Chapter Forty-Two #2
I smiled. “Okay.” I turned to my mom. “I believe him.” She turned to glare at him for a minute and then I watched her crumple.
“I’m sorry, baby.” She turned to Shannon. “I didn’t mean to accuse you. I’m just on edge.”
Shannon nodded and turned to look at her dad. “It’s okay. Let’s get this cleared up, and then we will go and give you guys the night. We will come back in the morning.” My mother growled, but then nodded.
“Fine, but you can only come back if our dad proves me wrong. Otherwise, he stays gone, and only you can come back for your stuff.”
Morgan huffed a sigh. “I was in a meeting, Ain, I swear.”
My mother turned away. But Shannon furrowed her brow. “What do you mean, I would be the only one allowed back to grab our stuff?” She looked at me but I turned away like I couldn’t meet her eyes. “Amy?” I shook my head. “Ainsley?”
My mom huffed. “Do you think I would want to live with you if your father is cheating on me? If we divorce?” She threw up her hands.
“Of course I won’t.” She leveled Shannon with a look.
“You both were banking on my kindness, and that I have been submissive to you for all of these years, like a good mate. But you both forget who I am, what I am, and how I got here.” She growled softly.
“Goddess Ainsley. I haven’t done anything.” Morgan whined, but my mom growled.
Shannon was still confused. My mom released her full aura.
“I was a born Alpha, the only one in my generation. I was a fully bonded Luna. And I got here because my mate cheated on me. Do you think if I didn’t allow my Goddess given mate fuck around behind my back that somehow I would put up with it from you?
” She pointed to Morgan and laughed. Fully laughed.
“You are as fucking delusional as your daughter.” She shook her head. “Let's get this done.”
Morgan stared at her for a minute before he looked at her. “Ainsley, I swear. I was with Vince all afternoon. You just happened to call him when he stepped out.”
She nodded. “Anything else?”
Shannon jumped in. “You know my dad loves you. He has bent over backwards trying to show you how much he cares this last year.” My mom nodded. “I saw him and Vince together when Brandon and I walked past the office.” She nodded. “I swear they were in there all afternoon.”
My mom looked at me and I winced. Her eyes were full of fire. I hissed. “Morgan?” I bit my lip, looking between the three. “Are you sure?” I looked at Brandon. “Maybe you are confusing it with another day?”
Shannon and Brandon both shook their heads. “No way.” Brandon jumped in. “That’s why I came today. I wanted to clear everything up.” He smiled and slid his head towards me, but I allowed my face to drop and I pulled away.
“You too?” I made myself sound hurt. “You're sticking to this story too, Brandon?”
My mom pulled me to her side, and she shot Brandon a glare. “I wish I could say I expected something different, but I’m not.” My mom shot a look at him and, for the first time, a tiny seed of doubt crept into his eyes.
“Ainsley, it hurts me to hear you say that.”
She leaned over and kissed my head. “Yeah, it hurts me to say I was right about you. You are not worth my daughter.”
I looked back at Brandon, and I allowed a tear to fall. “I love him, mom.” My voice quivered.
Brandon pushed back in his seat, ready to stand. “I love you too Amy.”
I shook my head. “If you loved me, truly loved me, you wouldn’t be lying.” I shook my head and turned to Morgan. “Is there anything else you want to say?”
Morgan furrowed his brows. “I didn’t do anything,” He whined and my mom lost the tiny thread she was holding on to.
“That’s fucking it.” She pulled out her phone. “I know you’re lying. Because Vince came to Amy’s office right after her lunch. I know you are lying because Rick and Vince were together from one in the afternoon until six when I called. And I know you’re fucking lying because I was sent this.”
She slammed her phone onto the table where everyone could see. We all leaned in and in perfect color, there was Morgan, balls deep inside his secretary.
Morgan paled. “Where…where did you get this?” He tried to grab the phone, but my mom pulled it away.
She laughed, but it was filled with a sharpness I had never heard before. “Did you think I wouldn’t find out?” She tilted her head. “Did you think that I would have really turned this cold over a run? A fucking run?” She slammed her hands down onto the table, causing them to jump.
