My wolf is filled with pride.Damn.
Brett clicks his teeth, dismissing the strong wolf in front of me who clearly can handle herself. “Come on, guys, forget her. Let’s get out of here.”
Consciousness slowly trickles back for Jeff. “Where am I? What happened?”
They stand him to his feet and scatter into the woods with him still disoriented.
Jay rubs her knuckles. “Ugh. Stupid . . . chiseled . . . jaw, ugh!” She shakes it out.
I step toward her, holding out my palm. “Let me see.”
“I’m fine,” she lies.
Stubborn.Like every other female in my life.
I roll my eyes and grab her hand in mine anyway. Her knuckles are red. She nailed him good. “It’s not broken. Some ice should do it.”
Jay pulls away from me, and my wolf, like my hand, feels empty without her.
“We’ll head back.”
“Thanks.” We stare at each other longer than we should, studying each other.
Whoisthis she-wolf?
Chapter TWENTY-NINE
Jay
The infirmary is different from I remember it. The renovations have wiped away any memory of what happened here. If it didn’t haunt me every day, I probably wouldn’t have known it was the same place.
Someone else who won’t soon forget is frowning in front of me. His heartbeat’s rhythm has changed, uncomfortable and unsettled. He opens and slams every drawer in a huff when he can’t find what he’s looking for. He mutters curses under his breath. I can only imagine how hard it must be to be back here, especially with me.
“There it is. Finally,” Caleb breathes when he finds the tape.
I hop up onto the trainer’s table. He rolls a stool to me and cuts the adhesive with his teeth. He wraps it around my fist. “You hit him pretty hard.”
“I know. He’s always had a hard head.”
His lip curls upward. He glances at me briefly and then back down to the tape, checking its tightness as he lays it down. “You say that like you know from experience.”
“I...Mayhave punched him once before,” I lie. “Okay, twice.”
He raises an eyebrow.
“Alright, fine. Three times.”
He fully smiles at that. “Have you?”
“You’ve met him. What do you think?” I mutter.
He chuckles. “I thought you hated fighting.”
“I do, but that doesn’t make me a pacifist,” I joke. I watch him go round and round, wrapping my fist. I lower my voice. “I’m sorry for what he said. That wasn’t right.”
A deep sigh escapes him, but he nods, accepting. “Not your fault. You warned him. Think he learned his lesson?”
I snort. “Did you not hear how many times I’ve punched him?”
