Chapter 22 #2
“Carter is ten times the man you’ll ever be,” Rose snaps, fists clenched at her sides, the fire in her eyes daring him to move.
“I’ll deal with you later. Let the men handle this.” He swings a left hook with reckless force. My head snaps back just in time as his fist grazes my cheek, the sting sharp and hot, a warning.
“Is that all you’ve got?” I toss my head back, voice low and dangerous. “I’ve had wolf pups in nappies hit harder than that.”
“Why don’t you let me down and fight me like a man?” Jett taunts, jerking against my hold, cocky and unafraid.
“A man? I don’t think you can handle that.” I release my grip on his shirt, and he wobbles unsteadily to his feet.
“That. Bitch. Is. Mine.” He lunges at me, eyes wild, rage radiating off him in waves.
“She belongs to no one.” I step aside, feeling every muscle in my wolf coil like a spring, and pull my fist back, ready to strike with precision.
Bam.
My fist connects with his nose. Hot, metallic blood sprays across my chest and forearm. The copper tang floods my senses, fueling the wolf surging inside me.
“You broke my nose!” he howls, clutching his face.
“You’re lucky that’s all he did.” Rose’s eyes flash.
“You’ll regret choosing him over me. I’ll show you! Just because everything I did to foul your event opening didn’t work—”
“What do you mean…” Rose’s hands clench into fists at her sides.
“The decorations? The band having to cancel?” Jett wipes at his dripping nose.
“It was you? This whole time?”
“When that didn’t deter you, I thought not having your precious catered macarons would.”
“You set the bakery on fire?” Rose gasps, covering her mouth. “You could’ve hurt someone—or worse.”
“All you had to do was take me back.”
“You thought by ruining my career I’d come sniveling back to you?
That after everything I’d help you get your art into galleries?
You’re pathetic, Jett. I don’t know what I ever saw in you.
” Rose shakes her head and takes a step back, but Jett lunges for her.
She sidesteps and he trips, crashing into the brick wall.
Jett staggers back, howling as he clutches his face. “You fucking bitch.”
“Get lost,” I growl.
Jett takes one last look at the both of us before bolting around the corner like a coward.
Rose glances up at me, green-blue eyes wide. “Do you think he’ll be back?”
“I doubt it,” I reply, voice low, muscles still taut. “But if he’s stupid enough to… I won’t hold back a second time. Some people only learn the hard way.” I shrug, trying to rein in the wolf still thrumming in my chest.
Rose lays a gentle hand on my forearm. “Come on. Let’s get you inside and cleaned up.”
“You’re covered in blood,” Rose whispers, voice trembling as her fingers lace through mine and pull me toward the narrow bathroom by the office. The scent of her—fresh berries, cream, something wilder—cuts through the metallic tang on my skin.
“I’m fine,” I murmur, low and rough. “It’s mostly his.”
My hand finds her face, cradling it gently; my thumb traces the curve of her cheek as if to prove she’s really here.
I lift her other hand to my lips and linger against the soft skin on the underside of her wrist. Her pulse flutters beneath my mouth, a frantic, delicate drumbeat that ignites every protective instinct in me.
You went too easy on him. He shouldn’t have been able to walk away after that stunt.
“He shouldn’t have hit you.”
“Hit me? That bastard had no business showing up here, let alone touching you. Tell me you’re not hurt.” I search her face for the smallest sign of pain, but she shakes her head and slips from my grasp to grab a folded cloth from the shelf.
“No, I’m not hurt. You got there just in time. How did you know?” She meets my gaze, a questioning look in her eyes.
“I just…” I hesitate, searching for words strong enough to hold the truth. “I didn’t see you in the crowd, and something in me—something primal—snapped to attention. I couldn’t breathe until I found you.”
Her gaze softens. “Thank you,” she whispers, dabbing the cloth gently along my jaw, the water cool against my heated skin. Thanks to my fast-healing shifter abilities, the bruises and small cuts are nearly gone.
Her breath stills.
“In my world, shifters… we mate for life. We find the other half of our soul and bond. Sometimes it’s another shifter.
Sometimes—rarely—it’s someone from outside our kind.
” My thumb slides along the line of her jaw, committing every inch to memory.
“The moment I saw you, I knew. You’re mine. My fated mate. My forever.”
“I know,” she says simply.
The words hit me like a punch. “You… knew?”
She nods, eyes glistening. “I felt it—that weekend, when I couldn’t read your emotions with my magic. I knew you weren’t like anyone I’d ever met. I suspected, but I was scared. That’s why I ran.” She drops her gaze, but I tilt her chin back up, refusing to let her look away.
“Kitten,” I murmur, voice rough with feeling, “I will stand at your side for the rest of my life. No matter the miles between us. No matter the dangers. You are mine, and I am yours. Always.”
A shy smile tugs at her lips. “I’d like that. And not just because you beat the hell out of my ex.” Her gaze locks with mine, steady and sure. “I knew the moment you stepped back into my life.”