Chapter 258

With the urgency waylaid for now, we move into the living room to be more comfortable. I have many questions, want many answers, but I’m struggling to know where even to start. It’s been a long night already, and I feel like it’s just getting started.

First things first though, I ask to hold Mia. Archer passes her over to me. She’s dozing, caught on the very edge of sleep, peering up at me from behind her heavy eyelids.

Despite my concerns with the nanny, the woman appears to have done a reasonable enough job. Mia is breathing normally. She’s not feverish. She seems content and well fed.

I decide not to ask the brothers about their vetting process. It matters little right now, with Mia safely with me. Before I leave, I’ll confront them. They have to be more careful in their replacing of me.

Replacing me. Ug. The words make me want to throw up, despite all the reasons they shouldn’t. How long did I want out of the contract that bound me to this place, these brothers, and this little girl? Now, I half-wished to have it all back, even knowing it’s the worst possible decision for my future.

I suppose, barring those questions, my next most important ask would be, “Has your mother always been like this?”

By now, Beau has returned. He’s sitting directly beside me on the couch, with Steven on the opposite side. Neil sits in a sole high-backed chair facing us. Archer stands straight near the wall, not leaning, not touching it.

All of the brothers glance at Neil, seeming to defer to his judgement on what and how much to tell. I’m kind of used to this process by now.

“As long as we’ve known her, yes,” Neil says. “She’s been cold to most everyone, but mostly to our father and to us. Father would say that her coldness was what drove him into the arms of other, warmer women. She would scream when she discovered each and every one. She screams as if she is being murdered.”

“I rushed into the room once,” Beau says. “I thought someone might be attacking her. Instead, I found her throwing punches and kicks at our father. He tossed her away, onto the couch, and there she spotted me standing in the door. She told me father hit her. She begged me to take revenge.”

“What did you do?” I ask him.

“I didn’t know what to do,” he says. “I was only nine at the time.”

Excuse me? 9?! What kind of revenge did Mrs. Hayes want him to take at 9?

“I didn’t decide fast enough,” Beau says. “So mother dear walked up to me and smacked me across the face.” Beau rubs at his cheek like he can still feel the phantom sting. “Later, she came crying into my room, begging for forgiveness.”

“Did you forgive her?” I ask. Maybe it’s not my business, but the words are out before I can think that I shouldn’t ask them.

“She thought I did,” Beau says. “I’m still not sure.”

The answer then, is no.

“Our father’s behaviors often made her depressed,” Neil explains. “For days, weeks sometimes, she would only see us four. We tried many times to coax her from the bed. To eat something, or drink something.”

Slowly, as I learn more and more about Mrs. Hayes behavior, and the Hayes brothers experiences growing up, the puzzle pieces of their modern sensibilities begin to slot into place.

All of them have commitment issues, and none seem to particularly like women, except Mia, of course. And Angela, sometimes. And me, lesser times still.

If my main teacher of how women should be and act was their mother, maybe I would have grown up thinking all women are terrible too. Or at the very least, that they have nasty dispositions and tempers.

“Eventually, we caught wise to her games. I tried to stay longest,” Neil says, because of course it’s him that did his best to appease his parents. “But eventually her behavior became so erratic, I couldn’t be sure, even if she personally called for me, that she actually wanted to see me.”

The beatings, I suspect, continued regardless of Neil’s age. And knowing Neil, he likely took the beatings slotted for his brothers as well.

I am so relieved they are free of her now, and that they don’t need to go back to her ever again.

Archer steps forward from the wall. He looks into me with dark, hard eyes. “Stay away from her. As far as you can. Do not approach her. Do not open your door to her. If you see her coming, you turn and run the other direction.”

“Okay,” I say. Each of them look at me hard. This is not something they are willing to budge on. After hearing even such a tiny bit of their history, I can understand why. “I’ll stay away from her.”

“Good,” Archer says.

“Good girl,” Neil lets slip.

My cheeks heat. Archer and Beau turn to glare at Neil, who, realizing his mistake, clears his throat and stands.

“Unfortunately your promises are not enough,” Neil says.

My thoughts blank out for a second. “What?”

“We’ve decided that you should move back in,” Neil adds.

“You… decided? When did you decide that?!”

“Pretty much the minute mom showed up,” Beau says. That playful lilt is back in his voice. I’m relieved to hear it, but I’m also pissed as hell. The anger sort of overruns the relief in this moment.

“Shouldn’t I get a say in this?” I demand.

“You are being told now,” Archer says flatly. “That is all the contribution you need.”

“Like hell!”

“Chloe,” Steven says. He’s been quiet for a while, and is speaking softly now. I look at him and see the sincerity in his eyes. “While this war is ongoing, we need a nanny. And there’s no one we trust with Mia more than you.”

I want to argue with that. My mouth is open. Words are sitting at the tip of my tongue.

But to dispute that, might very well put Mia in danger.

Steven’s right. Who can they trust more than me? Tonight proved that Mia is at risk. She needs to be protected. I’m the best one to protect her.

I glance down at Mia. Her eyes are closed now, and she’s gently resting where I cradle her against my chest. I can’t stand the thought of someone out there trying to hurt her.

Shit.

I guess I’m moving back in.

“Well, with that settled, we should probably figure out what to do about the rabble growing outside,” Beau says. “There’s twice as many protestors now as there was even twenty minutes ago.”

Oh, right. The protestors. I didn’t have time to look at their signs before. What are they even doing here?

Neil rubs his forehead.

“More will come if we don’t say something,” Archer says. It’s clear he means, if you don’t say something.

Steven brings out his tablet, and clicks open the security cameras. I can see on the screen that there are two groups of protestors. They are glaring and shouting at each other. It looks for all the world like a riot is going to break out.

Steven must agree. “We’re about to have a real problem if we can’t calm them down.”

It was then, a sign turned toward the camera and I saw the slogan written on it.

Werewolves Do Not Betray Family!

My stomach dropped. This mob was on the Alpha King’s side!