Afflicted Read Free Page A

didn’t like the idea of Victoria being treated like crap.
    “Well, you know some folks are mad about what your father did, and she is just in the crossfire is all. All that was done to her was some young ones went and tp’d the cabin she is staying at.”
    Fuck me. This can’t be happening.              
    Kaden hadn’t been in town for more than a day and shit was just haywire. Not only that, but Victoria was catching heat for something that wasn’t even her fault. He intended to find out the names of those who’d decided it was cool to toss toilet paper over her cabin. The pack was clearly in need of a leader. It wasn’t going to be him, it was his place, but he had the option to find a suitable replacement. He wasn’t going to be in this for the long haul. Kaden was going to hand over his title.
    “Which one is she staying at?”
    Kellie told Kaden the location. Against his better judgment Kaden decided he would go for a run tonight and make a pit stop by the cabin Victoria was staying at.
    “You know you should just be focused on picking someone who can take your place since you have no plans to stay. Just pick someone, be done with it, and spend the summer with your mom.”
    “Yeah, but first order has to be in place, before I do that, and you aren’t doing a good job of helping.”
    “Kaden” she screeched.
    “What? You seem to have this vendetta that is misplaced. No one in the pack is to blame for Morgan’s shit. We suffered and they suffered right along with us. I’m going to clean this damned pack up whether or not you agree.”
    “You are out of your mind.”
    I have to do what Morgan was incapable of doing.
    “Yeah and I’m going to make some changes around here. And first thing tomorrow morning you are going to make a stop by the bank. You are going to do what needs to be done.”
    “No, I will not. I’m not doing a damned thing Kaden.”
    “Mom,” Kaden yelled. Kellie ignored him as she ran up the stairs. “What the fuck?”
    Kaden rolled his eyes and grabbed his beer off the table. He downed the rest of it. Kellie slammed the door to her bedroom and Kaden heard the lock to the door click, Kaden shrugged his shoulders, he wasn’t going to follow her plot to make the pack worse than it already was.
    It was clear she had a bone to pick with members of the pack. Kaden loved his mother but if she wanted to be mad at someone it should be herself. There were countless times when help had been offered. Kaden remembered going into town and the woman in charge of the battered women’s shelter would always ask his mom if she wanted out. Kellie could have taken the help then, freedom was right there, no matter where it came from. Instead of peace of mind she chose to deal with a man who was deadly abusive to her and her only child.  It took Kaden a long time to get over the fear to leave. Mostly he was afraid to be away from the pack and on his own out there in the open among the humans. Leaving was the best decision he ever made. There was no telling what type of person Kaden would have evolved into if he’d stayed and kept dealing with Morgan’s bullshit.
     
     
    ***
     
    Now she really needed that bubble bath and to top it off a massage. Victoria had returned home after work to find graffiti on the front door of the cabin she was renting. Some asshole thought it would be a good idea to spray paint the word bitch on the door in red. To top it off it took someone from the police department over three hours to finally make it over. She had to keep in mind that only five people worked at the C.P.D. but it still just pissed her off to have to wait that long. A report was made, pictures of her door were taken, then Victoria told the officer she had a clue why it was done, and yet she had no idea who exactly it was that vandalized the cabin door. She was certain this was connected to the darn auction.
    “I am so tired of this,” Victoria grumbled. She mindlessly tapped her fingers