With Hearts to Hear| ✔

|10|

"Mother, lets not oaky?" Killian's grip around Rachel's had tightened a fraction as he let out a heavy sigh. There was no other way to avoid his situation, he doubted his mother would let him, so he turned between the two women mustering up the warmest smile he could for his mate. "This is Rachel. Rachel, not how I wanted this to happen, but since she's here this is my mother, Adelia."

Rachel's eyes widened a fraction with the introduction, she felt half embarrassed to think that she could have been someone Killian was seeing. She looked at the woman before her, nothing about her looked like a woman old enough to have a son Killian's age. She had to be at least in her forties, maybe fifties, and yet she looked as though she was comfortably in her thirties.

She knew she had to say something, and it was probably best to be nice about it. Judging by the unimpressed sneer on the woman's lips, nothing nice would be coming from her mouth. From one disapproving mother to another, Rachel, if she actually cared about what the woman thought about her, might have felt as though she couldn't catch a break.

"Nice to meet you, ma'am." Rachel cleared her throat, stretching a polite smile across her face. Her tone was clear, but gentle enough that she seemed subdued; something about her reminded Rachel of all the aunties at the market her mother usually chatted to.

"I would say the same but honestly I'm not sure it would be true." His mothers scowl remained fixed. Her words, though harsh, were not coloured by any nastiness. Adeila turned her fiery glare on Killian, his hand squeezing hers once more, though this time she guessed for his own comfort. "You were supposed to be back days ago. Now I see you've been spending time with some hussy instead, your father would've-"

Rachel gaped at the woman, taken aback by the unprovoked, and unnecessary attack. It wasn't the first time she had been called something like that, especially by someone that didn't know her; usually she could just shrug it off, but this time, it pissed her off. The fire of her anger burned her veins, scorching her from the inside, she had never felt anger like this before. She opened her mouth to give the woman a piece of her mind, all pretence of politeness flying straight into the woods beside her, only she didn't get the chance.

"Would've been glad that I met such a phenomenal woman. Don't you dare talk to her or about her that way. Especially when we're both standing right here." Killian had to stop himself from shouting, managing instead to keep his tone to a dark warning. He was fuming. His blood was close to boiling, as he got the sudden uncontrollable urge to protect his mate. For his mother to bring his father into this too? She had no right. "As for why I'm back later than planned, I was doing Adam a favour and I told Aiden, so the business was fine."

"Oh, how ridiculous." She shook her head with a scoff, not only had he disobeyed her but now he was actively putting their pack at risk. The stupid human girl had no idea what she had walked into. "If you think I'm going to stand for this then you are very much mistaken."

"Quite frankly mother, I never asked what you thought of anything and it's not your place anyway." Killian snapped, his voice hardening. He wished the ground would swallow him whole, more frustrated that this was happening in front of Rachel than anything else. He wondered what she thought of him now.

"Don't talk to me like that," his mother gasped, scandalised. "I'm your mother."

She huffed and muttered about how rude he was, about how she and his father hadn't raised him to be that way. That he was being disrespectful, and she had given birth to him; in all honesty Killian tuned her out. He knew that the more he listened to her grumble the more annoyed he would get, especially when she was only doing it to make him feel guilty.

"Mother, I love you but you need to leave." He told her firmly, gesturing to the dirt path that led from his house.

"I wanted to have dinner with you tonight, and Leah was going to join us." Adelia then backtracked, realising her grumbling would find her no favour with him. "Remember Leah? She was very interested in you."