Kimi's friends had driven her back to the pack territory, their curious questions lingering in the air long after she'd stepped out of the car. They wanted to know about Kolton, about the obvious strain between them, but all she could manage was that he despised her presence and she needed distance from him.
The familiar scent of home cooking greeted her as she pushed through the front door. Her mother stood in the hallway, still wearing her apron, dinner plates arranged on the kitchen table behind her.
"Mom, you waited this long to eat?"
Her mother's gentle smile never wavered as she approached. "Of course I did, sweetheart. I wanted to share dinner with my daughter."
Guilt twisted in Kimi's stomach. She'd returned to spend precious time with her family, yet here she was making her mother wait for meals. The food tasted like sawdust in her mouth, but she forced herself to eat every bite, unwilling to waste her mother's thoughtful preparation.
