Wolf's Vengeance (After the Crash) by Maddy Barone

every penny.”
    Mike’s voice came out in an unsteady croak. “What are you talking about?”
    “You really want to know?” Carrie threw off Bart’s arm when he tried to shush her. “No, they need to know about their pig of a father.” Her eyes blazed with fury. “Matthew Dirk was a bastard. I didn’t want to marry him. I never wanted to marry him. I was barely fifteen when he forced me into it. He raped me that night, and just about every night we were married except when I was pregnant. Marcus was born a week before I turned sixteen. I begged your father to let me go. I tried to repudiate him. I did everything I could to leave him, but I couldn’t get away. I hated him, and I hated living on that filthy ranch with him.”
    Her children stood with white, shocked faces. Mike said, “Dad loved you!”
    “Love? If that’s your idea of love, I pity your wife.”
    “Now, Carrie,” Bart began.
    “It’s the truth, every word!” she snarled.
    Mike jerked his head around to stare at Stone, who nodded, looking almost as miserable as Snake felt. “Truth. At least, she believes it.”
    “I’d known Bart all my life. I loved him since I was twelve years old. When Matthew died, I was free at last, free to marry the man I loved.”
    A tiny note of anger crept into Mike’s tone. “Dad was dead. You could have married him if you wanted. You didn’t have to set up this plan to rob us! That’s what you did, isn’t it?” His tone pleaded with her to deny it. She remained silent. Only the derisive smile on her lips answered. “And every year we had to pay more. Why?”
    “Rob you?”
    The contempt in woman’s voice made Snake brace himself for something ugly.
    “I earned that money on my back in your father’s bed. Me and Bart needed that money. When we lived here, on this dirt farm, we could make do. Bart paid all his savings to buy this place, but it was worse than the ranch. It sucked every penny we had right out of us, but what we got from the Flying D got us through.”
    Mel glanced around the barn. “You live here? That explains the windows.”
    “No, we don’t live here, not anymore!” her mother snapped. “I belong somewhere better than this place. Where we live now is none of your concern.”
    “That must have been six years ago, when the ransom payments went up.” Mike tugged at his collar as if he couldn’t get enough air down his throat, as if his shirt was strangling him. “You could have married him and both of you could have lived at the D. You’re our mother. We love you! The ranch was your home.”
    “I just told you I hated that place. All we needed was the money.”
    “Let me get this straight.” Mel’s voice was flat, almost expressionless, but Snake could smell a roiling mess of emotions crushed beneath the flatness. “You ran away from us, and then pretended you were stolen, so we would send you money. You cut your own finger off to be sure we would pay.”
    Snake tried to sense his mate’s mother’s emotions. Didn’t she care that her children were here? From Bart he could feel a hint of shame, but the woman’s reek was sourly defiant. It was an ugly thing that made Snake feel a little sick.
    Carrie folded her arms over her chest and snorted. “It’s not like the grand and glorious Flying D couldn’t afford to spare some gold a couple of times a year.”
    “No, we couldn’t spare it,” Mel retorted. “The drought dried up the water. We’ve lost cattle every year you were gone to disease and rustlers. We cut corners and pinched every penny, so we could pay the ransom to keep you safe. We did everything for you! I married a man who turned out to be the devil, just so we would have money to keep you alive.” Her voice rose to a near scream. “ I sold myself to be a prize in a Bride Fight for you! ”
    “ Then you know what it’s like, don’t you, Melissa Ann?”
    Snake could tell the coldness of the reply hit his mate like a slap. His wolf whined deep inside. He