Morgan’s mouth bobbed up and down. “I-”
“Shut the fuck up.” My mom screamed and then she almost deflated.
“I think you have done enough talking for a long time, don’t you think?
‘Ainsley, it was just a run.’ ‘Ainsley, I love you and only you.’ ‘Ainsley, sleep in the same bed as me or else Amy will be in danger’.
” Her eyes filled with disgust. “I know.”
Morgan sank into her chair. “You know…”
“I’ve known since last year.” She clicked the text chain before she got the photo in. “Your whore had a mate, didn’t she? One that disappeared? Yeah, he transferred out after severing the bond. Surprise surprise, even unranked wolves don’t like their Betas fucking their mates. Who knew?”
He leaned over his knees. “You have known for a fucking year?” She nodded. “Then this whole time you were mad about—”
“You fucking your secretary? That’s right. That’s why I never let you fucking touch me. I don’t want to catch rabies from the two of you.” She snarled again.
“Ainsley, it doesn’t mean anything. I do love you.” He tried, he really did, but she wasn’t fucking having it.
“You lied, you cheated, and now there is only one thing left to do.” She whispered, her eyes glazing over in pain.
Shannon shot up. “No.”
My mom shook her head. “Yes.” She closed her eyes and tilted her head back.
“Because I refused to be a second choice, mate. I deserve to be someone’s entire world.
” I could hear the pain in her voice, and this time it was real.
“I deserve to be treated fairly, loved fully, and Goddess fucking grant me a family who appreciates me.” Her eyes landed on Shannon.
“Did you ever treat me fairly, Shannon? Did you ever love me…at all? After every sleepless night, taking care of you, feeding you, keeping you clothed, happy, and safe. Have you ever once treated me like a mother? Like I was a part of this family?”
Shannon flinched. “I did! I loved you and now you’re making up this bullshit trying to defame my father.” She raised her hand and I stood up.
I raised my brow, stepping forward. “I stood up for you. Do not make me regret it. You have no stake in this.” She looked wounded. “Now. Whatever is between them, can stay there. But if you try to say she is lying again, or hit her, I will fight you.” She stepped back.
Brandon stood. “Amy, you can’t mean that.”
I looked at him. “But I do. This is my mom. And I understand Morgan is her dad and if the roles were reversed, she would do the same. He cheated, not my mom. He broke this family, not her.” I turned back to Shannon. “I’m serious.”
Her lip quivered. “But I’ll have nowhere to go.”
“You have the pack house. The Beta family has a wing, remember?” I finished.
Morgan dropped to his knees and shuffled over. “Ainsley please.” He tried to touch her, but she slapped his hand away.
“Do not fucking touch me.” She growled. Then she stood. “I expect the divorce to be processed tomorrow.”
“Goddess, please Ainsley.” He tried to move closer, and my mom relented and crouched down to his level. “I love you.” He reached for her face and this time, she allowed him to touch her.
“Once upon a time, I might have believed it.” She smiled and leaned in.
“But I’m not stupid. I know now that you never loved me.
You loved the power you held over me.” My mom reached out and grabbed his chin.
“You loved twisting the knife my mate put there. You loved making me feel inferior. You loved how shattered I was.” She turned his face to face me and pressed her cheek against his.
“But do you want to know what I think you loved the most?” The anger that came into her voice was terrifying.
“I think you loved using my pup, my child, as an axe over my head. I think you loved using her safety as a key to my bed, and eventually my heart.” She turned his face back to hers. “What did you used to say, Morgan?”
“I didn’t-” He stated, but I saw her fingers tighten on his jaw.
“Oh, that’s right. ‘If you aren’t going to be a proper wife to me, I don’t know how I can keep Amy safe.
If Vince doesn’t think we are an actual family, I won’t be able to fight him on you both becoming slaves.
’” She pushed his face away, causing him to fall to the floor.
“At first I was too hurt to recognize it for what it truly was. I thought you were just looking out for me, for her, but this past year…I saw your manipulations. And I realized the truth.” She stood.
“You threatened a two-year-old pup about becoming a slave just to sleep with me. You fucking disgust me. Now get the fuck out of my house.”