“So are you speaking for her now? I thought Lex was her mate.” Carter wore a smirk as he spoke.

“I’m her Alpha and her anchor. That’s enough.”

“But he’s not speaking for her, in any case, Carter. He’s making a statement of fact.” Lex glared at the other man. “She lost her brother. She’s devastated and I’d never ask her to make such a big decision right now.”

“Like being claimed?” Eric asked.

“You know that’s just how it works, Eric,” Melissa said with annoyance. “A mate is a mate. You can’t change that. But becoming a new species, that’s a big deal. Lex is right to wait.”

“You think she’d want to change. It would make her stronger and faster, extend her lifespan. It would improve her in many ways,” Eric said.

“God, what kind of pond scum was Rey, then? I mean, I know humans are bad but if being changed makes them better, he must have been one step below trash before he got bit.”

“What did you just say?” Nina said, shoving her way through Cade and Lex and into Carter’s face.

Lex moved closer trying to protect her. The room had gone silent and everyone was watching the exchange. “Honey, let me handle this,” he murmured.

She turned and her eyes flashed at him with unshed tears. Her turmoil was clear in them, her guilt and rage. “Back off,” she hissed and turned back to Carter.

“I…uh…”

“Yeah, that seems to be all you’ve got when someone confronts your bullshit attitude.” She looked around the room. “You all feel the same way? That humans are scum? That my brother was trash?”

“Nina, honey,” Cade said, an edge creeping into his voice. Things could go bad with a moment’s notice with wolves and she was so damned fearless.

“Don’t you Nina honey me! He said it right in front of you and you didn’t say anything. My brother died for you people. He may not have been Mr. Upstanding Citizen, but he wasn’t trash. From what I can tell, he ran your errands and took care of things for you so your hands didn’t get dirty.”

“I didn’t say anything because you stormed in here before Lex or I could get a word out. You need to let me handle this,” Cade warned and reached out but she stepped away and his eyebrows went up.

Nina turned back to Carter. “So, big man, say it. Or are you too much a coward to say it to my face? Huh?”

“Nina!” Lex said, grabbing her arm, pulling her back from Carter.

“Control your mate,” Carter snarled and Nina broke free and was on Carter, knocking him to the ground. The heel of her hand was lodged against his windpipe, knees against his arms.

“Control this, you piece of shit!”

Lex pulled her off Carter, amazed at how fast and vicious she was for a human. He snarled at Carter, who was gasping for breath. Nina kicked and tried to break free.

“Put me down! Now, damn it!”

“Nina! Calm yourself. It’s over. You proved your point,” Cade said as she struggled in Lex’s arms.

“I call a challenge!” Carter said as he got up.

The room erupted in a chorus of argument then.

“You’ll stand down right now, Carter,” Cade warned.

“She drew first blood. She disrespected my station. She’s not a wolf, she doesn’t have Lex’s status. I use my right to challenge.”

“If you do this, Carter, you’ll be sorry,” Lex growled.

“You bring this human into this house and she disrespects the Third and I’m supposed to be silent about it?”

“Carter, you started it. Come on, she’s a human! She has no chance to defeat you,” Melissa said urgently.

“Shut up or I’ll challenge you after I kill her,” Carter snarled.

Lex dropped Nina and lunged, grabbing Carter by the throat and backing him against a wall. “If I kill you first, it’ll save us all the trouble.”

“Lex! Stand down,” Cade called out and Nina turned to face him, confusion on her face.

“You think I’m going to let this piece of shit kill my mate?” Lex asked, his voice less human than it had been just a moment before. His eyes had taken on a sort of luminous quality.

Tracy had moved to Nina’s side and Megan, her sister-in-law who was one of Cade’s guards, was on the other. The rest of Cade’s guards were in the room, fanned out, waiting.

“You cannot interfere with a challenge! This is Pack territory. As Third, it’s his right to challenge anyone who threatens his position. You would be subjecting yourself to censure and shunning if you interfere in that.” Cade’s voice was clear and unwavering but Nina felt his pain. Lex moved his hands away from Carter’s throat but stayed close to him, effectively keeping his back to the wall.

Cade turned back to Nina. “But I’m sure that Carter understands how upsetting his comments were to Nina, who just lost her brother and to one of us. I’m sure that we can forget this whole stupid incident once everyone just calms down.”

“I want this bitch’s apology and I want her to show obeisance,” Carter called out.

A collective gasp of outrage rippled through the room.

“Someone mind telling me what the f**k is going on?” Nina said.

“When you knocked Carter down in front of the Pack you showed him disrespect. And you nicked him and drew blood. As Third, it’s his right to challenge anyone who is lower in rank than he is for such acts,” Tracy murmured.