Chapter 10 Reina #2
I pulled into the circular driveway behind a silver minivan I recognized as my sister Kia's. Next to it was a sleek black Audi I didn't recognize.
Edward's, probably.
My hands tightened on the steering wheel.
I could leave. Could turn the car around right now and drive back to my apartment. Text my mother some excuse. Tell her I was sick.
Which wasn't even a lie.
But then I thought about the interview. About this job I loved. About how easily she could take it away.
I got out of the car.
The front door opened before I could knock.
My mother stood there, wearing a cream-colored cashmere sweater and perfectly pressed slacks. Her dark hair, threaded with more gray than I remembered, was pulled back in an elegant twist. Pearls at her throat. The picture of refined grace.
Until she looked at me.
"You're late."
I checked my watch. "I'm three minutes early."
"Early is on time. On time is late." Her eyes traveled over me, critical and assessing. "That's what you chose to wear?"
The dress that I'd agonized over suddenly felt wrong. Too simple. Too plain.
"It's a family dinner, Mom."
Her lips pressed into a thin line. "We have a very important guest tonight. I expected you to make more of an effort."
She stepped aside to let me in, and I walked past her into the foyer. The house smelled exactly like I remembered. Lavender and lemon furniture polish. Everything spotless. Everything perfect.
Everything cold.
Voices drifted from the living room. I followed the sound, my mother's heels clicking on the hardwood behind me.
My sister Kia was sitting on the couch with her husband, Marcus. Their two kids, a boy and a girl, maybe eight and six, were playing quietly with tablets in the corner.
My aunt Linda and uncle Robert were in the armchairs, drinks in hand.
Everyone looked up when I entered.
"Reina!" Kia stood, came over to hug me.
The embrace was stiff. Awkward. We hadn't seen each other in over a year, and even before that, we'd never been close. Twelve years apart had turned us into strangers.
"Hi, Kia." I hugged her back, trying to ignore how uncomfortable it felt.
"You look good," she said, but her eyes told a different story. She could see the exhaustion, the fever flush, the way I was barely holding it together.
"Thanks. You too."
My aunt and uncle greeted me with polite smiles and generic questions about my flight back to town, my new apartment, my job. Surface-level conversation that required nothing real from me.
I was answering my uncle's question about the NIHL when movement caught my eye.
A man stood from the armchair by the window.
Tall. Well-dressed in slacks and a button-down shirt. Dark hair, neatly styled. Handsome in an unremarkable, forgettable way.
Beta. I could tell immediately from his complete lack of reaction to my scent.
"Reina," my mother said, her voice taking on a warmth that sounded fake, "this is Dr. Edward Grey. Edward, my daughter Reina."
Edward crossed the room, hand extended. "It's wonderful to finally meet you. Your mother has told me so much about you."
His handshake was firm, professional, completely neutral. No reaction to my scent at all. No flare of interest or recognition. Just polite friendliness.
Exactly what my mother would want.
Safe. Appropriate. Controllable.
"Nice to meet you," I managed, extracting my hand as quickly as politeness allowed.
"Edward is a cardiologist at Metropolitan Hospital," my mother continued, as if I'd asked. "He's doing groundbreaking research in minimally invasive procedures."
"That's... great," I said.
"Your mother mentioned you're a photographer?" Edward asked, clearly trying to be polite.
"Yes. I work for the NIHL."
"The National Ice Hockey League?" He seemed genuinely interested. "That must be exciting work."
Before I could answer, my mother interrupted. "It's a nice creative outlet for her. Something to keep her occupied."
My jaw tightened. "It's not an outlet. It's my career."
"Of course, sweetheart." The endearment sounded wrong coming from her. "I just meant it's not quite as... stable as a profession like Edward's. Medicine is so dependable."
She smiled at Edward, who had the grace to look slightly uncomfortable.
"Dinner's ready," my mother announced. "Shall we?"
We filed into the dining room. Formal table set with china and crystal, candles already lit. I found myself seated between my mother and Edward, directly across from Kia.
Not a coincidence.
Nothing my mother did was ever a coincidence.
Dinner was served. Roasted chicken, vegetables, some kind of grain I didn't recognize. Everything perfectly prepared, perfectly presented, perfectly tasteless.
My mother dominated the conversation, asking Edward questions about his work. He talked about bypass surgeries and stent placements and research grants. It was all very impressive.
It was also incredibly boring.
But my mother hung on every word, making sure to steer the conversation back to him whenever it drifted.
"And you're unmarked, Edward?" my mother asked, though she clearly already knew the answer.
