Chapter 11
MARK
The town park looked different that night. It looked transformed.
Fairy lights crisscrossed the stage. The faint smell of roasted chestnuts drifted from nearby food stalls set up for the weekend market.
I could already picture the area filled with numerous stalls for the Winter Festival.
The stage itself stood tall and gleaming under spotlights, its edges draped with banners for the upcoming event.
I could already feel the energy humming in the air. It made my wolf restless, eager, and proud. It wasn’t even the real performance yet, just a dress rehearsal, but it felt like more.
Zack looked incredible under those lights. He was sitting on a stool near the edge of the stage, head bent as he tuned his guitar.
The way his brow furrowed in concentration, the small crease between his eyebrows, the way his practiced fingers moved, made something warm coil low in my chest.
He plucked a string, adjusted the peg, and listened closely. Then again. The faint metallic twang filled the air.
“Almost perfect,” he murmured to himself, testing the sound again.
I watched him, my hands shoved in my jacket pockets to keep from reaching out. He looked so serious, so completely absorbed in the task, that it made me smile.
There was something ridiculously endearing about seeing him like that. Zack looked focused, grounded, and completely unaware that he was driving me half-crazy.
My wolf stirred. Kiss him, it whispered. Just one.
Yeah, like that’d help. One kiss, and Zack would probably miss his cue, forget the song, and I’d be the reason our rehearsal went off the rails.
Not exactly the impression I wanted to make, especially when everyone in the pack was watching from the sidelines.
“Hey,” Zack said suddenly, looking up. His eyes caught mine, a quick spark of warmth flashing through them. “You okay?”
“Yeah,” I said, quickly straightening. “Just enjoying the view.”
He raised a brow, a small smirk tugging at his lips. “Smooth.”
“Oh, you know I always am,” I said, grinning despite myself.
He rolled his eyes, though I caught the faint color rising in his cheeks.
Before I could say more, the event coordinator called out from across the stage. “Zack, Mark! You’re up after Theo and his band, so be ready!”
“Got it!” Zack called back, giving her a quick wave before glancing at me. “Guess that’s us next.”
“Yeah,” I said, my smile slipping just a little. “After Theo.”
Heck, his name alone soured the air.
He was already onstage, adjusting his mic, chatting easily with his bandmates, who were three other shifters I didn’t recognize.
Lion shifters, judging from the scent that drifted across the clearing.
His golden hair gleamed under the lights, and his shirt was unbuttoned just enough to look intentional. Typical.
I could feel my wolf bristle instantly, a low growl rumbling in my chest before I could stop it. I clenched my jaw, forcing myself to look away. He wasn’t worth it.
Not when Zack and I had worked so damn hard to get here.
“Hey,” Zack said softly beside me, his voice grounding me again. “Don’t let him get to you, okay?”
I forced a smile. “Who says he is?”
Zack’s look said it all. I sighed. “Okay, maybe a little.”
“He’s just doing what he always does,” Zack said with a quiet shrug. “Trying to make everything about him.”
It was clear why Theo was here, but seriously, why couldn’t he just leave Zack alone?
Then Theo and his band were done performing. The smug lion’s gaze landed on us, an arrogant smile spread across his face.
He pretended to look surprised, like he hadn’t known exactly where we were standing the whole time.
“Well, well,” Theo said, stepping down from the stage as his band wrapped up their soundcheck. “Zack. Didn’t expect to see you here.”
Liar.
Zack’s expression stayed polite but distant. “Hey, Theo.”
Theo’s gaze slid from him to me, and his smile tightened just slightly before returning to Zack.
“You look good,” Theo said, voice smooth as silk. “Really good. Have you done something new to your hair?”
My wolf snarled under my skin.
“Thanks,” Zack said shortly. “And no.”
Theo tilted his head. “I was hoping we’d get a chance to talk. About what we discussed earlier? You know, getting the guys back together?”
The words hit with double meaning. I could hear what he really meant. You ever think about getting us back together?
Zack froze for a second, and that second was enough. My wolf surged. Before I even realized what I was doing, I was stepping forward.
“He’s not interested,” I said, my voice low.
Theo looked at me, amusement flickering in his eyes. “Didn’t realize you were his spokesperson.”
“Yeah, well, anyone who really knew Zack knows when he’s being pressured,” I shot back.
“Mark!” Zack warned, but I couldn’t stop now.
Theo’s smirk widened. “Touchy, aren’t we? Relax. I’m just talking to an old friend.”
My vision sharpened, colors suddenly too bright. I could feel my pulse hammering through my veins, my wolf clawing at the surface. Theo’s scent was too close, too taunting.
I took another step forward before I knew it, and Theo mirrored it, his expression turning smug. He was purposely flaring his aura, his inner lion taunting my wolf. Then my control snapped.
The air cracked with a sound like splintering wood.
It took me a second to realize what had happened. I’d swung, meaning to shove him back, to just get him away, but Theo had sidestepped. My hand had slammed into something else.
Zack’s guitar. The one that had belonged to his dad.
The instrument hit the ground hard, the neck snapping cleanly in two. The crack of it echoed across the stage, louder than any shout.
Time stopped. Zack’s breath caught, his eyes wide in disbelief as he dropped to his knees beside it. His fingers brushed the splintered wood like it was something fragile and sacred.
“No,” he whispered.
Just like that, the haze broke. The anger drained out of me, leaving nothing but cold, gut-deep horror.
“I—Zack—shit, I didn’t mean to,” I whispered.
“Enough!” Zack’s voice cut through, sharp and trembling.
He stood, holding the broken guitar close to his chest. His expression wasn’t angry, it was worse. He looked stunned and hurt.
