Chapter 8 #3
My stomach dropped as I watched a fairly sizable fenrir wolf and some other men approach the red-haired hostess.
She offered them somewhat of a bored look before leading them towards the table, and my breathing hitched as a pair of dark, mean eyes met mine.
Eyes that had been solely responsible for one of the worst beatings I’d ever received my freshman year of high school.
He’d been a senior at the time, so it’d been years since I’d seen him.
I hadn’t realized he’d come here. A tremble worked its way through me as a flash of something dangerous covered his expression before he looked at Julian next to me, frowning and looking at the table they were being seated at.
I could faintly tell Tore and Julian were trying to talk to me, but I wasn’t listening.
My stomach rolled as a memory washed over me.
Pain ripped through my skull as my knees broke and I curled in on myself.
I shouldn’t have walked away. I should have kept my eyes down.
I should have done so many different things, but the rough hand on the back of my hair had me knowing I was about to suffer the consequences.
A well-aimed kick hit my ribs as I cried out, my wolf letting out a growl in my throat that I covered with a groan.
“This will teach you to be fucking respectful, fucking bitch.” Guy Mars’ voice was harsh and cruel, my entire body shaking. Everyone around us in the hall watched with animation, and when another well-aimed hit to my ribs had me whimpering, my hearing went out completely.
“Effie.” Julian’s voice was hard as he grabbed my shoulders gently, causing me to wince.
My breathing was rough, and I couldn’t seem to focus on the space in front of me.
I tapped his shoulder, urging him to move, and slid past him, feeling vomit building in my throat.
Tore called my name, but I was already pushing through the bathroom door.
I slumped against the counter and let out a small noise, not knowing fully how to feel.
The overwhelming sense of panic was making everything else around me far more difficult to focus on. I did not want to see him. I didn’t want him invading this small amount of peace I’d found. Guy Mars was a horrible man.
The stall opened behind me and I straightened, letting out a small puff of an exhale as the red-haired woman froze, realizing I was in here.
I nodded awkwardly and pretended to wash my hands, except the water didn’t turn on.
It was this weird automatic one, and I just sort of stood there with my hands under it like an idiot until I let out a sigh and rested them on the counter.
I could feel her still looking at me quietly.
“You good?” she asked after washing her own, somehow making the other sink work, and grabbing a paper towel. I could feel she was a wolf, but I couldn’t tell you what type for the life of me. Whatever she was, it wasn’t setting off any instinctual alarms that I should be cautious of her.
“Yeah,” I mumbled as she looked over my expression, frowning as if not believing me, before stepping towards the door.
She turned back. “This isn’t about the men you’re sitting with, right? The blood-bonded pack?”
I blinked and shook my head. “Oh no. No, it’s not them.”
Her eyes darkened slightly as she nodded and walked out, leaving me extremely confused but feeling a bit better. I ran a hand over my throat before finally stepping out from the bathroom. Unfortunately, I found myself in a far more terrible position than I could have expected.
“Effie Harlow.” Guy’s voice was amused and dark from where he stepped out from the shadows. My wolf whimpered, remembering him well as we tried to sense where Tore and Julian were. I could hear them talking in the other room, seemingly upset. Who were they talking to?
“They are distracted. I wanted to talk to you,” Guy explained, stepping into my space. My breathing stilled, trying to not let his gross scent affect me. I knew he could probably smell how terrified I was right now.
“I don’t really want to talk to you.” I put my chin up, trying to be firm. I didn’t feel it though. I felt terrified, and phantom pain wrecked my body from when he had hurt me.
His eyes flashed as he grabbed my jaw in a hard grip and examined my face. “I would have never expected to see you here. I thought you for sure would have been knocked up by now, stuck in that shit hole of a pack house.”
My jaw tightened at the idea of being knocked up, and the way he said it made it feel that much more crude.
Honestly, I hadn’t given much thought to children, because I would never want to raise them in the Whitepaw Pack.
It was men like Guy that made me never want to mate or start a family to begin with.
So the notion of him assuming I would be ‘knocked up’ both grossed me out and infuriated me.
I tried to move, but his grip tightened, making me cry out slightly as I shook, fear coursing through me.
