When her yelling cuts me off, I’m not too mad about it. I have no idea what I would have said. This exchange might have started with me, but it has the dark undertones of history weaving through it.

“Just because I hurt your feelings, you think that gives you the go-ahead to hurt her?”

“Without the tree house, she’d have no cell service. One more reason to leave. I wasn’t trying to hurt her.” Rebecca defends herself, even as she avoids meeting my mother’s furious gaze.

“You could have killed her!” she shrieks. “You almost did! My girl—” She chokes—on rage or tears, I can’t tell. “My baby girl could have died because you wolves can never let shit go!”

Rebecca turns her back, shoulders hunched, as if my mother’s enraged comments are physical blows.

Taking a brief mental step back from the situation, I find it fascinating how, even though we’re surrounded by mythical monsters, people who can literally turn into wild beasts, my mom is still the most frightening player in this game.

I also need to separate myself for a moment because the knowledge that Warner’s mom has been secretly harassing me is almost too much to take in. It’s not like I haven’t interacted with the woman over the past few weeks. Her shop is one of my favorites, and every time I was a customer, she treated me with an efficient manner that never seemed out of the ordinary. Maybe it was naive, but I thought she might even like me a little bit.

Turns out, the opposite is true.

Rebecca Jameson hates me.

“Why?” The question comes out much louder than I planned, but probably as loud as necessary. When my mother is on the warpath, there’s not a lot that can get her to pause, but she quiets momentarily at my ragged voice.

“Because your family doesn’t get to hurt people without consequences.” Rebecca regains some of her righteous rage as she shoots a glare my way. “You don’t get to waltz back into this town as if your family didn’t try to tear it apart! First, Minnie set humans against wolves, making our existence a struggle. Then, Selena pretended to love Mason—” Rebecca’s voice cracks, and she lets out a growl, as if mad at her own sign of weakness before continuing, “She strung him along and then left without a word.”

“That’s not how it happened, Rebecca.” Mason speaks in a deep, soothing tone, but Warner’s mom doesn’t let it calm her.