Page 58 of The Buck Stops Hare

“If I may intervene?” Buck slid from my side and strode forward, blocking my vision of my mother and father. He rose to his full height, that hat he wore shadowing what little of his face I could see. His god powers swarmed him and my parents cowered slightly. “Rather than come to us, your lack of communication with us and the discussion with others caused us grief. Your rumors cost lives because I doubt that witch would have taken that contract or died for what she did if she hadn’t gone looking for the boars.”

My father’s face hardened. “I was protecting our family.”

“Yet you conveniently forgot these two are your family, and had the protection of gods. Theyaregods. Rayne is lightning. Cliff is his namesake, the highest peaks. A landslide waiting to happen. We have power in spades to protect what is ours.” Buck shook his head. “Hendrick? I’d like to speak to you a moment. In private, if you would.”

My father froze and tensed up a bit, the green in his eyes flinty and dull as he glared. All the same, he approached Buck and sulked out, chest puffed, and jaw steeled. His foul attitude would never work against a god.

“Well, Ma. This is Vida, your granddaughter.” Rayne tilted his arms to show her Vida. Cautiously, Mom approached with a wary expression that melted a little.

She glanced from Vida to me, waiting for an explanation or introduction that I didn’t give.

“And we don’t know what Cliff’s having, but we’re just hoping it’s humanoid at this point—considering.” Rayne smirked, and I hissed for him to shut up.

“Dude!”

Mom snorted a half laugh. “You didn’t think you could get pregnant while shifted?”

“I don’t think he was thinking at all.” Rayne stuck out his tongue and my cheeks burned.

“Fuck off, man.” I shrugged and averted my gaze.

“Am I clear to come out, or am I going to get hit with a shoe?” Ransom peered over his desk and I choked on a laugh.

As if only relaxing for the first time in ages, I sank against a wall and closed my eyes. “I think we ended up where we needed to be, all things considered. Mom, you suck. Like, really suck. I hope Hunter, Lily, and Ember get the help they need. Is Eve back in town yet?”

Rayne shook his head. “Nah. Her and Grim went up north for a bit to see to some other lands. They have a black bear Sloth up yonder who asked him to come. He’s not a fan of the cold, but they’re earnest. I think they want the Adamant Eve more than the Grim Dawn.”

I nodded halfheartedly. “Yeah. I suppose once things calm down a bit we’ll go visit?”

Rayne stared down at Vida for a moment. “Yeah. Soon.”

“So, what is Vida’s name for?” My mother’s voice broke the silence, and Rayne sneered.

“Vidalia—”

“Mama Vy?” The fact my mother knew that name pissed me off. That she knew the pack better than I did. Thunder Acres had become my people.

“Yes… How do you know?”

“Great auntie. You found your people, yeah?” Her face twisted into something hard.

“So we’refromhere?” I sighed heavily.Of course.

“Well, not really. My mom was a latent, my dad a demi. I was full latent and—we never were around here. I met Mama Vy a few times.” Mom stared at Vida with a twist of her lips. “Mama Vy was that good to you?”

Rayne nodded once. “She helped me learn what I am, accept it. I didn’t get the luxury of learning what I was, young. I felt like I had real family.”

The way Rayne said it, delivered pointedly at Mom—it seemed to sting as she glanced away, guilt plain on her face. “You don’t know what it’s like being surrounded by magic and shifters and long lives and being told you’rejust human. I didn’t want you to know about all this in case it made you feel like I felt.”

“But you kinda knew, didn’t you? Knew enough to suspect Eve was witching it out. Knew enough to ask the right people we’d have been around. Knew enough to suspect me being an omega? Mom, you know what happens when an alpha asshole finds a demi omega who has no clue what he is?” Rayne glared at her.

She had the decency to shy away, turning her head with a twist of shame still plain. “Yeah. But you can’t know what it’s like. You have all that power now. More, even.”

“I’m sure I can’t understand. But that doesn’t mean we should pay for your hangups.” Rayne glanced over at me, his expression lost, but the bitterness still plain. “And you’ve another grandbaby on the way. And I don’t think either of us want you in our babies’ lives if you’re not going to be around. There’s plenty of others waiting in line to be grandparents.”

The anger that flashed over Mom’s face came before the hurt, and that said all I wanted to know. I sighed heavily and took a chair to sit down. My little one had gone still fromexhaustion or fear, I wasn’t sure, but I rubbed the dome of my belly through my hoodie pocket. I’d been self-conscious of the gesture.

“Now, do you want to come down and see the pack or not?” Rayne sneered and Mom nodded.

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