1
*Cordelia*
I made Lex sit at the end of the table. Alex and I on either side of her, but Patricia just stood there in the door way to our dinning room. Her purse drapped over her shoulder, her hands firm around the strap. It was flashy and a hideous teal color that matched the mud coated pant suit she was wearing. We waited quietly though, waiting for one of them to say something. The tension in the room was suffocating. Before last night I had never met Lex's mother. I was not prepared in any way for what had stood before me in the hospital. She was tall, with slighty peach colored skin. Much lighter than Lex's. Her hair was long, sleek and black. Not a single strand out of place, as if it was trained not to move. Even after her rude welcome from our guards, she still looked like a super model. Lex had shared many stories about the way her mother had treated her growing up, and now that I could look into her eyes I could see it all. And now, I also understand why Lex doesn't think my mother is all that bad. Sure she was strict and a bit hard on me at times, but that was nothing compared to the demons clearly lurking behind those big brown eyes. Patricia and Lex held no resemblance she must take after her father, perhaps that was part of the problem in Patricia's mind.
Twenty minutes must have passed before I leaned towards the table and shot Lex a dirty look. A look that was meant to say hurry the fuck up. Unfolding her arms she finally spoke. "What do you want mother?", the hatred seeped from her words like water when you wring out a sponge, but I noticed a hint of something else that I hadn't heard before, atleast not from Lex. Patricia stepped over to the far end of the table, still holding that hideous sequined bag. "I would like to have this conversation alone. I'm sure you understand that this is a family matter.", she said shooting a disgusted look from Alex to me as if that was our que to leave. Another silence fell over us all, the room quieter than a deprivation chamber. I looked over to Alex and nodded towards the door, we were beginning to stand up when Lex put her hand on my arm and pointed back at the seat telling Alex to sit. Instead of allowing her mother to dismiss us. Lex sat up straight as a board. Her hands folded in front of her tight enough her knuckles were actually white. Kinda made me worry she might break her own hand. "Mother, this is my family. My wife and my son. Anything you have to say to me you can say to them as well.", Lex paused to take a breath and in that moment her eyes changed from their dark brown color to red, bright red like a roaring flame. But Patricia didn't move. It was as if she was thrying to wait Lex out until she changed her mind. Patricia had no idea what Lex has become in these past months. My mother and I have a theory going that we haven't mentioned to Lex because if she knew it would just be one more thing to add to her plate, when she's already overwhelmed but I think I'm about to get my answer. "Sit.", that was it. Everything there in that single word, it was barely more than a whisper but I felt it, in her voice. We were right. Surely Patricia had to feel it too, as she quickly pulled the chair from the table and sat down. My Lex was not only a Hybrid but she was now Alpha of both. Future Queen of Equinox Pack and whatever remains of her familial tribe in the amazon. Or will be when my mother retires, until then her wolf will submit. How it works for the snake shifters is another story. There was no denying the force behind her words already. And if I could feel the compulsion, then it would compel the entire pack. Them more so since even an Alpha can't compel their mate but their power is recognized all the same. At the very least this should be interesting. The look of horror on Patricia's face was pretty funny and I had to turn my head away from her and cough to keep myself from laughing. She wasn't finding this near as interesting or humorous as I was.
When I looked up Alex was smiling from ear to ear up at Lex, his pride radiating from him. He was Lex's biggest cheerleader and closest thing to Prozac we had to offer. Being pregnant I haven't been able to help Lex the way I want to but thankfully Alex has been right there with her the whole time. The only time this boy leaves her side is when she goes into our bedroom. They are as thick as thieves. He and I aren't as close but he's still very good to me, he's always getting things for me, so I don't have to get up. He brings me flowers, coffee, and fruit salad in the mornings. The sweetest part is he's learning to read and will sit with me for an hour every night to read out loud so the baby can hear the stories. Makes me tear up a little just thinking about how great of a big brother he's going to be and how that was already robbed from him once when he lost his birth parents.
