"She said she won't be budging until you see her." Ruth's mouth was set in a thin line. I didn't need to get inside her head to hear her thoughts. They were written all over her face.

"What the fuck!?" Hunter's entire face darkened to the point he was downright intimidating.

"Hunter!" me and Ruth said, our eyes both dipping to the children.

"What?" he double blinked, shaking his head. "Fuck. Sorry, yeah." His eyes dropped as scraped a hand across his forehead.

"Daaaddy said a bad word," said Olivia in a sing-song voice, giggling.

Ruth sighed. "C'mon, you little terrors, upstairs." She plucked Ruben from his highchair. "Time to get ready for nursery." I lifted David and Olivia down from the table. It rooted Hunter to the spot, staring down, his expression not changing.

Ruth shuffled everyone out including the dogs.

Alone, Hunter's emotions were all over the place. Since our mating, slowly over the years, I'd been able to get a small glimpse of his emotions. Still not sure what made him different, I walked toward him and slipped my hand in his. His anger, hurt and hatred fought for dominance as I shielded myself. Those kinds of dark emotions only made me nauseous and although I could glimpse behind his walls, I still couldn't influence those emotions to calm him, soothe him.

"I wish I could make you feel better."

He snapped out of his headspace; his eyes softened. "Just you bein' here keeps me calm." He brought my hand to his lips and kissed each finger. "And trust me, if you weren't, I'd drag her from the house and dump her arse on the driveway."

I'd never met Hunter's mother. He flat-out refused to invite her to our wedding and shut down any sort of conversation about her. "We can't leave her in the library."

Hunter grumbled. "Don't I fucking know it."

Nibbling on my bottom lip, I didn't know how to help him. "Do you want me to come with you? Whilst you talk to her. Find out what she wants?"

His jaw clenched as he took a moment to breathe and consider my offer. "Yeah, you might as well meet the bitch."

"Hunter!" I whispered. "You can't say that—she's still your mother!" I was grateful Ruth had taken the children upstairs.

Hunter scoffed, deepening his voice. "I can call her whatever the fuck I like. And trust me Sage, bitch is me being polite, yeah?" He pressed into me and kissed the top of my head, inhaling as if my smell calmed him. He jerked his head toward the doorway. "C'mon sooner I see her, the quicker she leaves." The tension in his shoulders eased slightly.

I was unsure what to expect. I'd seen no pictures of his mother and Ruth like Hunter had shut all conversation down.

Following Hunter, his mother didn't greet us when we entered the room. She stood in a puddle of sunlight, looking out toward the gardens.

"I like what you've done to the place," she said without turning.

This had been her home once.

Breathing deeply, her perfume was quite overbearing as I pushed out my feelers to see what I could hear or feel. The air shifted around me, cooling me as goosebumps pricked my skin. But that was all I felt. And I couldn't say I was shocked, being his mother, family. The Stone family were the only ones to ever block me. But I saw her shiver. Had she felt my influence?

Hunter squeezed my hand and took a breath. "What the fuck are you doing here?"

Not how I would have asked... but my mate never minced his words.

His mother sighed and whirled around to face us. There was no questioning Elaine Stone's beauty, and she looked so much younger than I'd expected. No lines marred her sharp features and long dark hair fell in soft waves framing her heart-shaped face. Her eyes were the same colour as Hunters, only hers had gold edging the pupils. The hair and eyes were the only similarities she and Hunter shared.

Dressed immaculately, there was nothing relaxed in her stance. Whatever had brought her here today, it was not to make any sort of peace with her son.

"I see age has done little to improve your manners," she scorned. "And it's lovely to see you too, Hunter."

"I don't give a rat's arse for your opinion on me, Elaine. Now—what the fuck do you want?"

A warning flashed through me as I tried to keep my face free of emotion. His mother's eyes warmed as she took the measure of me. "You must be Sage?"

How did she know my name? "Yes." I went to step forward to offer my hand, but Hunter gripped my other tightly. He didn't want me near his mother.

"I'm sorry we couldn't meet under better circumstances." She smiled, and I was taken aback. She appeared genuine. "I hear you have children—three?"

I opened my mouth to answer, but Hunter was quicker.

"I don't know what game you think you're playing here. But me and my family have nothing to say to you." He hitched a thumb over his shoulder. "So do us both a favour and fuck off, yeah."

My cheeks heated, but she didn't seem moved or offended by his attitude toward her. Instead, she held up her hand in a surrender gesture. "Look, Hunter. I know we haven't seen eye-to-eye recently, but—"

"Try fuckin' never," he interrupted.

I squeezed his hand, trying to calm him.

His mother continued. "I'd like for us to put the past behind us. And—"

Hunter sneered, stopping her dead. "See you're putting Dad's money to use."

She cocked her head. "I'm not following you."

"The plastic surgery. Seems to me you've pretty much had everything done." His hand waved over her. "Is there any of you  actually left?"

"If you're insinuating that I've had—"

"Me?" He curled his top lip. "Nah. I'm not insinuating anything—fucking facts are staring me in the face." I could feel Hunter's wolf becoming restless as he continued. "You're so fake—" He arched a brow. "Fuckin' Barbie is jealous, yeah?"

