Chapter 169
Evelyn’s POV
I picked up my crying daughter and pulled her close. Her face was red and streaked with tears. I reached over and touched both my sons’ heads gently. The anger was building inside me, but I kept my voice gentle for the kids.
“Everything’s okay now. Mommy’s here,” I told them, looking at each twin. Then I added quietly, “Today you’re going to learn how to deal with people who hurt your family p>
I kicked Diana hard in the knee without warning. She went down immediately and hit the ground. The rush of satisfaction felt amazing.
“What did you call my daughter?” I asked.
“You!” Diana gasped, trying to get back up. I stepped on her hand and pressed it into the grass. This reminded me of when she came to my house and tried to scare me.
“Did you forget what happened last time you threatened me, Diana? Or do you want me to remind you how that went p>
I had called Eryx as soon as I couldn’t find my kids. My gut feeling was right. Looking around, I saw that the regular staff who watched my children were gone. Even the security guards Calvin assigned to Rowan and Rhys had been switched out for strangers.
The people gathered around the pool weren’t the usual important packs. These were wannabes and social climbers I’d never seen at real events. The actual business leaders and pack officials were inside the main building, making deals and connections.
The pack house was built for those kinds of meetings. The main hall had private areas separated. The real power players were in there, not out here watching Diana’s little show.
The crowd around us was exactly who would follow Diana’s lead. Insecure social climbers and bitter women who hated that my children would inherit the Bloodbane Pack someday.
Diana’s face turned red and white at the same time. “Be careful what you say,” she warned me.
I checked the red mark on Alexis’s forehead. There was no bleeding, thank God. Then I looked back at Diana and smiled coldly.
“Diana, I already warned you to stay away from me and my kids. I told you what would happen if you didn’t listen p>
She thought she was safe here at the pack house. “You wouldn’t dare p>
I slapped her hard across the face before she could finish. Before she could react, I hit her again just as hard. People around us gasped in shock.
They couldn’t believe what they were seeing. Me holding my daughter with one arm while slapping Diana with the other. Before she could say anything, I hit her two more times.
The sound rang out across the lawn. Diana stumbled backward. Her cheek swelled up immediately with clear handprints.
Alexis’s eyes got huge. She stopped crying and stared at Diana’s red face and watery eyes. My daughter wiped her own tears and held onto my neck tighter.
Rowan and Rhys looked shocked. They probably didn’t expect my lesson about handling “bad people” to be so hands-on. I smoothed Alexis’s hair and stood in front of my sons to show them I would protect them.
I could hear people in the crowd whispering.
“No wonder the Wolfes didn’t want her as family. She’s violent p>
“Acting like this in front of children. She’s not mother material. If my daughter-in-law ever hit me like that, I’d put her in her place. Who does she think she is p>
Being beautiful without money or power always made you a target. While some women criticized me, several men made disgusting comments.
“You have to admit she’s hot though. I’d pay good money for a night with her p>
Diana’s face was burning from my slaps. Her eyes bulged with rage as she glared at me. With all these people watching, she needed to take back control or she’d look like a complete fool.
“Am I wrong?” she yelled, getting louder. “Evelyn, do you have the guts to tell everyone who your daughter’s real father is p>
I looked at Diana’s twisted face, honestly confused about why she hated me so much. If she was mad because I got Randy thrown in prison, that didn’t explain why she disliked me from the beginning.
Diana thought my quiet meant I was scared. The people around us were whispering, so she kept going.
“Can’t say anything, can you? I bet you don’t even know who got you pregnant p>
I wondered what I ever did to make Diana think I was weak. Maybe I wasn’t tough enough with her before? This time I was going to make sure she never bothered me again.
I stared at her coldly. “Why do you care who my daughter’s father is p>
Diana fell right into my trap. “Don’t tell me you wrecked someone’s marriage and that’s why you won’t say who fathered that little brat p>
When I was sure Alexis had stopped crying, I put her down on a bench nearby. Rowan and Rhys immediately sat on both sides of her and held her hands. They were going to protect their sister.
I stood up and gave a hard look to the two security guards who came with us. They looked away because they knew they screwed up. I’d deal with them later. My list of people to punish was getting longer.
When I looked back at Diana, my smile made several people step backward. There was nothing nice about how I looked at her.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Diana stammered. “Remember where we are! This is the Bloodbane pack house, and I am p>
Her words turned into a scream when I grabbed her fancy hairstyle and dragged her toward the pool. I gave her one good push and she fell right into the water. When she tried to come up for air, gasping and choking, I grabbed her hair again and shoved her head back under.
“Let me go!” she choked out between gulps of air and pool water.
I dunked her head under the water several times. Just long enough to scare the hell out of her before I let her breathe. When I finally let go, she swam as far away from me as she could get.
She turned to the people watching and begged desperately. “Someone help me p>