“Look at me, Kate. Look at me! Do I look like I’ve been partying in Vegas? No, I don’t. I look like I’ve been to hell and back, and I know I smell worse.” I’m so confused. What should be a joyous time has turned into one gigantic pile of heaping steaming shit. I just wanted my mate to rush into my smelly arms and welcome me home. Instead, I come home to a possessed she-wolf who’s throwing shit at my head.
“I’m done! We’re done! I can’t take the lies anymore.” She walks away, then turns back to me. “Accept the rejection so I can move on with my life or die. Anything but this.” She turns away.
“Kate!” Her mom attempts to stop her, but she just walks past her without so much as a glance.
“Katherine!” Her dad shouts and grabs her.
“No!” She shouts and pushes off his chest. I chase after her, but her dad steps in front of me.
“I… I don’t know what just happened. She thinks I was in Vegas on a boys’ trip. I need to talk to her.” I try to move around him, but he steps in front of me again.
“Let her cool down tonight and talk with her in the morning. Trust me, son.” He rubs my shoulder.
“Why would she think I was in Vegas? Who told her that?” Anger churns in the pit of my stomach. One of the women here must have told her I was in Vegas. Who? Why? I sidestep Gamma Earnest, “Who told Kate that I… the guys were on some boys’ trip to Vegas? Who?” I roar and let out a wall shaking growl. The room is completely silent, and all eyes are on me. Anger turns into rage that boils just under the surface. I shake and rock my body back and forth, trying to keep Alex from surfacing and ripping this place apart. “No one, huh? Fucking cowards!” I pick up a table and throw it to the ground, and run for the back door of the packhouse. I need to go for a run and clear my head.
Chapter eighteen
Truth Hurts
**March 2004**
Kate
I’mawakenedbysunlightpeeking through the curtains in my room. Not ready to face the day I lay still with my eyes closed. I hear my bedroom door open and the sounds of my dad’s heavy footsteps entering my room.Great.
“Hey,” the entire bed shifts and shakes as he kicks it, “you going to sleep all day?”
“Maybe,” I groan.
“Like hell you are. Up and at ‘em. Meet me and your mother downstairs in ten. We need to have a chat.” I listen as his heavy feet walk out of my room and down the stairs. He is pissed, and by him referring to my mom as mother, he’s pissed at me. I feel like I’m a pup all over again.
I sit up and stretch. To be honest, I’m not in the mood to deal with the parental units this morning. I got very little sleep last night, leaving me just as physically exhausted as I am mentally. I slip on some cutoff shorts, a tank top, and toss my hair into a messy bun.
My phone rings as I start to walk out of my room. I flip open my phone and answer the call.
“Hello?” I sigh out.
“Good Morning, beautiful. I miss you.” Darren says.
“Hi, Darren. Um, now’s not a good time. I’m getting ready for my brother’s wedding.” I flop down on my bed. It’s not Darren’s fault, but I’m annoyed and not in the mood to chat.
“Can we talk later? I don’t like how things ended before you left.” Darren pleads.
“Sure.” I quickly say.
“Great, I’ll call you around three, okay?” Darren says excitedly.
“Sure… great.” I reply, trying to end the conversation before my dad comes looking for me.
“I love you.” Darren coos.
“Ummmm… I got to go, bye.” I quickly flip my phone closed and toss it on the bed. For some reason I can’t say those words back to him.
I’m not sure why I agreed to talk to him later. Truth be told, I don’t want him or Ian at this point.Did I ever love him?Hell, I don’t know why I’m doing half the shit I’m doing these days. One thing is for sure, I’ve got to get out of here and back to New York City. My life has gone awry and I’m not liking it at all. I seem to attract chaos with every breath I take. I walk out of my room and down the stairs.Might as well get this over with.I can hear my parents mumbling something between themselves.
“Morning.” I enter the kitchen and walk straight to the coffeepot without looking at either of them. I pour myself a cup of coffee, then take my seat at the table. Now I’m just waiting to find out what I did to piss my dad off so badly.
“Nine a.m. Nice of you to grace us with your presence today,” my dad’s voice is harsh as he looks away from his paper to me. I slump down in my chair and sip my coffee. “Want to explain what happened last night?”