“I’m serious,” I say, tone hardening. “I respect that both of you have been patient so far, but Tansy has to stay in control of who touches her and when.”
“I know,” Grason says quickly. “I promise, I’m not trying to corner her or anything like that.”
Warren exhales through his nose. “Probably for the best anyway. Fucking her against a beehive seems like a bad idea.”
Grason snorts before he can stop himself. “Like you didn’t already fuck her in the pantry.”
Warren straightens instantly. “I did notfuckher.”
“Yes, you did,” Grason says, deadpan. “I heard you two in there kissing during Cass’s first physical therapysession.”
“Yeah,” Warren snaps, clearly offended. “Ikissedher. That’s it.”
“That’s enough,” I cut in, and both of them shut up immediately.
I lean forward slightly, forearms braced on the desk. “This isn’t a fucking joke. Something inside Tansy is….” I drop my gaze to my desk, trying to find the right word, “...I don’t know." I shake my head, frustrated as I focus on our bond, but right now all I can feel is her contentment.She really likes being with Beck.“I can’t put my finger on it yet,” I look up at my packmates, “but she’s always braced. Tense. It’s like she’s waiting for something bad to happen.”
Neither of them interrupts me.
“Tansy decideswhotouches her andwhen,” I repeat. “No exceptions.”
Grason nods, all humor gone now. “Understood.”
Warren’s jaw tightens, like the thought of someone hurting Tansy has him ready to rip someone’s throat out. “Crystal.”
I sit back. “Have fun and keep your hands to yourself.Unless she asks.”
Grason doesn’t joke this time. “I promise.” He turns to go, closing the door softly behind him.
I look at Warren. “What do you need?”
He doesn’t answer right away. Instead, he moves closer and drops into the chair across from my desk, forearms braced on his thighs. That alone tells me it isn’t small. “Pace gave Tansy a shot,” Warren says. “And Beck.”
“When?” I ask sharply, already leaning forward. “What kind of shot?”
“Moments before she went into her heat,” he says with a pointed look. “Pace told her and Beck that it was animmune booster, but I think it was a heat-accelerator. It had Beck on edge for days.”
I stare at him in complete disbelief. “And you’re telling me thisnow?”
Warren’s shoulders visibly tense. “I didn’t think Pace would still be coming to our house. I thought once your injections were done, the fucker would go away. Isn’t that how shit goes with surgeons? They do the damn surgery, then send you on your way?”
“Fuck.” I lean back, anger simmering under my skin. “I’ll handle Pace.”
“I figured you’d want to,” Warren says, but he doesn’t stand. There’s a beat of silence. Then he exhales slowly. “There’s something else.”
I wait, braced.
“Tansy told me about someone who touched her at the Morder,” he says carefully. “A beta. His name’s Zack.”
His words plow through me, and my hands curl into fists. “What kind of touching?” I growl, unable to help myself.
“The kind that scared her,” he says, his eyes growing dark. “She tried to shrug it off like it wasn’t a big deal, but it’s clear it was.”
Something hot and violent lights up under my skin. My pulse kicks hard, sharp enough that my knee twinges in protest. I ignore it the best I can. “Alright.” I nod once. “We need to find him."
“I already did,” Warren says cooly.
I can’t hide my surprise. “Really?”
