“So, where have you been, anyway, Sadie? I have been asking after you for a while now. What’s been going on?”

Sadie took a deep breath before answering her mother. The last person she wanted to talk to after her tryst with Max was the one woman who had always told her that being with him was a bad idea. Now, she was starting to really understand why, and she felt like an idiot about it.

“I’m sorry, I guess I just got caught up in rearranging some stuff in the house. I have been wanting a fresh start here.”

“What’s wrong?” her mother asked. “You don’t usually do things like that unless you are feeling stressed out.”

For a woman as selfish and difficult as her mother was, sometimes it took Sadie by surprise when she showed any sort of understanding of the way Sadie’s mind actually worked. It was nice, in a way, almost like she could pretend that her mother was actually able to care about her.

“Yeah, Mom, I’m fine. I guess Max being in town just kind of threw me for a loop. I’m sure you understand.”

It was strange for them to be talking candidly like this about Max. Normally, she didn’t speak his name, especially to her mother, who never had a good word to say about him. But now, she was almost wishing for someone who would say the things about him that she was starting to think. She hadn’t wanted to believe he was selfish and arrogant, not after all these years of pining after him. But it was obvious now that they had broken up for a reason and things would never be the way she wanted them to be with him. No matter how hard they tried.

“Yes, his presence here is not entirely wanted. And I don’t mean just by us.”

The way she said it gave Sadie goosebumps.

“What do you mean, Mom?” Sadie asked. “Is someone after Max again?”

“Well, some people think the leaders of the group that drove him out in the first place ended up infiltrating his original pack. They see his presence here as a threat. I’m sure that between them and the other reasons not to stay, he will probably be out of our hair soon enough. It’s only a matter of time, honey. Don’t get yourself all worked up about it. But if you feel like you need to rearrange your furniture to cope with this, then by all means, do what needs done.”

“Thanks, Mom. I’ll just do that then.”

“Good. Now, would you mind coming over here? I have some things I need to tend to, but I’m a little bit worried about Rascal.”

“What’s wrong with him?” Sadie asked. She couldn’t help but let the bitter edge in her voice come out. Rascal was her mother’s pride and joy. He was a show dog that she had been head over heels in love with for the past five years. She had shown that dog more affection than she had ever shown Sadie.

And some part of Sadie was very jealous of him and the relationship they shared, no matter how ridiculous it might have seemed to an outsider looking in. And yet, she couldn’t help but care about the dog as if he was a part of the family. With the way her mother acted about him, he might as well have been born a sibling to her, in a way.

“Well, he hasn’t been wanting to eat anything, which you know is very strange. I’m not entirely sure what’s going on with him, but I have some errands to run and I’m worried about leaving him alone. Would you mind watching him for a little while?”

“Sure,” Sadie said, sighing softly to herself. “I guess I can do that. I don’t have to work today.”

“Perfect!” her mother exclaimed. “The sooner you can get here, the better. I have to prepare for a dinner party tonight, and it just didn’t seem right to leave him here by himself. If anything does go wrong, you know the vets number, don’t you?”

“Yes, of course,” Sadie said. They had actually dated for a little while, back in the summertime after Max had taken off and she had finally started coming to terms with it. Her mother had been hoping she would end up settling down with him, but he wasn’t really her type. He had been really pushy with her in the bedroom, and it was something she didn’t really appreciate. And why should she?

Of course, that wasn’t something she could explain simply to her mother, so every time they spoke for the next month and a half after she had broken up with him, it was all about how she shouldn’t have been so selective when it came to the men she dated. Because Roger was a perfectly fine young man, who clearly had a heart of gold, considering he had always treated animals with great dignity and respect. It made Sadie kind of furious, but what else was she supposed to do about it?

“Great, thank you, honey. I’ll see you soon.”

Sadie hung up with her mother and inhaled deeply, her thoughts circling back to the dinner she had shared with Max. Thank God her mother wasn’t a shifter, or else she would probably be able to tell exactly what had gone on between them. That would’ve been embarrassing. Fortunately, everything was going to be all right. She would just have to do her best to keep the conversation away from Max, unless she wanted someone else to contribute to her raging inner monologue about what a piece of crap he was.

Seriously, who acted like that right after having sex? And not only that, but the best she could remember having since the last time they had been together? She couldn’t believe him, and yet, she knew just how typical it really was. No matter what happened between them, things would always be the same. He had never changed. He probably never would. She was just going to have to get the thought out of her head that things could get better. All she was doing was hurting herself by holding onto the false hope that, one day, she and Max would be together and everything was going to be fine.