Chapter 128

Melanie’s POV

“Where’s your baby?” Mom’s voice was all sunshine and apology as she swept her eyes over the scattered toys strewn across the living room floor. A lone wooden train car sat abandoned by the couch, and a precarious stack of diapers leaned like a tottering Jenga tower beside it.

“Sleeping.” I took a careful step toward Asher, who stood behind me like a silent bodyguard. “I’m not moving back in with you guys. I’ve got a life here. A family.” I cleared my throat. “And a pack.”

Mom’s cheeks went damp. “We know we messed up, Mel. We were confused. Hurt. We thought you’d be sacrificing everything by staying here… we panicked.”

Panic was their specialty, apparently. Suddenly I was twenty-two again, watching them make mistakes faster than Theo could demolish Cheerios. But Theo was asleep, blissfully unaware of our drama, and I would go to the ends of the earth for him.

“I did sacrifice everything,” I said, keeping my voice level. “But I’d do