Cass’s Office #2
I lean forward slightly, forearms braced on the desk.
“This isn’t a fucking joke. Something inside Tansy is…
.” I drop my gaze to my desk, trying to find the right word, “...I don’t know.
" I shake my head, frustrated as I focus on our bond, but right now all I can feel is her contentment. She really likes being with Beck. “I can’t put my finger on it yet,” I look up at my packmates, “but she’s always braced.
Tense. It’s like she’s waiting for something bad to happen. ”
Neither of them interrupts me.
“Tansy decides who touches her and when,” I repeat. “No exceptions.”
Grason nods, all humor gone now. “Understood.”
Warren’s jaw tightens, like the thought of someone hurting Tansy has him ready to rip someone’s throat out. “Crystal.”
I sit back. “Have fun and keep your hands to yourself. Unless she asks.”
Grason doesn’t joke this time. “I promise.” He turns to go, closing the door softly behind him.
I look at Warren. “What do you need?”
He doesn’t answer right away. Instead, he moves closer and drops into the chair across from my desk, forearms braced on his thighs. That alone tells me it isn’t small. “Pace gave Tansy a shot,” Warren says. “And Beck.”
“When?” I ask sharply, already leaning forward. “What kind of shot?”
“Moments before she went into her heat,” he says with a pointed look. “Pace told her and Beck that it was an immune booster, but I think it was a heat-accelerator. It had Beck on edge for days.”
I stare at him in complete disbelief. “And you’re telling me this now?”
Warren’s shoulders visibly tense. “I didn’t think Pace would still be coming to our house. I thought once your injections were done, the fucker would go away. Isn’t that how shit goes with surgeons? They do the damn surgery, then send you on your way?”
“Fuck.” I lean back, anger simmering under my skin. “I’ll handle Pace.”
“I figured you’d want to,” Warren says, but he doesn’t stand. There’s a beat of silence. Then he exhales slowly. “There’s something else.”
I wait, braced.
“Tansy told me about someone who touched her at the Morder,” he says carefully. “A beta. His name’s Zack.”
His words plow through me, and my hands curl into fists. “What kind of touching?” I growl, unable to help myself.
“The kind that scared her,” he says, his eyes growing dark. “She tried to shrug it off like it wasn’t a big deal, but it’s clear it was.”
Something hot and violent lights up under my skin. My pulse kicks hard, sharp enough that my knee twinges in protest. I ignore it the best I can. “Alright.” I nod once. “We need to find him."
“I already did,” Warren says cooly.
I can’t hide my surprise. “Really?”
“I reached out to Jimmy the second Tansy told me,” he continues. “He emailed me about two minutes ago. He found the fucker.”
“You know where he is?” Heat surges through me as every instinct flares with the need to get my hands on the fucker.
“Yes.” Warren's eyes flash, mirroring my own excitement. “Jimmy got his name, address, work history, and where he’s staying right now.”
My jaw tightens. The urge hits fast and feral, a vivid, visceral need to destroy the man who touched my omega. He hurt her. I don’t know what exactly he did, but he won’t live to do it again.
“I figured you’d want to handle him yourself,” Warren says.
I don’t answer right away.
Because the truth is, I want to. Fuck, I want to.
The idea of hurting this asshole, of ripping out his throat and seeing the light drain from his eyes, lights something ugly and satisfying in my chest.
But then something flickers through my bond with Tansy.
It’s light and warm.
Her laughter brushes against me, bright like sunlight breaking through heavy rain. It’s distant but unmistakable. She's very happy right now.
And the contrast with my own rage damn near guts me.
I close my eyes briefly and force myself to breathe.
“You handle it.” I open my eyes, looking directly at Warren.
His brows knit together. “Are you sure?”
“No,” I say honestly. “But I know you’ll do a good job.”
“Cass,” Warren shakes his head, not understanding, “your knee is on the mend. I think if people see you out and about, even with the cane—”
“My bond with Tansy is too new.” I lean back in my chair, hands clenched tight enough that my knuckles ache.
“I’m still learning how it works. If I get my hands on this fucker, there’s no chance I’ll be able to keep my emotions contained.
Whatever I do to him, there’s a very real chance she might feel it.
And I can’t risk that.” I let out a defeated sigh.
“I don’t trust myself to keep that kind of violence from bleeding through to her. ”
Warren studies me for a long second, then nods. “Okay.” He stands up. “I’ll handle it.”
I stay exactly where I am, watching as Warren moves toward the door, trying like hell to breathe through my rage, holding onto the echo of Tansy’s laughter like a tether.
The sound of the latch clicking shut is still fading when I reach for my phone and look up the right number.
I take a deep breath, then tap the name, concentrating hard to close my emotions within my bond, blocking Tansy out.
The asshole answers on the third ring.
“Mr. Vexler,” Dr. Pace says. Brisk. Professional. “I was meaning to—”
“What the fuck did you give her?” I snap.
The silence on the other end is immediate, humming through the line. I can practically hear Pace flinch. I let it stretch, feeding on his fear.
“I’m not asking again, Pace,” I warn. “What the fuck did you give my omega?”
“I, I don’t know what you’re—”
“Don’t lie to me!” I growl, my control cracking.“You fucking lied to Beck. You told him it was a goddamn booster, even saying that Warren and I approved it, and you know damn well we didn’t approve shit.”
“Please, Cass.” He sounds panicked. “Let me explain.”
“Explain what?” I snarl. “That you triggered her fucking heat, while drugging my beta at the same goddamn time?” My knee throbs sharply, and I focus on it, letting the pain fuel my rage. “You fucked with my pack!”
“It was just a small dose,” Pace stammers, and I picture him sweating. “I was thinking about your health. You needed to bond with her to—”
“You listen to me, you piece of shit.” My rage is a living thing, clawing at my ribs.
“My mates’ bodies are not your fucking laboratory.
You don’t get to experiment on my fucking pack!
” I squeeze my phone hard enough that the casing creaks in protest. “If you ever come near my home again, I’ll rip your fucking throat out. Do you understand me?”
Pace is breathing hard, a panicked, rasping sound. “Yes. Yes, I understand.”
“Good.” I hang up before he can say another word, throwing the phone onto my desk. It skitters across the polished wood and stops at the edge. I stand there, shaking with the effort of reining my rage back in.
I hate how fucking useless I feel.
That I can’t go after the man who hurt Tansy.
I can only hope Warren will make every second of his death hurt.