CHAPTER 67: CHAPTER 67: MOTHER KNOWS BEST

IVAN’S POV

"Mother." I stepped toward her, still reeling, and instinctively reached out to steady her or offer her a seat. She slapped my hand away with a sharp smack.

"Don’t fuss over me like I’m made of glass. Answer my question."

I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose, exhaling through clenched teeth.

"Why, in Selene’s good name, did you send that woman to my bed?"

Her brows arched in mock innocence.

"Because I’m trying to give you what you need. I was expecting a thank you after a long night of using her—not that nasty, sour expression on your face."

I stared at her, deadpan. I wished I could say I was surprised, but this was typical of my mother.

It used to be worse before Maeve came along. She’d throw noblewoman after noblewoman my way—they came in all body types, shapes, and sizes.

I’d find them sprawled out on the breakfast table when I came down in the morning, in the woods during my runs, and the most daring... well, outside of Miss Slashed Neck, was the one who rose up from underneath the jacuzzi while I was steaming.

I hadn’t even realized there was a naked woman waiting in the water for me.

But I’d always been a stiff-necked asshole, and even as a young wolf, I made it a point to be terrifying enough to send each woman running.

My mother was relentless. For each one I turned away, there were four more.

When I finally found Maeve Oakes—my little trembling omega mate—my mother had foamed at the mouth.

I’d hoped it would deter her, maybe dissuade her from sending women, but she doubled the numbers and extended her hatred into getting rid of Maeve.

I threw my every waking moment into meeting my father’s expectations—training, attending meetings, running smaller pack matters—and never once spared the little mate the Goddess had given me more than a passing glance.

The best Maeve got from me were clipped responses and the occasional cold smile.

I’d often caught her crying, sometimes after my mother’s evils, but... despite the pull of my wolf, I shut off my heart.

Nothing else mattered to me but the throne of Ash Creek. Nothing else mattered above being a worthy Alpha King. She was mostly the stranger who shared my bed.

The occasional warmth only came when I needed to fuck—because truly, the mate bond made sex amazing.

I used her for that relief, that high, and each time, she gave and gave and gave, until I’d drained every bit of life from her.

My heart twisted painfully. In what world did I deserve Maeve’s mercy? Her attention? Her forgiveness?

Even after Maeve left and my mother began approving of Serena, once the breeder failed to give me an heir, she returned to her hobby of sending women my way.

This time, she was cunning enough to hide it from her beloved daughter-in-law. If only Serena knew—my mother was no one’s ally but her own.

She was a true Cross: selfish to the rotten end. A trait I once believed in. One my father hammered into me. And all it had done was ruin the man I should have been—to myself, to my mate, to the family I might have had.

The truth exhausted me.

"You’ve been doing this for years." I turned my back to her, going back to rolling new sheets on my bed. "Don’t you think it’s gotten old?"

"Not while I still breathe." She only shrugged, unashamed. "I will continue doing so until you come to your senses and see the possibilities in many other lineages. Let’s not dance around the bush—I know you want to fuck your crazy ex-wife. But unlike Serena, I know that’s all there is. I don’t underestimate the mate bond. In fact, I understand it very well. I understand the irresistible sexual tension that exists between true mates."

I groaned. "Mother, no offense, but can you not talk about sex in front of me?"

"I talked about it when you were eighteen, and I’ll talk about it now. You’re my son, and I know you better than anyone else. Plus, you’re a man—your kind is the most predictable thing to walk the earth. Your ex-wife is back. Unfortunately, she is..." My mother scowled, disgust coating her next words. "Hotter. Successful. Some might even say... a worthy partner. And like any man, you want to fuck her. Tempting, isn’t it? But I know enough about mate bonds to know that the second you do, there’s no going back. That kind of bond—it can twist a man, Ivan. It can turn you against your own family. You just might need to put all that... energy into something else. Someone else. Another woman that isn’t Serena. I love my daughter-in-law, but even I know she’s a pain in the ass. You need variety. Something new and exciting. The woman whose throat you just slashed is the general’s daughter from the Lotus Pack. She’s known for hypnotizing Alphas into unbridled ecstasy and submission."

"Wow. So your new game is manipulation through sex. You know, every time I think you couldn’t go any lower, you prove me wrong."

"Call it whatever you wish, but I am your mother, and I know best. And you know my words are true, too. I care about you, my boy, and I care about the future of Ash Creek. Your father built too much of a legacy to have it served to that repulsive whore of a—"

"Lydia." The quiet warning shut her up, even as the cold depths of my eyes stayed locked on her prideful ones. "A million times you have tried, and a million times you have failed. I am not interested, and I will never be. I swear by the Goddess, you might be my mother by blood, but you’re one of the worst people I have ever met."

Her eyes flashed with shock—then came the flicker of hurt, of pain. I looked away from it.