It had been ten minutes since the branding was done, and she still sobbed against me. I didn’t feel the need, nor did I want to comfort the girl. I knew she had already healed and there was no pain, and knowing that made it all so much harder to stand still and hold her. I did it solely out of duty. To keep up the appearance of us united. Detachment is better, I thought, and rubbed another circle on her back. This was what I needed to take back the pack. A partner, not a lover, not someone I would worry about every second. At least that’s what I tried to convince myself.

Marcy pulled Tiffany’s dress back up over her shoulders. “Come on, sweetie, let’s get you cleaned up,” she said, taking Tiffany’s hand, and pulling her off of my chest. It should have sounded sweet, and comforting. Marcy always did, but right then she sounded hollow. She sounded how I felt.

“Don’t think I’ve ever seen an alpha cry before,” Jared said, strolling into my office. “What did you do to her?” He took up a post beside Beck, leaning against the wall, and folded his arms over his chest.

“She took her imprint,” I said, and dropped down onto the couch. I hadn’t expected Jared back, not this soon, and I was more than a little stunned that I didn’t really care that he was. It was done. I lost her. I had a mate now. And even though I wanted to tear him apart, I figured there wasn’t much point, and it would take a lot of energy that I just didn’t have.

“You should have heard her scream,” Beck said with a snicker. “Where’ve you been?”

“Jade’s,” he said, watching me closely as if he was expecting some kind of reaction. When I didn’t give it, he said, “Sorry I missed it all.”

I looked him over, taking in breath after breath, looking for any difference in his scent. I didn’t find any, and I didn’t know whether to be happy about that or not. He hadn’t claimed Jade … yet. I sighed. “I’m not giving her to you, Jared,” I said, after a moment, keeping my voice even. “I’m not going to force her to mate.”

“My little kitten doesn’t need to be forced,” he said, and winked suggestively. “She’ll come to me willingly soon enough.” He looked toward the door and called, “Jade, anytime now.”

My stomach dropped at the sound of her name. I should have figured he’d drag her back here just to rub it in my face, but honestly, I had never thought he could be that cruel. Clearly, I was wrong.

Jade stormed into the room, and growled, “Shut it, Jared.” She swiveled around, looking everyone over and then snarled, “Where is she?”

She looked wired. Her brown eyes were rimmed with gold, and her fists were clenching and unclenching rapidly. She was fighting her inner-wolf; its scent was thick in the air and by the looks of her, if she relaxed at all, she’d shift instantly. I’d never seen a newbie with so much restraint before. But then, I’d never seen one as strong as she was either.

“Jade, tread carefully,” I warned, looking her straight on. What the hell was she doing? I could have strangled Jared right then. How could he have let her walk in here like this? Didn’t any of them give a shit about what happened to her?

“Tiffany broke pack rule number five,” she said, marching up to me. Her skin was twitching and dark hair had already started to litter her cheekbones. She put her hands on her hips and stared down at me, scrunching her nose.

I sighed. Why did she have to be so damn cute when she was mad? “Jade, stop. She’s your alpha now.”

“Are you even listening to me!” she yelled, and stomped her foot. “She’s not my alpha. She’s turned her back on this pack.”

“Jade!” I stood up, and stepped closer to her. I was vibrating with anger. Wasn’t it enough that she walked away? Even if it was completely my fault, she ripped out my heart without a second thought, and now she was on a one-way path to getting herself killed. “Dominic,” I barked. “Take her and teach her the rules before she gets herself killed.”

Right then, I hated myself even more. I should have forced her to submit. I should have taken control. Jared and Beck were watching her closely as if they were just waiting for her to do something stupid now that her free pass was over, and I couldn’t do anything to help her. It was hard enough standing here, seeing her in so much pain, and not being able to pull her into my arms. Dammit! What was she thinking throwing out random accusations about an alpha?

“Let her speak, Aidan,” Beck said. He pushed off of the wall and strode over to her, a glimmer of curiosity shining in his eyes. “Do you have proof?” he asked, when he was standing in front of her.

“Erika, show them the video,” she said, with more gentleness than I expected her to have with the girl that changed her life.

CHAPTER 34

~ JADE ~

Aidan watched the video. Twice. And as he did, I started to lose control. Jared tried to help. He rubbed my back each time a bone snapped, and whispered random nonsense into my ear, as if he was trying to talk over my father’s betrayal, but it didn’t help. My inner-wolf had been trying to break out for hours now, and I didn’t know how much longer I could hold her in.