My voice came out quiet but steadier than expected. “Let. Go. Of. Me.”
“No fucking way,” he snarled, stepping into my frame and making me cringe at how hard I could feel he was. I remembered that about Guy though. He used to get turned on by hurting women. Or, at least, that was the rumor in school.
His voice was low and dangerous. “You’re fair game now, little bitch. I followed the rules back home, but now? Now it doesn’t matter.”
Rules? What rules?
Before he could say anything else, a cool, soothing energy tightened around me, and my eyes darted over the large man’s shoulder to meet a gaze that was already familiar despite our short time together. Dakota stepped forward from the shadows, his eyes filled with a darkness that mesmerized me.
“Get your fucking hands off her, Mars.”
Dakota’s voice was dangerously soft, and I found myself melting against the wall behind me, knowing somehow that I was going to be fine now. No one had ever defended me in my life, but I knew he would.
His wolf surged forward, connecting with mine as he gently comforted her, her nose buried against his throat in our subconscious little bond.
I barely noticed that Guy’s hold had moved to my ribs where he slammed my body against the wall, turning and keeping me prisoner.
I let out a small pained sound at the impact.
New bruises were never fun.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” Guy demanded.
“I said get your hands off of her. Now.” Dakota stepped forward into the man’s space, making me realize just how large he was.
His power also filled the space in a way that only alpha energy did, making my knees weak.
My wolf was absolutely loving this, but I was a bit more concerned with having issues breathing right now.
I was practically being crushed by Guy as he pressed me back into the wall.
If he broke my ribs, that was going to make things difficult.
Something told me the guys would be pissed as well.
“No.” Guy tugged me from behind him, his hand rough on my upper arm as I let in a shuddering, ragged breath. I hated shifter strength. I also hated being pulled around like a rag doll. I saw Dakota’s eyes narrow in on the hard grip he had on my arm.
Dakota paused only for a moment before he surged forward in a move that had my eyes widening.
Guy’s hand was ripped from my arm as a clear snap sounded.
My old bully let out a cry as he was slammed up against the wall, his lips pulled back as a growl broke from his throat, silenced by Dakota’s deadly, and honestly terrifying, snarl.
I could feel someone behind me, their hands floating right above me but not touching me.
Caedmon. I knew that was him.
I wanted to turn, but I was so caught up in watching, with sickening fascination, as Dakota threatened Guy. I couldn’t believe he snapped his wrist. For me?
I smoothed my hand over my bruised arm as my vision blurred slightly, my hearing going out as I felt my body shake from the adrenaline.
Caedmon was there then, his fingers gently on my shoulders as he looked over me, his gaze running over my jaw before seeming to turn into emerald flames.
There were probably bruises. His grip would have broken something in a human, but for me it would just leave a bruise. Small blessings, right?
“Are you okay?” Caedmon’s voice was warm, almost hypnotic, none of the reservation from earlier present. I almost felt like it wasn’t completely him.
I nodded mutely as a body darted past us, everything relaxing in realization that Guy was done.
I resisted the urge to lean into the man in front of me as Dakota approached, his eyes flashing in the shadows of the hallway.
He and Caedmon exchanged a look, the latter’s hands falling from my shoulders and making me irrationally sad.
“Yes-s.” My voice caught, a cool sweat on my skin.
“Let’s get her food to go. I want to get out of here,” Dakota said as Caedmon looked over me once again, nodding sharply and turning to leave me with the large, dangerous alpha.
Almost instantly, his arms wrapped around me, his grip tight enough I winced but managed to hide it as he rubbed his nose in my hair as if scenting me.
“You snapped his wrist,” I murmured.
Dakota chuckled softly before freezing. “Does that bother you?”
Did it? I saw slight concern in his gaze, making me wonder how common this was for him. My tongue darted out nervously as I let out a slow exhale and answered honestly.
“Surprised me,” I mumbled, and then my eyes widened. “I’ve never had anyone stand up for me before.”
I was thankful, more than anything. For the first time, someone in my life had protected me.
“I will always protect you, little wolf.” He pressed his forehead to mine, making my breath catch. Did he mean that? I wanted to believe he did. I wanted to believe he would always be there.