“I couldn’t give a damn about being one of you,” Selena hisses. “But I sure as hell know I want to kick your ass. Especially”—the woman glares around at every single one of us, her eyes burning into mine last—“since no one else is willing to protect my daughter from Rebecca’s ridiculous vendetta.”

Shame spikes hard through me. Here I am, hoping to bring Zoey into my world, trying to convince her to be my mate, all while my own mother puts the woman I love in danger. Maybe her actions were born of some warped sense of protection, but that doesn’t excuse them.

“No.” Roderick’s voice rings clear, cutting through the night. “You are not a wolf. You cannot give challenge.”

A frustrated, strangled shriek comes out of Selena’s throat.

This is not how I wanted my first interaction with Zoey’s mom to go.

Suddenly, the woman stops struggling in Mason’s hold. The switch in energy level is eerie, and I worry she hurt herself in some way. Selena stands still, and strangely, it almost looks as if Mason is embracing her rather than restraining.

I wonder if this is torture for him. To have the woman he loved in his arms, but to not really have her.

“Zoey,” Selena says.

My woman turns to face her mother, clearly struggling to understand what she’s missing.

Selena speaks in a steady voice, her gaze locked on her daughter’s eyes. “If you stay here, Rebecca will hurt you.”

I tighten my arms, realizing what’s happening.

“Mom—”

Selena cuts her daughter off, “They have different rules than humans. She thinks I wronged the pack. She thinks she deserves retribution. And unless someone makes her back down, she’ll keep taking her anger out on you.” The steady cadence of her voice cracks on that last word.

My head shakes in denial as I pull Zoey into my chest. I’ll never let anyone hurt her. She’s mine to keep safe.

Then, I see my mother, standing rigid with her arms crossed, glaring at Zoey’s mom. And I recognize the truth in the woman’s words.

Without a challenge, without a punishment, she’ll be free to continue tormenting Zoey. Maybe she was telling the truth when she said she never meant to hurt her. But she did. She hurt the woman I love. And she could easily do it again.

“Are you saying I should leave?” Zoey whispers the question, but everyone can hear it.

Selena shuts her eyes, as if pained, reacting to the devastation in her daughter’s words. And across the way, my mother smirks, as if everything she said about the Gunner women was true.

A red rage clouds my vision, and I turn my body, shielding Zoey from the toxic resentment. Then, shocking everyone in the alley, I let my furious growl tear from my throat, aiming a disgusted glare at my mother.