ALEXANDER
I exhaled slowly and rubbed the back of my neck.
“Anyway,” I said after a moment, “Mother doesn’t need permission to come to the pack house.”
It was the simple truth.
Helen had never been banished. No formal order had ever been given. As far as the pack was concerned, she still had every right to step through those doors whenever she wished.
There was a small pause on the other end of the line before Irene spoke again.
“I know that,” she said gently. “I just… want everything to go smoothly, Alex. Tomorrow is important to me.”
Her voice softened slightly.
“I don’t want unnecessary tension between you and Mom.”
I closed my eyes briefly and sighed.
Irene had always been the one trying to hold the pieces together.
“I’ll do my best,” I said.
“That’s all I’m asking,” she re