“I want to challenge her,” I said, pacing back and forth, before they could watch the clip again. “Where the hell is she?” My voice didn’t sound like my own anymore. Each word that I said was slurred and growled. But if Aidan noticed, he didn’t care, or if he did, he hid it well.

“Jade, you don’t need to,” Aidan said coolly. “She’ll be killed for this.” He looked at me with cold detachment and I hated how much it hurt. I wasn’t supposed to care about him. He was a lying jackass. I was the one who walked away. But I just couldn’t help it. Everything about him made my body sing.

“Not good enough,” I snarled, using the pain he’d caused me to fuel my determination. “The games aren’t starting again. I want to end this.”

Aidan cocked his head and looked me over, and as he did, I knew I picked the wrong words. He started to smile, a soft smile, and for a split-second, his desire burned brightly in his eyes. I was about to take it back and try to rephrase it when Tiffany’s nasally voice pierced my ears. “I won’t submit to you.”

I pivoted, following the earsplitting sound. She stood in the doorway, grinning at me. Her carrot colored hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and her light blue dress was dotted with what looked like dried blood on the right side of her chest. She was shorter than me by a few inches, and thinner, too. Instead of my soft muscles, she was skin and bone.

I grinned as I took in my opponent. “Yeah, you will or I’ll kill you. You pick,” I said. I stripped out of my clothes, quickly as the first snaps of my bones rang out around me. In a rush of steamy heat, I let my body remold, and my fur sprout from my skin. Shifting felt like a high; a fast acting drug, one that I would never get enough of. Energy pulsed through me, hot and cold and blissful.

I growled and my lips curled back over my gums, as I stalked toward her. She had her eyes closed, and her nose was scrunched. The outline of her mark flickered to life with that soft white glow that I had seen on Aidan’s chest. Her bones started to break, and her dress fell to the floor.

Tiffany’s wolf was a deep brown with scattered flecks of white. She backed out of the office, growling, and I followed her into the gleaming white waiting room. My claws clicked against the tiles, echoing around me.

I didn’t wait. I didn’t want to give her a chance to make the first move. As soon as I was through the doorway, I lunged at her, and my teeth found purchase in her hip before she could fully jump out of my way. I held on tightly, throwing my head back and forth until a chunk of her flesh gave way.

Maybe I should have waited. She spun on me as soon as she was free, and I felt her teeth tear into my side and then into my shoulder. She danced back, snarling, and then came at me again, biting into my hip. Her movements were fast and her bites, clean and effective. In seconds, sharp pain shot from all over my body.

I twisted, biting out at her. She was fast, dodging out of the way before I could get my teeth into her. I snarled. The coppery scent of blood wafted around me, mixing with an overwhelming scent that was spicy and bitter and strong, and near crippling. I backed up a step, confused. I didn’t know what it was or where it was coming from. It made my throat constrict, and my knees shake.

She circled around me, growling and snarling, and I shook my head, trying to clear the pain that coursed through me. Between her bites and that scent, my body was screaming with agonizing, burning pain.

I focused on her, swiveling with her slow circles. Her chest was glowing, the white light pulsing through her fur, and I was certain the scent was coming from her alpha’s imprint. Right then I knew I needed to end this, before it consumed me.

I crouched down and pushed off with my hind legs. Sharp, hot pain slid through my joints and muscles and I collided into her side. We smashed breathtakingly hard into the tiles, snarling and rolling together in a jumbled ball. I bit her, tearing through her flesh over and over, as we tumbled across the waiting room, a trail of crimson laying the path behind us.

We hit the wall, and suddenly she was on top of me. Her razor sharp canines flew at my neck, and I bucked under her, trying to throw her off. Blood sprayed across the floor as her teeth sank into the hollow side of my neck just above my shoulder, and she tore out a chunk of skin and fur. I kicked and clawed at her, tossing her off, before her teeth could find me again and finish me off.

I scrambled to my feet. Blood dripped off of me, pooling at my paws. I tried to growl, but it didn’t sound right. My breath shortened, wheezing and gasping, and I trembled as I tried to keep my feet under me.

Tiffany stood in front of me, her scent thickening in the air, and blood dripping down her muzzle and hindquarters. I felt my scent pulse from me in a warm, hazy burst, trying to mask hers. She staggered slightly to the side, before letting out a menacing growl, and my body convulsed with a shiver.

“Jade!” Aidan yelled, and out of the corner of my eye, I saw him struggle to get to me. Jared and Beck held him by the arms, pulling him back.