Lex was there in my mind now; I could feel her agitation growing. So, I started a breathing exercise to calm her, staying linked with her so that this didn't go wrong which was steadily increasing with difficulty as her new abilities awakened. I knew talking to her mother would be met with some a level of discomfort but like I said before I had not been prepared for this, or that it would be what tipped the scale to confirm that Lex is indeed an Alpha Hybrid. "It's ok grandmother, Mama won't hurt you.", Alex chirped as he got up and climbed into Lex's lap as a kind of security measure. Smart boy. Lex won't lose her temper with him in the crossfire. Patricia let out the breath she had been holding as she searched between us, assessing the situation now that she knew she wouldn't have the upper hand over her daughter. I'll admit without shame, hearing the dominance in her voice was super fucking sexy and if I didn't already feel like a beached whale, I would drag her upstairs and spend the rest of the day in bed. My imagination started to play out the scenario when I was rudely interrupted, 'Not helping', I hear at the back of my mind. 'I'm not trying to', I shoot back, my response completely coated in desire and sarcasm. It's been weeks dammit. But she was right. Not exactly the time to be playing out sexual fantasies when my mother in-law sits just down the table from me, and my wife clearly wants to remove her mothers' head from her shoulders. I went back to breathing exercises. Seems to be the wiser choice of things I could be thinking about. I just wish Patricia would speak already and get this over with. I don't understand why she's drawing this out unless she gets some kind of sick satisfaction from it. Or used to when she could manipulate and control Lex. I smiled inwardly knowing that it was my own mother who had given her that freedom. Maybe my mom wasn't all that bad. At least she didn't actually torture me as child. Whereas I was now having a staring contest with a woman who has spent twenty-three years perfecting the art of destroying someone from the inside out. The more I think about it the more I begin to hate her too. Not just for what she did to Lex but the thought of how Lex never knew about her people. Was never taught even the basics in case something were to happen or the secret got out. What the actual fuck was wrong with this woman!
Now Lex was reaching out and attempting to calm me down. The tension shifting. Alex's little hand reached over and held mine. I took in a deep breath, while the three of us were now all focused-on Patricia. The literal serpent seated at my dinner table. Lex readjusted herself in the chair, eyes still red and focused on her mother. Patricia let out a deep breath before she began, "Well Alexis I suppose I owe you an explanation. So, let's start at the beginning. Of why your grandmother Leticia left her tribe and came here." she motioned around us. "Leticia, my mother, fell in love with a man. A man who knew nothing about her tribe or their abilities. Her mother did not approve. Forbade her to see him. When she was seven-teen, an adult by all rights in her tribe, she made the choice that she would rather be with him. She would rather never shift again than to live without him. Leticia felt that he was her true mate. Not a woman. The idea of sharing her bed with a woman wasn't appealing to her. This only made her mother angrier and more determined to keep them apart believing that Leticia just hadn't met her true mate yet and that when she did things would change. That this young man was a phase or a way to rebel. Leticia knew her tribe would never let them be together. The only choice was to leave Brazil. They each packed a single suitcase and made their way to the United States. Once they were granted citizenship they married. Leticia would give birth to their first child at the age of twenty. I was that child. Four years later your uncle Javier was born. Leticia raised us like any other children. All the while hiding a part of herself from us all. Until the day I was sent home from school with a fever, cold sweats and my skin red as a strawberry. My father was frantic. He was scared the fever would kill me and insisted that we go to the hospital, but my mother refused. She told him there was nothing they could do for me there. You see, Leticia wasn't sure I would ever shift. Being half human, she expected it to be my dominant side, since most of our Brazilian ancestors could shift by the time they were four. The changes your body goes through are simpler because you're still growing, your bones are more flexible. Making the pain of the first shift more bearable. My mother told him to just wait, that she knew what was making me sick and how to help me. I laid on the living room floor for hours, my body twisting, bones popping out of place, drenched in sweat. Then it was gone, as if it had never happened. I felt like I was on top of the world. Healthier than ever but my mother wouldn't look at me. When I turned to my father he was horrified. He kept walking backwards, away from every step I took towards him. Javi ran into the room and screamed, pointing at me. My father lunged over to him, picking him up and ran out of our front door. My mother silently rose to her feet and took my hand in hers. That's when I saw my scales for the first time as they covered my fingers. Saw the monster I had become. I was only thirteen. It was also the last time I ever saw my father or little brother." Patricia stopped to wipe her eyes. Her make up had smudged across her cheeks as she told her story. I looked to Lex, her expression the same. Cold and calculating. I could hear the snide comments racing through her mind as she attempted to process her mother's words. I was purposely trying to ignore the age-old pattern of parents rejecting their children's mates and focus on looking for gaps or anything that might not add up. But so far all the pieces fit. Patricia's emotional response seemed subtle but on point. I couldn't sense any increase in her heart rate as she spoke to give away, she was lying, but aren't all snakes cold blooded?