She closed her eyes for a moment. "I've not come here to be insulted."

"What the fuck have you come here for?"

"I can see you're not willing to let the past lie. So, I will get to the point."

"Hal-le-fuckin-lujah!"

She breathed heavily through her nose. "I intend to take up my position at Wolfe Industries."

Hunter exploded, widening his stance. "Like fuck you are!"

She held up her hand. "We will talk again tomorrow when you get in the office." she flounced past us but stopped in the open doorway. "I was hoping we could be civil. But I can see that won't be impossible."

Hunter's frame locked tight. "Get the fuck out of my house." He growled, angrier than I'd ever seen him.

She walked out but threw out over her shoulder. "Oh, happy birthday, Hunter." And then she was gone.

I let out the breath I'd been holding. "Are you okay?"

He let go of my hand and ran both through his hair. "She is un-fucking-believable."

His eyes were black as his wolf asserted his dominance. "I need to get out of here." He didn't wait for my reply as he strode toward the patio door, flinging them open. He stripped and shifted.

After dropping on the twins at nursery with Ruth, she offered to watch Ruben whilst I checked up on Hunter. I already knew he was back home as I made my way to our bedroom. Inside, the door to our en-suite was ajar, and I heard the running water. Reaching out, his thoughts were chaotic and filled with anger.

He needed me.

I slipped off my clothes and opened the glass shower door. Through the plumbs of steam, I could see his strong, muscular back. His head tilted back, his face directly under the jet streams. Water ran over him and down his back toward his delicious arse.

He knew I was there. He growled, but not in anger. "Shut the door behind you, Sage."

He turned, his dark gaze sweeping over me as he grabbed my hand, stepping back, pulling me into the hot spray, my breasts now pressed up against his firm chest as his erection nudged my thigh. "I need you, baby." His mouth hovered over mine. "But I don't think I can be gentle."

I placed my hand over his heart and ran my lips up his throat. He growled. "Don't. I'm yours Hunter...always."

His hands moved through my hair, lifting it away from my neck to make way for his mouth as he licked and sucked our mating mark. "Mine," he growled as he bucked his hips. "Do you feel how hard you make me?"

His dick twitched. "Oui," I tilted my head as my mark tingled with its own little heartbeat.

"I need to feel you wrapped around my dick. Fuck you, yeah?"

My eyes opened to see his dark, almost black with his wolf with us. "Don't ask, just take what you need. Fuck me, Hunter."

His hands gripped my waist and his mouth descended on mine with a frantic groan. He kissed me hard and deep, his tongue exploring, taking, owning. On a gasp, he clutched me and spun me around and grabbed each wrist and pinned them flat against the tiled wall either side of my head.

I moaned, arching my back. Hunter scraped his teeth across my shoulder. His knees pressed between the back of my legs and spread them. 

Spread wide, he stepped closer, his dick nudging my arse as he rubbed up against me. "Want you so fucking badly," he tugged on my ear. "Only you, Sage. Always you."

My hands still pressed to the wall, his weight bearing from behind. I arched more and pushed my arse higher. "Please Hunter, I need you."

He growled and obliged, sliding all the way home, filling me completely. "Keep your hands there," he instructed as moved up my waist, cupping, squeezing my breast and twisting my nipple, hard. The delicious sting shot straight to my clit and kept me anchored.

Pushing in as deep as this position would allow, he stilled, not moving for several long beats. "Fuck, you feel good, yeah."

His anguish and desire for me radiated through our bond. He pulled back, almost fully out, "I love you, Sage," before pushing in again, achingly slow.

I sensed he was restraining his wolf's influence as I steadied my breaths. I would give him whatever he needed.

Now seated so deep inside me, his hands moved down to slide between my thighs, moving upwards to rub my clit in circles. "Mine," he whispered as tongue teased his mark.

I edged back to take him deeper as he started moving inside me, every inch of his glorious dick filling me, stretching me. Over and over his finger tortured my throbbing clit as I cried out his name, losing myself in the feeling of him and his love. It took no time, sucking in a breath. My forehead rested on the tile as he ripped my orgasm from me, making me shudder and cry out.

"Yeah, come for me... yeah, I got you, baby."

I was drunk on him as quick breaths filled my lungs with steam. Head fuzzy, riding my high. "I'm not done with you yet," he whispered as he dug his fingers in the skin on my hips. Almost lifted from my toes, he took what he needed, fucking me hard and deep. His breathing shifted from steady to sharp pants. In and out. Over and over. Unrelenting as I twisted my head and rested my burning cheek on the tile.

Swept away by my own feelings, I heard him roar out, as his mouth clamped down on my shoulder, his teeth cutting into my skin as his dick swelled and released inside me. "So, good, baby, so fucking good."

His dick still inside me, the hard ridges of his chest pressed into me, holding me in place.  My eyes closed as our heartbeats knocked in time with each other. "I love you, Hunter," I whispered.

"I know, baby, I know," he replied with an exhale.