Delilah's POV
The words had tasted like ash in my mouth, but I'd said them. I'd apologized for something that wasn't my fault, and now I had to stand there and endure the aftermath.
The party didn't end after my apology. We stayed another hour while pack members kept glancing at me and whispering to each other. I stood there clutching Mom's makeup bag, wishing I could disappear.
Mom stayed close to Ryker with her arm linked through his, but she didn't look at me once. I could feel her disappointment from across the room, and every time I saw her face, I felt that phantom slap all over again.
She'd been about to hit me in front of everyone. My own mother had raised her hand to strike me because she believed the brothers' lies over my truth.
Finally, Ryker quietly suggested we leave. "I
