"You only knew her for ten years," Mia said. "But she carried me for nine months. We had a biological connection that you could never understand. So really, I'm the one who lost a mother. You're just being dramatic for no reason."
Something inside me snapped. My wolf surged forward.
My hand moved before I could stop it.
The slap echoed through the office.
Mia stumbled back, her hand flying to her cheek. For a moment, she just stood there, shocked. Then she burst into tears.
"James!" she sobbed. "She hit me! She attacked me again!"
James was on his feet instantly, growling.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" he roared, his eyes flashing gold.
"She was taunting me," I said, my voice shaking. "She said—"
"I don't care what she said!" He barked, and his hand flew through the air as he slapped me hard, no holding back.
The force of the slap sent me stumbling. I gripped the wall as I struggled to keep standing, my wolf whimpering.
"I was just trying to console her!" Mia wailed. "I told her I understood her pain, that Alice was my biological mother too, and she attacked me!"
"You're lying—"
James grabbed my arm roughly with his alpha strength. "Enough! I don't want to hear another word from you."