And cold hearted. She had obvious delayed aging, perfect health... All shifters have exquisite health, increasing the length of their life span. Impervious to things such as diseases or immune health disorders. So, the story Patricia fed to Lex about her grandmother passing away from a heart attack would be bullshit... That's it, there's my foot in the door to finding the truth. Clearing my throat in an exaggerated display I announced, "Patricia I want to speak to Leticia, I want to hear the truth from her." I kept my voice steady. Defiant. Never breaking eye contact with her but I could feel even Lex and Alex's eyes on me. The look on Patricia's face was clear, she was caught between a rock and a hard place. The truth being the rock and I being the hard place. Now was the chance to see how truthful she was really ready to be. I waited as Patricia squirmed. Her next move would reveal everything. Lex may not know a lot about the shifter world, but this is my home turf and I'm not as uneducated in the workings of this world no offense to my wife or anything. Grandmother Leticia is alive somewhere, it's just getting mommy dearest to fess up on her location.
Lex was there in my thoughts trying to find where I was going with this. Trying to piece together what I was up to. Finally, I broke from Patricia's gaze to offer Lex a soothing smile. But she didn't fall for it, her eyes still glowing red and the cogs in her mind churning away. But the atmosphere of the room told me I was making headway. That at any minute my gorgon of a mother in-law will show her hand. I watched her chest rise and fall, steadying herself and no doubt grasping at straws to concoct some sort of feeble excuse or yet, a way to leave out details. Her ancestors, like mine, deserving the benefit of the doubt as all shifter clans have their ways of keeping themselves safe and I'm sure their own share of lies in the process, this was not a safety method this was just a dictator being a bitch. Her lies were personal. The poison this woman has spewed at Lex her entire life was going to stop now. I want it all on the table. The band aid completely removed. I wasn't about to let her sit in my home and think that some sob story, that I'm not even sure wasn't pre-rehearsed would be sufficient. I can't put my finger on it but there was more to it. Call it a wolf's gut instinct but Patricia made the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. The pieces do fit together, a little too well. They are snug and watertight. I don't like it. I don't like it at all.
Patricia opened her horrid purse and pulled out a pack of cigarettes before placing one between her lips. "There's no smoking in my house.", I couldn't help but spit the words out as I rubbed the obvious swell of my stomach. Not that I'm opposed to smokers, but I want her to be as uncomfortable as possible. I may have gone to medical school and be the OBGYN of this pack, but I went to school for another specific reason. So that I could repair the longer lasting wounds of effective interrogations. Making Patricia sweat would be simple and enjoyable. After all it's not like she wouldn't do the same to Lex if given the chance. Okay maybe not as physically as I have to persons of interest, but mind games are no stranger to either of us. I leaned over to Alex, "Why don't you go get something to eat while we talk with grandmother for a moment." He scooted off of Lex's knee and headed for the door to the kitchen. Removing the security net that would keep Patricia safe was all part of plan, sorry little man but mom has a point to make. Once he was out of sight I sat back against my chair. Locking eyes with her. "Okay, this is how this is gonna go. I see right through your bullshit. There may have been some truth to your story, I'll give you that, but I know when someone is withholding information. In the interest of keeping things civil I'll give you one more chance not to disrespect the future Queen of this pack by continuing your charade. I want all of it, the whole story. Willingly or unwillingly, I'll get it.", my tone cool, extra polite. Southern charm sprinkled on top like the cherry on a sundae. My words clearly did not fall on deaf ears. Patricias expression went from feigned sorrow and pain to one of shock. Oh yeah, she heard every bit of it. "Alexis are you really going to sit there and let this rabid dog speak to me like that! Claiming herself as being above us! Above you! Alexis answer me!", Patricia now screaming, her voice shrill and full of fear. Lex didn't move. Didn't blink. It was faint, like the volume had been turned down but our link was still open. 