Wicked Wings (Lizzie Grace #5) - Keri Arthur Page 0,47

I couldn’t help but feel for her. She was a mother who’d lost her child in what was initially thought to be a murder suicide, and no matter how strong a person you normally were, that would have been a hellish situation to cope with.

“Fine,” I said. “We’ll attempt it tonight, then.”

“Thank you.”

I nodded but didn’t bother replying as the waiter came in with our meals. The conversation turned to more mundane things and, while an underlying tension remained, it was at least pleasant enough.

Once we’d had coffee and dessert, Aiden called for the bill, but Karleen insisted on paying for it. The night was filled with a misty rain by the time we left and, though it wasn’t cold, Karleen nevertheless pulled on a light sweater.

“I’d don’t suppose you’d be a dear and go get my car for me?” she said, looking at Aiden. “It’s one block over, on King Street.”

“We’ll drive you over—”

“My dear boy, Elizabeth may be limber enough to climb into your truck with a tight dress on, but I, however, am not.” She took her keys out of her purse. “It won’t take you long, and I promise I won’t scare her away.”

The hint of acerbity behind that comment had me wondering just who she had scared away—Aiden’s loved and lost wolf, perhaps?

He gave me a questioning glance, but when I nodded mutely, he took the keys and left. The tension that had eased over our meal immediately ratcheted up. Mrs. O’Connor, I suspected, was about to go all alpha wolf on my ass. She might truly want to speak to Katie, but it certainly wasn’t the real reason behind her sudden desire to meet me.

I’d always known that if Aiden and I lasted more than a few weeks there’d be some form of push back from his parents. Aiden was destined to be a pack alpha once his parents stepped down, so him getting seriously involved or even marrying anyone other than an equally strong female alpha werewolf was totally out of the question. Aiden himself had warned me multiple times that we could never be anything more than lovers and friends, but his mother was about to emphasize that point, and in no uncertain terms.

“I hope you realize that there will be no repeat of Kate’s situation.” Her voice was so cold it sent a chill up my spine. “He will never marry you. Ever.”

“And why would you think he’d even want to?” My voice was calm despite the mix of anger and anguish boiling through me. “I’ve never been under any illusion as to how this relationship would end, Mrs. O’Connor.”

“Perhaps so, but the fact that he cares for you—”

“Caring is not love. We have a strong relationship, yes, but I’m not a wolf, and neither of us have ever forgotten that.”

Her eyes were chips of blue ice, and the spine chills got stronger. “His sister said such a thing, once.”

“Yes, and had the situation been different, would she have been given permission to marry Gabe?”

“Of course not.” Her gaze remained hard. Ungiving. “And for one very good reason—the offspring of any such union rarely survives. Those who are not stillborn often have such serious defects they die before their first birthday. Few are those who live to claim their wolf heritage, let alone make it to adulthood.”

A few still meant some had survived. A few meant there was still hope.

And yet, there was no such hope. Not for me.

“I’ve seen the anguish of such a situation,” she continued relentlessly, “I’ve seen what it does not only to the couple involved, but to everyone around them. I don’t want that for my son.”

“Your son is a grown man and he has the right—”

“I will not stand idly by and see him hurt,” she cut in curtly. “Not when he was younger, and certainly not now. Perhaps one day, when you have your own children, you will understand. In the meantime, take a bit of advice and end this relationship. Soon.”

I stared at her, feeling like I was standing on the edge of a precipice; one step either way would lead to my doom. My heart pounded and my throat was dry, but the fear she stirred to life was met by something else—obstinacy, and perhaps even a bit of stupidity.

If my growing suspicion that this was my home—that there was no going back for me, no leaving—was true, then I had to be respected by all the members of the governing council.