"I am," he confirmed. "I've been focused on my career. Haven't really had time for... personal entanglements."
"How wise," my mother said. "So many people rush into bonds without really thinking about compatibility. About stability."
She looked at me pointedly.
I focused on my food, pushing vegetables around my plate.
"Reina works with both the Frost Kings and the Steel Wolves," my mother continued, her tone deceptively light. "Isn't that right, dear?"
I looked up, caught the glint in her eyes.
She knew something. Or suspected something.
"I rotate coverage between teams," I said carefully. "It's part of the job."
"Both teams are based here in the city, correct?" Edward asked.
"Yes."
"That must be convenient. No travel required."
"Sometimes there is," I said. "But yes, mostly local."
My mother's fork clinked against her plate. "The Frost Kings' captain is Luca Vale, isn't it?"
My entire body went rigid.
"Yes," I said, my voice carefully neutral.
"And the Steel Wolves are captained by..." She paused, as if trying to remember. But I knew she knew. "Jaxon Roarke?"
"Yes."
The table had gone quiet. Kia was staring at her plate. My aunt and uncle exchanged glances.
"Interesting," my mother said, taking a sip of wine. "I believe you knew them as children, didn't you? Before we moved?"
My hands clenched in my lap. "Yes."
"Such a small world," she continued, her voice light but her eyes sharp. "Running into old friends after all these years."
"They're not..." I stopped myself.
"Not what, dear?"
I met her gaze. "Not relevant to this conversation."
Her smile didn't reach her eyes. "Of course not. I was simply making conversation."
But I could smell the lie underneath her words.
Edward, bless him, tried to change the subject. "Reina, do you enjoy the work? Being around professional athletes must be fascinating."
"It is," I said, grateful for the reprieve. "The athleticism, the strategy, the..."
"The testosterone?" my mother interrupted with a little laugh. "All those aggressive Alphas in one place. It must be quite... overwhelming for an Omega."
The table went silent again.
I felt my face flush. Not from embarrassment. From anger.
"I'm a professional, Mom. I do my job."
"Of course you do." She dabbed at her mouth with her napkin. "I just worry about you. You look tired, sweetheart. Flushed. Are you feeling well?"
Everyone was looking at me now.
"I'm fine."
"Are you taking your suppressants properly?" Her voice dropped, taking on that dangerous edge I remembered from childhood.
My sister's husband suddenly became very interested in his wine glass.
"Yes," I lied.
"Because you know what happens when you're not careful, Reina." Her eyes bored into me. "We all remember what happened the last time."
The implied threat hung in the air.
Kia shifted uncomfortably. Edward looked confused but didn't ask.
I set down my fork, no longer able to pretend to eat.
"I'm taking them," I said, meeting her gaze.
"Good." My mother smiled, but it was cold. "Because some Omegas think they can just do whatever they want. Date whomever they please. It's reckless. Irresponsible."
She looked at Edward meaningfully.
"An Omega needs stability. A strong, appropriate partner. Someone who can provide without all that... volatility that comes with Alphas."
Edward shifted in his seat, clearly uncomfortable with being used as a prop in whatever game my mother was playing.
"Betas make such wonderful matches," my mother continued. "None of that territorial nonsense. None of that... aggression."
I understood what she was doing now.
This entire dinner. Edward. The pointed questions about Luca and Jaxon.
She knew.
Or at least, she suspected.
And this was her way of telling me it was unacceptable.
My phone buzzed in my purse under the table. I ignored it.
It buzzed again.
"Reina," my mother said sharply. "It's rude to check your phone at the dinner table."
"I'm not..."
Buzz.
"Answer it," she said, her voice ice. "It's clearly important."
With shaking hands, I pulled out my phone.
Three texts from Luca:
How's it going?
Reina?
If you need an out, just call me.
I set the phone face-down on my lap.
"Work?" my mother asked, though she knew it wasn't.
"A friend," I said.
"Ah." She took another sip of wine. "You've been making a lot of new friends since you moved back, haven't you?"
The emphasis on "friends" made my skin crawl.
That's when I knew this dinner was about to get much worse.
I couldn't do this anymore.
Couldn't sit here and pretend everything was fine while my mother circled like a predator, getting closer and closer to going for the throat.
"What are you really trying to say, Mom?"
The words came out sharper than I intended. The table went silent except for the soft clink of my aunt setting down her wine glass.
My mother dabbed at her mouth with her napkin, taking her time. "I'm not sure what you mean, sweetheart."