Trey shook his head. “No, no shears. You girls are lethal with those things.”

“I heard about your interrogation,” said Ryan. Although his usual scowl was firmly in place, humor was glinting from his eyes. “I’m disappointed I wasn’t there to see it.” Tao and Trick nodded their agreement.

Eli smiled. “It was honestly the best entertainment I’ve had in a while.”

“On to the subject of the interrogation,” began Marcus. “I might know who the tech guy is.” The Phoenix wolves tensed. “I got a brief look at a photo of one of Eliza’s clients. He fits the description, and he sure looks like the guy I’ve occasionally glimpsed on the vids.”

“Did you manage to get any personal details?” asked Rhett. “I can look him up.”

“His name is Noah Brunt. I have his address here.” Marcus held up the slip of paper on which he’d written it. Having read it aloud, he then continued. “According to Eliza’s paperwork, he’s been accused of trying to kidnap a fourteen-year-old human girl.”

Jaime chewed on her bottom lip. “The jackal did say that the wolf hacker liked to kidnap females and then take them to her pack’s kill site. It could be him.”

“I’ve never heard of him before,” said Trey. He ran a questioning gaze along the others, but they all shook their heads. He turned back to Marcus. “Rhett will see what he can dig up about him. I’ll get back to you later.”

“So,” drawled Taryn. “You’re moving to our pack, Roni, right?” Shaya gasped in outrage, and the two best friends began squabbling. Nick was no happier with Taryn’s question, so he then proceeded to argue with Trey about it. Dante and Jaime both joined in, claiming it was only practical that Roni join their pack. Then Eli jumped in . . . but his words were totally unexpected.

“I don’t like to get involved in other people’s business, but I think Roni should move to the Phoenix Pack.” Everyone gaped at Eli.

Shaya put her hand to her mouth, horrified. “Why would you even say such an evil thing?”

“Because even though she’s mated, Nick and Mom will still do their best to interfere in Roni’s life. That means Marcus will clash with Nick all the time, and Mom and Roni will argue even more than they already do.” He looked at Roni. “I don’t want you to go, sis. Everyone else here is unbelievably boring. But I want you to be happy. And I don’t want you to rip Nick’s throat out or poison Mom.”

The mention of Kathy had Marcus wondering where she was. It had pissed him off that she hadn’t congratulated Roni—he’d sensed her hurt and disappointment. Really, he didn’t understand Kathy’s problem, didn’t understand why she wouldn’t be pleased that her daughter had found her mate.

While Roni was busy trying to placate a crying Shaya, Marcus discreetly left the lodge in search of her mother. He found her on the porch swing, staring off into the distance. She didn’t appear to have sensed him, but her words proved him wrong.

“You think I’m harsh on Roni.”

Coming to stand next to the swing, he looked down at Kathy. “I think you do your best to undermine her just to make yourself look better. I think you’re hard on her and try to keep her constantly off-balance, and it pisses me the hell off.”

“I used to feel the same way about my mother; she did the same things to me.”

Baffled, he shook his head. “So, why do you do it to Roni?”

Kathy inhaled deeply. “When I lost my mate . . . I’ve never felt that kind of pain before or after. It was like someone had ripped me open and the bleeding wouldn’t stop. I suppose that’s sort of what it’s like, only it’s your soul that bleeds, not your body.”

Now that he was mated to Roni, now that his soul was knitted with hers, he could imagine exactly what it would be like if she were taken from him—a never-ending agony, a wound that would never, ever close.

“My mother brought me up to not need a male for anything, to be emotionally and physically independent. That was the only thing that made me strong enough to fight the need to slip away when my mate died. I didn’t want to live anymore, but I was strong enough to fight the temptation to let go, and to live for my kids.”

Kathy met his eyes. “I hope and pray that Roni never experiences what I went through. But I was going to make damn sure that if it did happen, she got through it. And if that meant raising her the same way I was raised, if it meant we had a strained relationship, so be it.”

Now he understood. Kathy truly did love Roni—he could see it right there in her eyes. She’d wanted what was best for Roni, and she’d done exactly what she thought was best. It was a messed-up kind of loving gesture, but it was still done out of love.

“So hate me if you want to, Marcus Fuller. Judge me for how I’ve raised my daughter. But I’ll never be sorry. My girl . . . she’s strong, resilient. Tougher than I ever was—not a thing in this world could break her.” It was said with utter pride. “I pray she never loses you, but if she does, she’ll keep on going. She won’t leave children behind who’d otherwise suddenly find themselves with no parents.”

She was right, Roni would have the strength to keep going. And that was what Marcus would want if the unthinkable happened.

Sighing, Kathy returned her gaze to the view in front of her. “Maybe I am a little guilty of putting her down because she’s more dominant than I am. But you’re wrong if you think I don’t love my baby girl. I adore her. I’m proud of her. Not that she’d ever believe that, but it’s true.”

There was a long pause before Marcus spoke again. “I get why you’ve raised her the way you have. I get why you think it was the right thing to do. But I’ll never like it. I’ll never like how it makes her feel. And I’ll never stop defending her if she won’t defend herself.”

Kathy gave him a measuring look. “Good.”

“The least you can do is congratulate her on the mating. She’d want that.”

“I’m shocked at how long it took you both to see you were true mates.”

“You suspected it?” His brows drew together. “But . . . you were always lecturing Roni about being with me.”

She looked at him with what could only be described as pity. “Really, Marcus, it’s good that you have such a pretty face. You’re not too bright.”