The silence was evident. Thompson and Thomas exchanged a glance, then deliberately turned their attention back to the billiard table, lining up a shot as if Winter were invisible. Riper took a slow sip of his beer, his eyes raking over Winter with lazy contempt.
They were drinking beer in the morning by 8. Where was their parents?
Vicky was the first to speak, a nasty smile curling her lips. She looked Winter up and down, lingering pointedly on her chest. "Corporate? Honey, I've got some killer pencil skirts and a top," she purred, "but they'd never fit that." She gestured dismissively towards Winter's boobs. "I mean, look at the shelf on her. My stuff would look like a sausage casing about to burst. Right, Rip?" She nudged Riper.
Riper's gaze dropped blatantly to Winter's chest, a mockery smile spreading across his face. He nodded slowly. "Damn straight, Vic. Definitely… she grew since high school." He tilted his head, feigning curiosity. "What'd you do, Winter? Get 'em pumped? They are huge compared to what I saw back in high school. Expensive habit for a Stone Pack charity case."
Raquel snickered from the sofa. "Maybe the pack doctor did it. Payment for services rendered?" she suggested sweetly, earning a chuckle from Jackson.
Jackson snorted, tightening his arm around Raquel. "Services rendered? Yeah, like letting the doc hit it from behind while he juiced her up front." His crude comment ignited a wave of laughter that rippled through the group – Thomas chuckling by the table, Vicky giggling, Riper barking a laugh. Even some wolves across the room looked over, smirking.
Winter felt the blood drain from her face, her face flushing with humiliation. She kept her gaze fixed on a distant point on the wall, her knuckles white where her hands were clenched at her sides.
"Okay, enough!" Esther snapped, her voice sharp with rare anger. She stepped slightly in front of Winter. "Seriously? Are you twelve? If you're not going to help, shut up. Stop making disgusting remarks about her body. It's pathetic."
The laughter died down to snickers. Thompson finally straightened up from the pool table, cue resting on his shoulder. He looked at Winter, a calculating look in his eyes. "What kind of interview?" he asked, his voice neutral.
Vicky scoffed before Winter could answer. "What kind? Please. Who'd hire her for anything legit? Unless the job description involves warming a desk… or something else like bending over." Her insinuation brought another round of sniggers.
Raquel piped up, her tone dripping with false sympathy. "You know, she could get rich. Start her own business. With that face…" She sighed dramatically. "It's wasted on a human in a wolf pack."
Vicky made a grudging noise. "Ugh, I hate admitting it, but yeah. Annoyingly pretty." The admission felt like another kind of insult.
Thompson ignored them, his gaze still fixed on Winter. "I asked what interview," he repeated, "Company?"
Riper chuckled, swirling his beer. "Yeah, Thompson, what interview? Maybe… Riggs Corporation?" He said it like a punchline.
The group erupted in genuine laughter this time. "Riggs Corporation!" Vicky crowed, slapping her knee. "Oh, perfect! As the night shift security blanket! Yeah, she could totally warm old Pete's bed during his rounds!"
Raquel suddenly bounced on the sofa, distracted. "Oh! Speaking of Riggs! Have you guys seen pictures of the CEO? Darren Riggs? Holy hellfire, he is gorgeous. Like, sculpted by the gods gorgeous."
Vicky rolled her eyes. "I heard he bats for the other team. Total ice queen. Gay as a spring picnic."
Riper snorted. "Bullshit. That's just what women say when they know they can't have a man."
"Who says I can't?" Raquel retorted, puffing out her chest, making Jackson grunt and pull her closer possessively.
Vicky gave Raquel a withering look. "Please, Raq. You? Never happen. He's in a whole other league. Way too hot for your pay grade." She'd lowered her voice slightly, a touch of awe creeping in. "My dad took me to that big tech summit last month. Riggs was the keynote speaker. Saw him up close. He's… intense. And seriously, not like that. Reputable. Powerful. Cold." Her description held a strange mix of disdain and fascination.
Riper's gaze slid back to Winter, standing frozen beside Esther. A cruel smirk twisted his lips. He gave her another slow once-over. "What about Winter, huh?" he joked, nudging Vicky. "Think she could land the Riggs CEO? Our little human Cinderella?"
The laughter roared back, louder than before. It was force, pushing against Winter.
Raquel joined in, her voice shrill with mockery. "Maybe! For, like, five bucks a night? If she tried really hard and the Moon Goddess decided to take a pity on her poor soul?" She dissolved into giggles against Jackson's shoulder.
Vicky shook her head, still chuckling but with a hint of that earlier seriousness. "Nah, like I said, Riggs isn't like that. He's got this… vibe. Untouchable."
The words, the laughter, the stares. The carefully maintained wall inside Winter cracked wide open. The humiliation wasn't just about the clothes, or the interview. It was about being back here, surrounded by the people who'd delighted in breaking her, who still saw her as less than nothing, a target for their casual cruelty. They stripped her bare all over again, right here in Esther's well-meaning presence. The strength she'd mustered to walk through this door disappeared. She felt stupid. Pathetically small.
"I… I have to go," Winter whispered, the words barely audible over the laughter. She wrenched her arm free from Esther's startled grasp.
"Winter, wait–" Esther started, her face creased with concern.
But Winter was already moving. She turned, pushing blindly past a startled Thomas near the pool table. She didn't run, but her strides were long and desperate, eating up the distance to the front door. The laughter followed her. Vicky's voice, sharp and loud, sliced through the noise: "Yeah, run back to Daddy Vincent, charity case!"
As soon as she stepped out, the first sob ripped from her throat, harsh and ragged. Then another. The tears came hot and fast, tracing paths through the carefully applied concealer. She slid down the rough brick wall, collapsing onto the wet pavement, knees drawn to her chest.
Stupid. So stupid. To think Esther could help. To think she could walk into that den and emerge unharmed. Like those years that passed by could make her miraculously stand up to her bullies again.