028 | Big family dinners never end well

Stephen’s POV

The pack announcements started off… okay.

We were just listening to Alpha Caleb drone on about the tough times we were enduring and the light at the end of the tunnel, so it was easy enough to use him to distract myself from Hyacinth and Rhiannon.

Why had Hyacinth sat that side of me? It opened up a can of worms if I really thought about it. Did she… had she wanted me to…

‘Because your own Ma sat next to Rhi on her other side, you scallywag! How you didn’t notice that is beyond me. My eyes are aged, rheumy and weak, and yet I spotted her in an instant! You are searching for reason that does not exist, my dear boy.’ Brian shook his head at me.

I glanced over at Rhi, who I’d been doing a spectacular job of avoiding eye contact with and, sure enough, Ma and Pa had sat beside her. They were conferring in low voices, consoling Rhi over the loss of her father.

Which was exactly what I should have been doing. My belly balled into a knot; guilt made me sweat. I was behaving like