Page 112 of Poet & Protector

Dax released my shirt and with one last angry glance at me he turned and walked out of the bar. Fey started after him, but Calla blocked her path.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“Sorry, Cal.” Fey might have said ‘sorry,’ but there was no apology in her tone. “I’m with him on this one.”

“Watch yourself, Fey,” Calla growled.

Fey didn’t flinch. “Do you have a problem with me?”

“I’ll let you know when I’ve heard what happened,” Calla replied.

“Fine.” Fey stepped around our alpha and ran after Dax.

Fury radiated from Nev as he began to follow, but Ren grabbed his arm.

“Get back on stage and start playing again. Whatever just happened, it’s over.”

Nev wasn’t interested in getting back to the show until he knew what went down. “But⁠—”

“I’m fine, Nev.” I put my hand on his shoulder. “We’ll sort this out. Go play.”

I wasn’t fine, but if he got the details of what happened, he wouldn’t pay any attention to Ren’s order. I didn’t want Nev to fight Dax, no matter how much Dax deserved to have his ass thoroughly kicked. What Dax said to me was unforgivable, but only Ren could decide how the situation would be handled. If Nev disobeyed his alpha, he and Dax would both be in trouble.

With more than a little reluctance, Nev headed back to the stage. The music picked up again, but the ballad had been ditched for a louder, faster rock anthem.

“Someone want to tell me what’s going on?” Calla asked.

“It was nothing,” I replied, and moved to help Cosette pick up the table. “Like Ren said, it’s over now.”

As adrenaline from the confrontation leached out of me, I was suddenly exhausted. Exhausted and sad. I didn’t want to deal with the fallout from this.

“It wasn’t nothing,” Ansel protested.

“What happened?” Ren asked.

“Really, let’s not make a big deal out of it,” I said, hearing the strain in my voice. “He lost his temper, that’s all.”

The more I thought about it, the more I worried about Nev. I didn’t want him to know what Dax had said to me. Dax was his packmate. It was a horrible betrayal, but I was also filled with shame because my deepest, secret fear was that every word he’d spoken was true. I wanted to forget it ever happened.

“I don’t think you can just drop it, Mason,” Shay said quietly. “It is a big deal. Dax was out of line.”

I appreciated that Shay and Ansel were standing up for me, but they weren’t the ones who’d have to wade through the emotional muck if we didn’t move on from this situation. I caught Ansel’s gaze, then Bryn’s, trying to convey the message that I didn’t want any gory details on the record.

Ansel gave me a confused look.

Bryn pressed her lips together, eyes full of worry, just as Calla turned to her.

“What did Dax do?”

Bryn glanced at me, then Ansel. “He didn’t like something Mason said…about Neville.”

Thank you, Bryn.

It wasn’t only that I was afraid of what would come next, I also couldn’t bear listening to anyone repeat Dax’s awful words. I felt sick.

“I see,” Ren said, jaw tightening.

He started toward the door and Calla followed. Shay’s eyes followed the alphas. Bryn and Ansel exchanged uncertain glances. Poor Cosette was kneeling on the floor trying to gather broken pieces of glass.