“Good day,Harris.Wewere just leaving,”Isaid, keeping my voice cool and even.
“Oh, were ya?”Hespat on the sidewalk and wiped his mouth with the back of one greasy hand.“Looksto me like you two are having yourselves a real nice time.”
The way he said it made my skin crawl.Besideme,IfeltKortense immediately andIbit my lip.Harriswas exactly the kind of man who enjoyed provoking people and thoughIhadn’t known him long,Irecognized thatKorwas exactly the kind of man who wouldn't back down once challenged.
“Come on,Kor,”Imurmured.“Justignore him.”
Unfortunately,Harrishad already gotten what he wanted.Korstopped walking and turned to face him fully, his handsome face darkening with a frown.
“What the fuck is your problem?”he demanded.“You'vebeen running your mouth ever sinceIgot here.We'rerelated byPackLaw—how dare you make accusations like that?”
“Oh,I'lldare whateverIwant, pup.”Harrislaughed harshly and then turned his attention to me.“Matterof fact, everybody in town's talking about it.Thegrieving widow and the handsome young heir, all alone together in that big old mansion.”
My cheeks burned, not becauseIhad done anything wrong, but becauseIknew exactly howBlackridgeworked.Arumor only had to be whispered once before it took on a life of its own andIhad no doubt people had been gossiping aboutKorand me ever since the funeral.Thefact that we'd done nothing improper didn't matter.
Truth rarely mattered once people decided they wanted a scandal.
“We've done nothing inappropriate,”Isaid sharply.
“No?”Harris'seyes glittered.“Maybenot yet.”
“That'senough,”Isnapped.
ButHarriswasn't interested in stopping.Icould see it in his face—he wanted an audience and unfortunately he was getting one.Severalpeople had slowed on the sidewalk and others had stopped entirely.Acrossthe street, two women stood outside the bakery pretending to admire the display window while openly listening to every word.
“Well,Isuppose oldCarterain't been in the ground long enough for that,”Harriscontinued.“Still, maybe you’re making up for lost time.Heprobably couldn’t breed you for the last year or so at least—is your pussy gettin’ itchy for a cock?”
“Watch your mouth,”Korgrowled.
“Oh, look at that.”Harrislaughed nastily.“Thepup'sprotective.”
His eyes slid back to me and suddenlyIwished we had gotten into the car five minutes ago and driven straight home.
“How do you like having that nice young cock sliding into your pussy, eh,PackMistress?”he demanded loudly.“Isit nice and thick?Doesit fill you up better thanCarter'sever did?”
The words hit me like a slap and for a momentIcouldn't breathe.Humiliationwashed over me so fiercely that my vision blurred andIheard someone in the crowd gasp.Anothervoice muttered, “Harris!”in a shocked tone, but nobody stepped forward to stop him.
Nobody told him to hold his tongue or reminded him that he was speaking to the widow of the latePackLeader.Theysimply stood there and watched while he humiliated me in the middle ofMainStreet.Aftertwenty years inBlackridge,IsupposeIshouldn't have been surprised.Peoplehad always found it easier to look away than stand up toHarrisMurdoch.
OnlyKorseemed willing to do that.
The grocery bags hit the ground.Onesecond they were in his hands and the next they were exploding across the sidewalk.Potatoesrolled in every direction, a carton of eggs burst open, and the strawberries bounced once before splitting apart.
I stared stupidly at the mess for half a heartbeat, as though my mind couldn't quite process what was happening.ThenKor'sfist connected withHarris'sjaw and all thoughts of groceries vanished from my head.
The crack echoed down the street.Harrisstaggered backward, his eyes going wide with shock as blood sprayed from his mouth.Ithink everyone expected the two men to fight eventually but not until theAlphaChallenge.NobodyexpectedKorto hitHarrisfirst—least of allHarrishimself.
“You don't talk to her like that,”Korgrowled.
His voice was low and deadly—I'dnever heard that tone from him before.
For a split secondHarrisactually looked afraid.Thenhis face twisted with rage.
“You son of a bitch!”
He launched himself forward and the twoAlphascollided so hardIheard the impact from several feet away.Harriswas a large man—thick through the chest and shoulders—butKorwas taller and much faster.TheyoungerAlphaducked the first punch and drove his fist intoHarris'sribs hard enough to make him grunt.
Then the fight was on.
