He was the other wolf.
My nostrils flare when I look from Casey to Jeff. I charge him, and in one punch, his head whips to the side. He falls from the impact.
Casey screams.
It’s enough to force my wolf and me to accept that one punch is all I can allow myself to have. For her sake—not his.
Jeff stands in a huff and charges me, but Jay holds her hands out, standing between us to stop him.
“Yo, what the fuck was that, man?” he yells.
“Daddy slayed the alpha,’ huh?” I mockingly parrot what Casey said in a teasing tone. “Why don’t you tell me how the story went? Tell me how you slayed the big bad wolf. I’m all ears!” I hold out my arms, letting him know I’m ready whenever he stops pretending he can’t get past Jay and actually wants to take me on.
He yells at me, pacing. “What the hell are you talking about?” He looks down at Jay.
Internally and madly, I laugh.Like she’s going to save him.
“This guy, Jay? You likethisguy? Yo, this dude’s crazy. I know you see it.”
I point to myself. “I’mcrazy?I’mcrazy?Crazyis pretending to have murdered someone for clout then lying to your daughter about it. Then, showing up around me like you didn’t have a hand in it all.That’scrazy.”
“Yeah? You wanna see crazy, motherfucker? Let’s go!” Jeff breaks through Jay’s hold.
With quick reflexes and the skills to boot, Jay snatches his arm. Turning into him until her back is toward me. She throws him over her shoulder, causing Jeff to fall flat on his back with his arm still locked in Jay’s grasp.
Holy shit.I smile to myself.
Jay holds him there.
Jeff’s anger shifts from me to her. “What the hell, Jay? Whose side are you on?”
“This isn’t about sides. What we did waswrong. Caleb has a right to be angry, but this has to stop. I don’t want to fight anymore. The whole thing should’ve started and ended once Colin died. It wasn’t our battle—it never was. We were used. Let. It. Go.”
Jeff looks from Jay to me. He’s not fighting her hold anymore, but the strain in his face and the veins popping out of his forehead show me the fumes haven’t died.
“This is done. You hear me?” she yells in his face. “It’s done. Take Casey and go.”
“You don’t get to tell me—”
In the voice of a strong luna, Jay orders, “Go!”
Her roar sends chills up my spine and ruffles my wolf’s fur. It’s mouthwateringly sexy to hear her bark orders. Immediately, I turn to mush.
Baring his neck, Jeff looks unhappy about being put in his place by a she-wolf in front of his daughter and the man who just sucker-punched him.
Reluctantly, he stands. “Come on, Casey. Let’s go.”
“But I don’t wanna—”
“Now, Casey!”
With a pout, Casey scrambles out and grabs his hand.
Once they disappear into the trees, Jay fans herself, and her breathing picks up, both signs of the start of a panic attack. She plucks off her clothes in a hurry and heads for the water. She submerges herself. Concerned, I peel mine off and follow her.
Once she resurfaces, her breathing is back to normal. I guess she can see the worry etched on my face because she sighs. “I’m fine.”
I nod, but the worry doesn’t leave my face. I hate seeing her upset. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that in front of Casey.”
