I shake my head. “Nah, man. I’m good. Not hungry.” My stomach decides to call me a liar and rumble out its disagreement.
He frowns. “You sure?”
I nod again. “Yeah, man. I’m good.” I’m not great company right now, and I don’t need to dampen my family’s good mood. We got the call earlier from the South Atlantic Pack that they were closing Sofia’s case. Mom won’t be trying to take her anymore. I guess her new boyfriend or whatever decided to take off on her and she doesn’t want the responsibility of a kid on her own. Surprise. Surprise.
It’s good news. I should be with them celebrating, but I just—I can’t get my mind in the right headspace for it. And none of us really has the heart to tell Sofia that we only won because Mom walked away. Gave up on her.Again.
“Alright. Let us know if you change your mind.” With that he leaves, and I do exactly what I’ve been doing this past week. Think. But no matter how much I analyze my problem, I still can’t find a fucking solution. This isn’t like a mathematical equation with only one answer. There are too many variables and my brain struggles to figure them all out, but three weeks is three weeks too long. Something needs to give.
My phone pings beside me and I check the screen. A somewhat familiar number flashes and against my better judgement, I answer it. “Hello.”
“Hey, J—” A breathy voice says on the other end of the line.
I roll my eyes at the ceiling and throw myself down on my bed. “What do you want?”
There’s a pause. “It’s me. Kaitlyn.”
“And?” I ask. Is her name supposed to mean something to me? I know at least four Kaitlyns. Five if you count Sofia’s friend, but I’m pretty sure she isn’t the one calling me. There’s a different girl hitting me up damn near every day. At first I played along. I wanted to see if it made Joaninha jealous. I wanted to know if she cared. But all it took was the one time I caught hurt on her face for me to put an end to that. Only now, I can’t get the girls to back off.
“So, I was thinking, umm, there’s this party.”
“Pass,” I say and hang up the phone, dropping it on the comforter beside me. After rolling to my feet, I head for the kitchen, ignoring the buzz of my phone as another call comes in. Leave a voicemail, or don’t. Either way, I’m not answering and I’m not calling any of these chicks back.
I’m almost to the refrigerator when there’s a knock at the door that stops me. It sounds again.You’ve got to be kidding me.They’re showing up at my house now? This is going too far. I clench my teeth and storm to the door, jerking it open, a growl already rumbling in my chest, only to be greeted by the one asshole I definitely do not want to see. Not today. Not tomorrow. Not fucking ever.
“What are you doing here?” I bite out, hands fisted at my sides. My nostrils flare, taking in his scent and instinctively searching for Jo’s. Has he touched her? Tried to—I shake the thought away. If I go down that road, I’m going to hit something. Or, more likely, someone.
Jae stands there like the smug bastard he is. Dressed in black jeans, a white shirt so long it reaches mid-thigh, and a black beanie covering his hair, he glowers at me, almost like he’s just as unhappy to see me as I am to see him.
I lean against the doorjamb with zero plans to welcome him inside. “Well?”
His lips tighten and a muscle jumps in his jaw. “I’m here for Joaninha,” he says, and I fold my arms over my chest. Right. Because she would totally send this asshole to come find me.
I straighten. Wait. What if she did send him to find me? What if something happened? To her or to César. “What happened?” The words barely make it out of my mouth before I’m grabbing my keys off the counter and brushing past him.
He jogs to keep up. “Where are you going?” he asks, irritation heavy in his voice.
“To Joaninha. What happened? Is she hurt? Is César—”
“No. They’re both fine.”
I pull up short. “Then why the fuck are you here?”
He exhales a harsh breath. “I’m here because she isn’t and because someone needs to talk some goddamn sense into you.”
I bark out a laugh. Oh. This is rich.
“Why the fuck do you care?” I swear it’s like I can’t catch a fucking break. All week I’ve had to watch my girl from a distance. I’ve had to pretend I’m fine with this situation when I’m anything but. I’ve had to watch her get out of this asshole’s car every goddamn morning only to climb back into it at the end of the day. And he’s here to what? Rub it in my face that Joaninha doesn’t want me anymore? That she was pissed off about something I didn’t even do and decided to make decisions that don’t only affect her life, they affect mine.Fuck.This is bullshit.
“Fuck off. I have nothing to say to you.” I turn to storm back to my front door, my wolf scraping against my insides. Jae is a threat.A rival after our matehe all but whispers in my ears.We should eliminate the threat. Claim what is ours.
His eyes narrow and he takes two steps forward, blocking my way and shoving his finger into my chest. I snarl, eyes blazing, and it takes everything in me not to shift and lunge for him. The guy has some fucking nerve showing up while he’s moving in on what’s mine. And no one can convince me that that isn’t exactly what he’s doing.
“Fuck me? Really. God, you’re such a child. Grow the hell up, man.”
My nostrils flare. “Get out of my way.”
“Not until you hear me out.”
