That voice. That arrogant tone. I knew it.
Blinking through the pain, the shape in front of me sharpened. Golden-brown hair, smug grin, fangs flashing.Conrad.
Relief flickered for a split second, but it vanished as arms locked around my chest and hurled me into the wall. Bricks met my spine with a sickening crack, and the air got caught in my lungs. The force itself should’ve killed me, but I could already feel my body knitting itself back together, bones humming as they realigned.
My eyes snagged on the scuffed black boots in front of me, and I lifted my head as a familiar growl filled the alley.
“Now, Nicky,” Zeth snarled as he crouched down, those green-blue eyes glowing in my face. “There are rules in this world. You hurt my mate, so now I hurt you. The vamp,” he threw his thumb toward Conrad, “felt the same way, so he came along for the ride.”
Conrad rolled his eyes, sighing under his breath. “Or it wasmyidea to catch him at the station, andyoufollowed, but who cares? I justcame along for the ride.”
Zeth surged up, turning to Conrad, and grumbled through clenched teeth, “What the fuck is your problem now?”
Seeing them here, my wolf backed down. The adrenaline drained right out of me, and I dropped back to the ground. I sat therewith my head tilted up toward the two of them as they continued bickering in front of me.
For a heartbeat, the tension broke in my chest. My wolf peeked out.
Pack. Our pack.
Conrad shifted, nodding his head at me. “Look. Let’s just finish this.”
Zeth jabbed a finger at him. “Nah. You got something to say, say it, then we can get back to beating the shit out of him. Don’t worry about him.”
Conrad’s eyes slid to me, and before I could blink, he was in front of me. His kick drove into my gut, folding me in half. The impact rattled my ribs, the sharp bloom of pain swallowing my body whole.
“My problem,” he said, turning to Zeth, “is that ever since we mated with Nova, you act like you’re the leader.”
The words hit harder than his kick.
Mated.
My wolf whimpered, a guttural sound, inside my chest. Nova. My mate.Theirmate now.
Zeth and Conrad’s fight became background noise as my mind reeled from the fact that she’d completed this… mating thing with them. I thought that because of the tattoo on her forearm, they couldn’t…
Conrad’s voice broke through my haze. “Fuck that. I don’t care if you’ve known her the longest. That just makes you thedumbest.”
A hollow laugh slipped out before I could stop it. My head thunked back against the wall. Of course. She didn’t need me, not when she hadthem. Not when Deslen could heal her, when Zeth could stand next to her in her world, when Conrad could keep up with the business side of things.
I was nothing but a ghost in her story now.
Throwing his hands up, Zeth glared down at me. “Great. Now he’s laughing at us. Real intimidating, Conrad.” His palm dragged down his face before a fist lashed out, unexpected and quick, its impact ringing through my jaw. Blood filled my mouth, warm and metallic, but I didn’t fight back.
Didn’t deserve to.
“Let’s just do what we came here to do,” Zeth said, flexing his knuckles. “Beat him down, make him pay, maybe bring her a souvenir to cheer her up. A hand, a tongue…” He shrugged. “Whatever takes the longest to grow back.”
The words barely registered, but my brain snagged on one line:Make her forget all about him.
?*She still thought about me?
“Is she…” My voice broke. “Is she really upset?”
They froze. Conrad’s brows pulled together, and Zeth’s face twisted, fury sparking to life again.
“What the fuck do you think, pissant?!” Zeth roared. The next blows came fast. Fist after fist, my vision clouded, but I just sat there and took it. I welcomed the pain, finding it grounding.
When he finally stopped, chest heaving, he jerked his chin toward Conrad. “Your turn.”
