"Wait." Mia stepped into the office, her hand resting on her stomach. "I wanted to talk to you about something."

I said nothing.

"I know you're upset about Alice," she said softly. "And I understand, because losing a parent is hard."

My hands clenched around the folder.

"But you have to remember," Mia continued, "Alice was my biological mother too. We shared the same blood. If anything, I'm in more pain than you are. My wolf grieves for the connection we never had."

I stared at her incredulously. Mia had wanted nothing to do with Alice after the DNA test.

"You only knew her for ten years," Mia said. "But she carried me for nine months. We had a biological connection that you could never understand. So really, I'm the one who lost a mother. You're just being dramatic for no reason."

Something inside me snapped. My wolf surged forward.

My hand moved before I could stop it.

The slap echoed through the office.

Mia stumbled back, her hand flying to her cheek. For a moment, she just stood there, shocked. Then she burst into tears.

"James!" she sobbed. "She hit me! She attacked me again!"

James was on his feet instantly, growling.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" he roared, his eyes flashing gold.

"She was taunting me," I said, my voice shaking. "She said—"

"I don't care what she said!" He barked, and his hand flew through the air as he slapped me hard, no holding back.

The force of the slap sent me stumbling. I gripped the wall as I struggled to keep standing, my wolf whimpering.

"I was just trying to console her!" Mia wailed. "I told her I understood her pain, that Alice was my biological mother too, and she attacked me!"

"You're lying—"

James grabbed my arm roughly with his alpha strength. "Enough! I don't want to hear another word from you."

He shoved me toward the door.

"Get out of my sight," he said coldly. "And if you even look at Mia wrong again, I'll make sure you regret it."

I stumbled out of the office, clutching the folder to my chest.

Behind me, I could hear James's voice, it was soft and gentle now.

"Are you okay, sweetheart? Did she hurt you? Did she hurt the pup? Come here, let me see..."

I walked up the stairs slowly, my cheek throbbing where he had hit me.

In our eight years of being mated, James had never laid a hand on me.

Now he had hit me twice in four days, because of Mia.

I went to the bedroom and locked the door.