behind her. "Because I thought I'd cook dinner for the rest of the guys. I mean, if you're ok with that? Seth's birthday is next week, and I figure that's going to be an adults-only thing. I mean, you get weird when they're all over, but I kinda wanted to do something nice and tell them about how my play is going, and thank them for helping and stuff."
Wait. This was my child? Ok, so the mental changes Ian had warned me about were a little more impressive than I'd anticipated. My daughter was fourteen. She was supposed to be annoyed when adults were around. Granted, I wasn't going to complain! She was happy, healthy, and maybe a little more family-oriented than I expected, but that was a good thing in my opinion.
"Sure," I decided. "And you can help me decide which dress to wear."
"The red!" she said, as if it should've been obvious. "It's definitely your color, but kinda sends a message, you know? And everyone says you and they aren't, um, really dating."
"We are really dating," I assured her.
Gabby lifted a brow. "Mom, you're their mate. That's like a serious girlfriend. You know, the live-in kind." Then she lowered her voice. "The naked kind."
"And there are certain things that are none of your business," I reminded her.
She moved behind me and turned on the straightening iron to heat up. "Mom, there's this woman. She, um, used to kinda hang out with the betas, and she's been spreading rumors. Mostly that your title is all because of me, you know? And I don't think so. I think those guys really like you, and I know you're worried about turning and everything, but it would be amazing."
"Karen," I breathed, reaching for my makeup.
Gabby nodded. "Yeah. Roman and Olivia have been filling me in on things. But if she makes problems, you're going to be the one suffering, you know? When they talk about getting challenged, it's physical, Mom. Like, a dog fight. Well, wolves, but I mean, I just don't want you to get hurt."
Then she started working on my hair. For a moment, I said nothing, just putting on my makeup, but my mind was spinning. How far had Karen spread her rumors? Did everyone in the pack know that we weren't sleeping together? And was that really a bad thing? Clearly, Karen thought so, or she wouldn't be using it. But all of that led me right back to my original question.
"Gabby?" I asked. "If I decided to turn and couldn't do it, what would you do?"
"You'd turn," she assured me.
"Not everyone makes it through the transition," I reminded her. "And of those who do, plenty never come back to human." I swiped a little blush across my cheeks. "Just imagine that I ended up stuck as a wolf. You'd have to go live with your father again - and his girlfriend."
Gabby made a face to show her disgust with that idea. "I think I'd just stay here."
"Doesn't work like that," I reminded her. "You are still a child, legally. If I went missing, the court would give custody of you to your closest relative, and that's your dad. If not him, then my parents, and they aren't even in town. You'd be separated from the pack, Gabby. You'd have to survive among humans, and while Ian says they'd do everything to keep in touch, your father could make that hard."
She was about halfway through my hair, so moved to the other side. "Is that why you won't turn?"
"It's the only reason," I assured her. "Because while I'm terrified of the idea, the thought of making you lose this? I'm not sure it's worth it."
She nodded and grabbed another piece of hair. "Yeah, but I'm almost fifteen, you know."
"Oh, I know, and we're still working on your quinceaċ¸½era plans. Trust me, I know just how close it is." And I flashed her a smile.
She grinned back. "Yeah, it's going to be amazing, but I don't want too traditional, ok? I mean, most of my friends now are white, so they wouldn't get it."
"We can work with that," I told her. "But you can't ignore this. If Karen wants to challenge me for the position of Alpha Female, there's nothing I can do to stop her. If I turn into a wolf, there's no guarantee that I can make it. If I do make it, there's no promise that I'll be able to turn back to a human. And