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When I arrived at Blackpool North the next day, Wanda was there to greet me, and her mouth tightened when I stepped off the train. "I don't know what you intend to accomplish by wearing that," she said coldly, "but you may as well discard any notions. I'm going to be keeping a very close eye on you."
I looked down at what I was wearing. The jeans and tshirt were mens' style, and I didn't have much of a chest to speak of. Even my sandals were functional rather than fancy, and I sighed. "You can rest assured I've got no notions in my head," I said dryly.
Wanda sniffed. "You'd better not," she warned me. "Sienna's pack have their orders. If you dare to ruin tonight's gathering, it will be your siblings who suffer."
"You leave them out of this," I snapped. "Your quarrel is with me, not them. Harm a hair on their heads, and you can bet my parents will come down on you and Sienna's pack like hell's fury."
"Your parents don't have the guts," Wanda fired back.
"Don't go testing that notion," I warned.
Wanda sniffed again, but unlocked the car without further comment, and once I'd tossed my suitcase in the back, we got in the car and left the station in a tense, cold silence.
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The packhouse was a lot more lavish than mine, but it was nowhere near as welcoming, and as Wanda led me upstairs, she gave me the "house rules". "You will not speak to my grandson without permission," she said. "Nor will you come within six feet of him unless I say so. And you will not touch him in any way, shape or form, not even to give him a kiss on the cheek. Sienna is his mate, so you might as well get used to the notion sooner rather than later. If you break any of these rules, your siblings will be kidnapped and taken to a location only I know of, and they will remain there until I get a suitable apology from you. Do I make myself clear?"
"Crystal," I said. "But you leave my siblings out of this. I won't ask you again."
"You've no right to make demands of me under my own roof," Wanda snapped, rounding on me so fiercely I thought she might go for my throat. "Those are my grandchildren as well, and I have the final say in where they go. Until such time as they reach their majority, their fates are mine."
"Candy will disagree with you rather vehemently on that," I said
Wanda raised her hand, but I caught her wrist before she could strike me. "Touch me, and you'll be pulling back a bloody stump," I said.
"Don't you dare mention that whore's name in my house!" Wanda spat. "She abandoned all this pack stands for the day she left to pursue her whore's calling in Reading. She is not my daughter!"
"Then I guess her cubs aren't your grandcubs," I said, letting go. "So that means you leave them the hell alone."
Wanda stiffened in outrage. "They're still my grandcubs," she warned. "I have a say in what they do, where they go, and how they act. My daughter might think she makes the rules, but I am still in control of their fates. No one will stand in my way if I choose to make them do my will with regards to the bloodline I hope to create."
"You're out of your mind," I said, finally done. "Just leave me alone before I piss on everything you love."168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRZ5LL0MTWZ
I wouldn't have, of course, but Wanda pinched her lips tightly together and showed me to the room Candy had once occupied. "You will be locked in every night," she said, as I set my suitcase on the bed. "I will let you out only when I have deemed it is safe for you to be around."
"No," I said, folding my arms. "I won't be treated as a prisoner in this house. If you're not willing to treat me with basic respect, I'll spring for a hotel."168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYBQDgj9vRM
"You are a guest in this house," Wanda reminded me. "You will not leave without my permission. You will not be luring my grandson out for an illicit affair."
"I'm an adult," I said. "I deserve to be treated as such. You've already got my word I won't go near Zach without your say so; have the deceny to give me at least the bare minimum of respect by not locking me up as if I were a jezebel ready to lure my brother out for a night of debauched fun. Otherwise we can call this whole affair off, and I'll take the first train back to Reading even if I have to walk to the station."168Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3IZUtxucRK
The silence stretched out to breaking point before Wanda sniffed. "Very well," she said. "I see I can't control you. But you will not be allowed in the same room as my grandson, even if I have to keep you two separated by force." So saying, she turned on her heel and stalked off, and I sighed as I dropped onto the bed.
This was going to be an unmitigated disaster. I could feel it in my bones. But I had no choice; my younger siblings' freedom depended on my attendance. The moment it was all over, though, I'd grab my things and go, even if I had to walk to the station and spend the night there until the first train in the morning. Wanda was hellbent on making life difficult for me, and, not for the first time, I wondered if my love for Zach would be enough to get me through this shambles.
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