'I have no idea what you're up to but I really hope this is going somewhere' her words soft and pleading. 'Don't worry my love just trust me, you'll understand very soon' I hoped my words would be enough for now. "I wasn't speaking on behalf of myself, I meant Lex. As Hybrid Alpha she will become matriarch of this pack. Which means you will lower your voice when speaking to her and if you ever call me a rabid dog again, I'll have you skinned. I'll bet bleached snakeskin would make an amazing pair of boots." Patricia's mouth dropped open as her eyes grew round as saucers. If she thought I was joking she was sadly mistaken. Go ahead, fuck around and find out. Just give me one good reason to have you strung up by your feet in the basement of the cells. I'm itching for someone to push me too far. I haven't been allowed to work for longer than it's been since Lex and I were intimate.
Just then Alex came bouncing back into the room, Naomi on his heels. That woman never fails to impress. I had heard her come in and make her way to the kitchen where Alex was, helping to keep him distracted while I dealt with Patricia. Everyone's attention turned to him. Smiles plastered on our faces. Naomi took one look at Lex and dropped to one knee without hesitation. "No Naomi, what are you doing? Stand up.", Lex said confused. She hadn't caught on yet. She didn't know I had been talking about her and either she wasn't hearing me or was in denial. Ya know, for as complex as she can be, she sure is dense sometimes. Turning in my chair to face her I took Lex's hand in mine. I stared into her eyes and then projected back to her what I saw. In a rush I explained that it was not me who was meant to follow my mother's reign but hers. That this most likely means she is also the Alpha of whatever remains of her grandmother's tribe back in Brazil. That shifters do not die of heart attacks and her mother was still hiding the truth. That I have another role in this pack aside from delivering babies and to trust that I know what I'm doing. She nodded once and withdrew from our link. Making her thoughts and feelings about the matter a complete mystery. The Alpha ability to block everyone out now in full effect. But I knew this was the only way to get the answers we actually needed. This was definitely not the path of the least resistance but in the end, I've always gotten what I was after. Patricia was now surveying Naomi who had intentionally positioned herself between Alex and Patricia in case the situation took a turn for the worst. We wouldn't allow her the opportunity to target him should she become combative. You could feel the air in the room become stagnant as a particular heart beat quickened and their lungs labored to match the rhythm. I was getting to her. Even if Lex didn't fully understand what was unfolding around us, her mother clearly did. She knew Lex was next in line. Indicating she is also the last in the Viperial bloodline. Alpha. Hybrid. I giggled to myself. My woman is a badass and she really has no idea yet.
"I refuse to be bullied by the likes of you, I'll take my leave. Alexis when you're ready to speake civilized call me.", Patricia rose to her feet, pushing away from the table. Lex slammed her hand down on the table, "Sit mother!" There was no way to fight it, her ass landed back in the chair faster than it had left it. Even Alex had jumped a little at the command in Lex's voice. I couldn't help the smug feeling that came over me. That's right bitch she's in charge now. Buckle up cause you're in for rough ride. Okay I'm enjoying Lex's new power over her mother a bit too much but in my defense her mother is the devil incarnite and this was a long time coming. Patricia deserves every bit of wrath her daughter doles out. But I know my Lex and she will do her best to control herself because in the end Patricia is still her mother and she was raised to always honor thy mother and father. She won't be up for the necessary actions it may require. That's my job. That will always be my job. And some day that will be Alex's job too, he did say his dream was to protect his Queen. He just didn't know at the time it would be his Mama. Patricia didn't know that one day her daugher would carry the future of many lives on her shoulders when she decided to suppress Lex for all this time.
