more. Tank had not mentioned a visit, so I guessed he didn’t know about it.

Any conversation about important things would need to take place outside, where my father couldn’t monitor us.

Just as I was about to suggest we take a walk in the garden, a vehicle pulled up outside. The door swung open, and my father strolled in.

“Tate,” he barked. “My office. Now.”

He must have heard about the incident at the full moon party. The guys and I had dealt with the body, but there were too many people present to keep what happened on the down-low. Too many shifters with a grudge, delighted to leverage gossip for favors.

My wolf paced inside me, angry about being caged in the presence of my father and his mangy beast. But as much as I’d like to challenge Dad, now wasn’t the time.

“I heard about what happened at the party,” Dad said once the door closed behind us. He rounded on me before I could open my mouth to reply and slammed me into the bookcase.

I could have fought back, but it was better to see how this played out first. Dad usually gave no fucks if I killed another shifter in cold blood, so why was he mad about the honey badger?

“You stupid fuck,” he raged. “The shifter you murdered was the son of a business associate! He’s withdrawn his support for my new venture, which has left me in a fucking bind with our other associates!”