"You're making it sound like I'm stupid. I'm not stupid, either, you know."
"I know you're not. And you're still avoiding the topic." Beth waited a minute to give Joanna a moment to tell the truth, but she still didn't budge. "You know better than to draw attention to yourself. Why did you say those things? Why would you think it was worth risking your position at this school?"
"Because she's horrible, that's why!" Joanna lashed out suddenly. Her cheeks were red with anger. "All the girls here are the same. They walk all over each other, acting like they're goddesses because their daddies donate to the school every year. They get free passes to do whatever and say whatever they want without consequences because the school system isdesignedto let them get away with it and force the blame on kids like me instead."
Beth pressed her lips together, not sure what to say at first. "What did they say?"
"What do you think? They're in league with the principal. They don't think I'm good enough for their stupid school, and they let me know it every day. Those girls are the bullies, mom. They don't go a day without letting me know that I'm lesser than them just because I don't have a dad. And I ... I ... I hate them for it."
Beth had known that this could potentially happen to Joanna if she went to a school like this—filled with elite rich families who'd never known hardships that couldn't be solved with money. They didn't know what it was like to live without a father, or a husband. Those girls had moms who didn't have to work two jobs just to keep their daughters' tuitions paid, and afford her extra-curricular activities. They had lives outside of being a mom.
Beth lived for Joanna, she really did. Joanna was the light of her life and sometimes the only reason she got out of bed in the morning. She didn't regret sacrificing everything in life to make sure that Joanna thrived, and she would continue to do so until the day she died.
But she often looked at all those rich families, and it was hard not to feel guilty that she couldn't give Joanna even half of what they did. She worked so fucking hard, and it wasn't enough to make up for the fact that Joanna didn't have a dad.
Beth hated it, but sometimes she wondered if Principal Melody, and those like her, were right to judge her for being a single mom. For being so irresponsible enough to get pregnant on a one-night-stand with a guy she didn't know.
Because even thoughBethmade the choice to raise Joanna on her own, and was more than capable of doing so, Joanna hadn't chosen to be without a father.
"I know it's hard, angel, I know it is. But that's not enough of a reason to tell them to get eaten by a pack of wolves."
Joanna scoffed again. "If you think that's bad, you should see what they say to me on a regular basis. It's not right, mom. We're wolf shifters. One bite would show those dumb girls they're not the top of the food chain. They need to be taught a lesson."
"Maybe they do, but you won't be the one giving it. It's too risky, and without a pack to back us up, you can't go around threatening people or using your wolf shifter powers to intimidate anyone."
"Then whereisour pack? I've been doing some reading, and according to Google, lone wolf shifters aren't meant to be alone like us."
"You shouldn't believe everything you read on Google," Beth muttered. "Most people think we're a myth."
"That's beside the point! I want to know where we belong, mom. Where is our pack? Why have you kept me isolated for my whole life? Why are we struggling when we don't have to? Who is my dad?"
All of the questions hammered into Beth's head, and the ache that had started when she was in Principal Melody's office cut through her head.
"Your dad is—" Beth tried to speak, but couldn't.
"Who is he, mom? Where is he? Mom!"
"Jo! Now's not the time for this!" Beth groaned and pressed her fingers to her temples, kneading them in slow circles to try and ease the headache. "God, my head."
"You can't keep this from me forever. Do you even know who he was?"
"What are you saying?"
"You know exactly what I'm saying, mom."
Beth couldn't believe that Joanna was turning the narrative on Beth, after everything she'd done today to defend her against that horrible principal. Her headache spiked again, and she hissed in pain, propping herself against the steering wheel.
Joanna scoffed. She'd sure taken to scoffing lately. "Another one of your headaches? How convenient that it comes up with a topic you don't want to talk about."
"Your father is—" Beth tried again, but this time, agony lanced through her brain and entire being, and her vision flashed white. It was as though something in her head was cracking open, and the contents were ready to spill free.
Memories of a past life came unbidden—her wrapped in the arms of a tall, dark-haired man with laughing green eyes. He had a kind, gentle face, and those eyes had looked deep into hers as if she was the only woman in the world. Experiencing the rush of love stole her breath away, compounded with the flickering memories of the two of them frolicking in a meadow as wolf shifters and then making love under the stars.
The life they'd built together came flooding back—the long walks in the woods near their home, the laughter and love that filled their days and nights. And long ago, when she'd still been a teenager, when the man held her close as she wept over the loss of her parents.
They'd known each other their whole lives. They should have known sooner that they were meant to be together, but it wasn't until their twenties that they truly fell for each other.
Her mate.