And how I knew then what I needed to do. How I could make sure no one ever hurt her again.
I had to change everything.
They took her, and I collapsed, and there are no other memories until I woke up weeks later. My father told me I’d caught a terrible fever after shifting younger than any male in recorded history, and I’d beat it because I was the strongest of my generation, destined for greatness.
And I figured then it was good I was the strongest because it was gonna take some big balls and righteous ass-kicking to fix this backwards pack.
I never questioned why I needed to do it. It seemed obvious. The pack was fucked up.
This is fucked up.
Why am I overthinking? This is a challenge. I know what to do with them.
I stand. Eamon shuffles almost imperceptibly back on his heels. I grin.
And then I look down at my mate. Her eyes are eating up her face, her wolf close to the surface, ready to follow me into battle. My wolf grumbles. He’s insulted that she thinks he needs help.
I don’t mind. She’s not gonna lift a finger, but the way she’s subtly measuring the distance between her and Eamon makes me hard. And weirdly warm in my chest.
I need to teach her to fight. Her wolf’s obviously the sort that’s gonna keep getting her in trouble.
“What do you say, mate?” I ask her. “Can any female go gallivanting around town?”
Her eyes spark. She draws herself up. “Yes. If they want to.”
I expect a few shouts and a lot of pearl clutching, but it’s so quiet, you could hear a pin drop.
“But what about outcast wolves? Humans with bad intentions?”
She shifts a little in her seat, but she doesn’t lower her head an inch. “We can go in partners. Or with a male if he’s free. But we shouldn’t have to ask permission.”
“Seems fair.”
“It is fair.”
“And any female can have a phone?”
“Yes,” she says firmly. And then she casts Eamon a black look. “And mothers are not going to neglect their young, and I think that’s pretty rich coming from a male when everyone knows the fathers in this pack don’t lift a finger to help until their sons are old enough to go into the ring.” She folds her arms.
At the elder tables, wizened faces turn bright red.
Eamon coughs. “All due respect, but Una Hayes ain’t my alpha,” he says.
I crack my neck. This is not going to be my proudest moment—handing an old wolf his ass in front of the whole pack—but I’m going to enjoy it all the same.
I crack my neck again, twisting to the other side.
And then, a murmuring from the A-roster table erupts and a chair screeches across the linoleum. There is a collective gasp. I fully expect to see Alfie or maybe that lost pup Fallon throwing his lot in with the opposition, but it’s a female. Haisley.
I haven’t spoken to her—or thought about her—since my wolf dumped her from our lap when he leapt to attack Gael. She’s not looking at me. She’s got Una in her sights.
My wolf snarls, and it’s all I can do to keep him down, but this needs to play out.
I search for Cheryl, and she’s hanging back by the elder table, nose in the air. So Haisley has the alpha female’s blessing for whatever’s about to go down. Noted.
Beside me, Una stiffens. I ball my fist so I don’t reach for her, but I focus on the bond, send her every reassurance I can. She is the strongest wolf here. I’ve got her back. No matter what.
She waits while Haisley struts forward to stand in the middle of the open floor. Haisley’s dressed for her moment, high-heeled black boots, tight red top, and tighter jeans. She comes to a halt, smiles, and sucks her front teeth like she’s checking for lipstick.
There’s simmering rage coming through the bond. The wolf is loud in the mix.
Tell her to sit her ass down, I send through the link, but I don’t think it works that way. It’s not like text messaging.
Una ignores me, tracking Haisley’s every move. The flip of her poofy blonde hair. The hip cock. The room is silent except for the occasional cough.
Finally, Haisley speaks. “I have a question, Alpha.” She’s looking at Una though, a smirk playing on her red stained lips.
“Go.”
“I was attacked—unprovoked and unchallenged—by Una Hayes.”
She pauses. I don’t know for what. We all saw it. I grunt to move shit along.
“I won. By our laws, I rank. And I demand to be heard.”
Everybody’s fucking listening. I gesture for her to cut to the chase.