“And you were supposed to come home.”
He possessed a level of audacity that didn’t even exist in this reality.
“In what universe would I come home after that? You don’t get to treat me like garbage and think I’ll come crawling back.”
Tyler rolled his eyes. “Sure could’ve fooled me.”
My spine stiffened, hackles raised. “Go fuck yourself.”
Leo bolted from the office, sprinting to get between Tyler and I. “This is private property, and you’re not welcome here.”
“She was private property, too, but that didn’t stop you from getting your dick in her, did it?”
Shock rippled through everyone. Panic twisted my stomach and Leo’s fury didn’t make it any easier to contain. “Did you just call meproperty? What the hell is the matter with you?”
“We both know that pussy was bought and paid for.” Tyler looked at me with such disdain, it was a struggle not to wilt and go hide in Leo’s office. “You knew exactly what you were doing with me.”
Leo looked ready to commit a murder. “Tyler, get the fuck out of here. You’ve done enough damage to her life, and if you say anything else, I’m going to break your nose.”
My ex scoffed. “You’re such a fucking joke, Madison. You go on about how you don’t need alphas, but then I hear from Jenna you’re out on the town with four of them?”
“Get. Out,” Leo snapped, his growl low and threatening.
“I told you, didn’t I?” Tyler continued as if Leo hadn’t spoken. “You can’t get by without an alpha. I bet you presented for the first fucker who looked at you, didn’t you? You’ll use anyone to get what you want.”
The moment Leo put his hands on Tyler to direct him out, Tyler swung, the shock of pain radiating down the bond as Leo stumbled back. I jumped in front of him and Leo turned me right around, keeping himself as a shield between us.
“You’re lucky I didn’t report you to the cops,” Tyler snarled. “Saved me the bullshit trouble of moving you out at least. I can’t believe you’re such a fucking coward.”
“Baby…” Jenna tried again to placate him.
“Jenna, shut up. I’m busy.”
“Hey, man, that’s not fucking cool,” one of Jenna’s pack said, finally coming to intervene. “You don’t get to talk to her like you do the home-wrecker.”
“Home-wrecker?” The word tumbled off my lips. “You can’t keep telling people I cheated when you were the one fucking around on me.”
“Get him out of here or I’m pressing charges,” Leo demanded, looking to Jenna’s pack to do something actually useful.
“Come on,” the closest one begged. “Forget her. Don’t make me rethink getting you registered.”
I blinked. Registered? Realization dawned, hot and sharp.
Tyler was joining their pack.
For Jenna.
All these years Tyler had denied me a pack, but he was joining one for Jenna. Of all the fucking miserable asshole things to pull, this one was impressively close to the top of the list. Every single word he’d said to me today branded itself on me, stinging as if he’d physically struck me. I barely had time to process one thing before he was hurling another.
“Are you fucking serious? You stopped me from having a pack for a whole decade and now you’rejoiningone? What kind of hypocritical bullshit is that? Why was I never allowed to have a pack if you were actually fine with them?”
Jenna looked between me and Tyler a half dozen times before speaking. “You told us she never wanted a pack and you were tired of being alone.”
Tyler’s gaze was blistering on me. “And you’re going to believe this slut over me?”
Leo moved so fast, I didn’t have time to stop him. His fist connected first with Tyler’s nose, and then his gut, Tyler’s wail of pain immediately choked off as the hit expelled all his air.
Jenna’s pack abandoned Jax where they’d boxed him in to keep him out of the way, sprinting to surround Tyler, but blessedly, none of them made a move against Leo.
