The room was cold, not in a way that incited goosebumps or the shivers, but the kind of cold that froze the bones, dulled the senses, and gave off a permanent vibe of apprehension.

It was the kind of cold that existed in the Tristen house.

The living room had been finely decorated, the walls a beige with twisting, gold accents. The furniture held no trace of dirt or animal hair. It looked like something you'd see in a palace where everything had to be perfect, maybe even in the manor when it was first built. It didn't look like something that a person should live in, not comfortably anyway.

Nick sat across from me, his hands clenched in his lap, fingers white. The room seemed to frame him, drawing in like golden vines twisting and chaining him to the walls.

I stood off to the side, trapping myself in the corner as I waited for Nick's mom to join us. She was a busy woman, her work well known to me. Still, she had agreed to meet Nick at four and it was four forty-five.

As the clock chimed five, Mrs. Tristen entered the room in all her stuck-up glory, like she had been waiting for its signal.

She commanded respect in the courtroom and any room, her long nose upturned, her eyes set in a permanent squint.

"Nick, apologies for my late appearance. I was caught in a call, but it was important." She took a seat across from her son, her legs crossed, fine heels on her feet. "What were you so desperate to talk about? You haven't done anything stupid at school, have you?"

My lips curled in disdain. I hated her when I was young, and I hated her now.

"No, mom. There was something I wanted to talk to you about."

"What is it, dear? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, but I wanted to ask you about dad." I could hear the nerve in his voice. "You don't talk about him, why?"

"It was a long time ago, and we only dated a few weeks. I didn't know him very well. Besides, I was a child when I had you, and he was no longer in the picture. I didn't think it mattered."

"He died in a car crash, right?"

"Yes." For the first time, I saw a glimmer of emotion in the woman. She looked apprehensive. "What about it?"

"How well did you know him?"

"I told you, I only dated him for a few weeks. I probably knew him as well as any teenager would know their date."

"Mom? Did he have any secrets?"

"I don't understand what you're insinuating, Nick. What is your question?"

Teeth flashed as Nick grit his jaw. "Did you know my dad was a werewolf?"

Mrs. Tristen hissed as she sucked through her clenched teeth. Her blue eyes flashed to me, so similar to Nick's but lacking the warmth and compassion.

"What did you tell him?" Her nails sunk into the couch like she was restraining herself.

"I told him nothing," I admitted, meeting her gaze with my own emotionless look. "He discovered it for himself, or at least he would have. If I hadn't been there, Nick would have been exposed in front of his entire school."

"You what?" Mrs. Tristen gaped, turning back to her son, who sat uncomfortably in his seat.

"I turned, mom. I'm a werewolf, just like my dad."

Mrs. Tristen didn't respond, she just buried her face in her hands. Long strands of blond hair hid her, but I imagined it wasn't pretty. I drew closer to Nick, standing behind the couch he was perched on, waiting for something to happen. This was not my fight.

"Mom, you knew didn't you?" No response. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I hoped you weren't," she shrieked, her face still held in her hands as she glared at her son.

"You didn't want me to be? How is that an explanation? I am your son, you should have told me, helped me."

"And what if I had told you? Would you have kept it secret, or would you have gone to more of your protests? I couldn't have a son who was a werewolf, not with my job. It would ruin me."

"So, you lied to me, tried to stop me because you were protecting your reputation?" Nick was on his feet now, my hand holding him back as he visibly shook. "That's your excuse?"

"What was I supposed to do? I am a lawyer who puts dangerous creatures away. What would it look like, me fighting against Coth with a mutt son?"

Nick took a step back, his calf hitting the sofa as he stumbled. My grip was no longer on him. I felt like I had been slapped, and I couldn't imagine how Nick felt.

"I'm leaving. My dad's pack invited me to live with them. I'll get my stuff and go." He turned, his shoulders hunched, and, for a fleeting moment, Mrs. Tristen looked ashamed.

"I think that would be best," she agreed, although the break in her voice betrayed her.

"Goodbye, Mom." Nick left the room and I followed, shooting Mrs. Tristen a burning look.

I was careful to stay where he could see me, deciding when we should talk, if we should talk at all.

I sent Anya a quick text, letting her know that things went bad and she should drive over. I also sent the school an email, suspecting that both of us would not be at school tomorrow. Nick would be eighteen in a few days, and I doubted he would still go to The Twin Trees with his mom kicking him out.

"She called me a mutt." Nick's voice came across so quiet, I barely heard it in the large hall.

I took his hand, giving it a long squeeze. Mutt, mixed-breed, a word that said you didn't belong in either world. A word that said you were the worst of both. It was leftover from the Middle Ages, a mutt who dared betray their species by being born, caught between their two halves.

"Are you alright, Nick?" I knew the answer to that. Of course, he wasn't okay, but I needed to ask, to give him a way in, a way to ask for help without being needy.

"I'm fine. I should have expected this. I knew she didn't like the Coth. Of course, she wouldn't want me as a son. Hell, I'll be better without her. She's awful, why would I need her? I have the pack and Anya and you."

He laughed, but it wasn't a thankful laugh or a whimsical laugh. It was the laugh that came from being cornered after heading toward a dead end. It was the broken laugh.

"Nick." Tears leaking from his eyes as his final cackles trailed off. "Nick, are you alright?"

"Lexi, I'll be better without her, right?"

"I think so, yes. She is your mother, but I think you'll be happier living with Alpha Daniel, more understood. I think you'll both be better off."

"You know, you were right. It's nice to know. Now I won't wonder." He sighed, sinking into the wall, his knees curled to his chest. "I wish it was different, but I think this is good, right?"

"I can't tell you how to feel. You don't have to feel any specific way, either. It's okay to be confused." I knelt next to him, letting him fall against my shoulder like Kiri had done last night. I felt his tears soaking into my shirt, but I couldn't care less. "Just react how you need to."

And he did. I couldn't say how long we sat there, trading words and sometimes silence. Nick let everything out, his anger and heartbreak, then his tears. And sometimes when those failed, he would just blink, staring at the wall before saying something else. I was happy to be there for him, someone needed to be.