All around us, the noise was growing. Pack mates were hurrying over, trying to defuse things before it turned into a scene.
I could hear the event organizer calling for calm, a pack mate muttering about getting Cooper. A few humans lingered at the edge of the park, wide-eyed and whispering.
Theo took a step back, feigning innocence.
“Guess you wolves don’t handle competition well,” Theo said softly, and that smug little grin almost sent my wolf right back to the surface.
Then I saw Zack again, and that stopped me cold. He wasn’t even looking at Theo anymore. Just the guitar, his jaw clenched, eyes glossy in the light.
“Zack,” I said again, stepping closer, hands out like I could somehow fix what I’d done. “I swear I didn’t mean—”
“Mark,” he said quietly, voice tight. “Don’t.”
I froze.
“I just need a second,” Zack said, turning away, still holding the broken pieces of the guitar.
Behind us, a few of the pack members reached Theo, checking if he was okay, offering to take him to the clinic.
He wasn’t even hurt. I barely scratched him, but he looked damn pleased with himself, milking the attention for all it was worth.
I just stood there, the weight of what I’d done sinking in like a stone. Violence, in front of humans, during an event we were supposed to unite the town for.
Cooper had worked so hard to build trust between the pack and the community, to prove we weren’t dangerous. I’d just shattered that image, along with Zack’s guitar.
“Mark,” said a pack mate gently, appearing beside me. “Maybe you should go. Let things cool off.”
I nodded numbly, my voice barely working. “Yeah. Yeah, I’ll—”
I looked one last time at Zack. He hadn’t moved, still standing there, the stage lights catching in his hair, the broken guitar cradled in his arms like it was something irreplaceable.
“Zack,” I said quietly, the word rough in my throat. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
He didn’t answer, and he didn’t have to. The silence between us said everything.
I turned and walked off the stage, my wolf howling inside me. The beast was restless, regretful, and aching. Every step away felt heavier, the weight of guilt pressing down harder with each one.
Behind me, I could still hear the faint murmur of voices, the sound of Theo being fussed over, the crackle of tension that wouldn’t fade anytime soon.
I sat stiffly in Cooper’s office, staring at the grain of his desk.
“This can’t happen again, are we clear?” Cooper said, folding his arms across his chest. “Another incident like this happens, and I’ll ban you from performing at the event.”
That part cut through everything else. Ban me from performing. I heard that loud and clear.
I wanted to argue, to tell him Theo had been needling me from the start, that the lion shifter had deliberately provoked me, but what good would that do?
The truth was, I’d lost control, and I’d done exactly what Theo wanted. I made myself look like the unstable one, the jealous wolf who couldn’t handle a little competition.
Maybe that had been his plan all along. What better way to convince Zack that I wasn’t right for him than to show him just how easily I could turn violent?
When Cooper dismissed me, I muttered a half-hearted apology and left before he could see how hollow I felt.
A couple of pack members looked up from their duties as I passed, their gazes questioning. I didn’t stop to talk to anyone.
By the time I reached home, my chest felt tight, my heartbeat pounding against my ribs like a drum. I barely had my boots off before Mom appeared from the kitchen, worry already etched into her face.
“Mark?” she asked sharply. “What happened? I heard something about a fight at dress rehearsal.”
“I’ll tell you later,” I cut her off, my voice rough.
I couldn’t deal with the concern, the questions, or the judgment right now.
She frowned, but I didn’t wait for a reply. I trudged down the hallway and into my room, shutting the door behind me.
I collapsed onto the bed, staring at the ceiling as guilt twisted like barbed wire inside me.
Zack’s face kept flashing before my eyes. The way he’d knelt beside his father’s broken guitar, his fingers trembling as he’d gathered the splintered pieces. I’d done that. Me.
A few minutes later, there was a soft knock at the door.
“It’s Chris,” came my brother’s voice.
I groaned, burying my face in the pillow. “Go away,” I muttered.
Naturally, he ignored me. The door opened, and I heard the familiar clink of bottles.
“I brought beer,” he said.
That got me to sit up, at least. He walked over and handed me one, then dropped himself into the desk chair with a sigh.
He cracked open his own bottle, took a long swig, and studied me like he was waiting for me to start talking. I didn’t.
“So,” he said after a moment, “what really happened?”
I took a drink instead of answering. The bitterness hit my tongue, grounding me just enough to find my words. Then I finally let it all out and told him everything.
“I broke Zack’s guitar,” I muttered. “The one that belonged to his dad.”
Chris froze mid-sip. “You didn’t.”
“Yeah,” I said bleakly. “I did.”
For a while, neither of us spoke. The only sound was the faint hiss of carbonation when Chris set his bottle down.
“Cooper’s pissed,” I said eventually. “Said if I screw up again, I’m out of the performance. Honestly, I wouldn’t blame him. The whole pack’s been trying to build trust with the humans in town. I nearly wrecked that by acting like a feral wolf.”
“You’ve got to make it up to Zack,” Chris said finally. “No matter what it takes.”
I scoffed, though there wasn’t much conviction behind it. “You think I don’t know that?”
He didn’t flinch at my tone. “Then do it. Fix it. Don’t just sit here feeling sorry for yourself.”
I glared at him, but Chris pressed on. “You want what Devon has with Carter, don’t you?”
“Of course I do,” I snapped, the words ripping out before I could stop them. “But how the hell am I supposed to fix this? I broke something irreplaceable, Chris. That guitar wasn’t just an instrument. It was a memory. A piece of his dad.”
Chris tilted his head. “Then start somewhere. If you can’t replace it, find another way to show him how sorry you are. Get the guitar repaired if possible. Or get him a new one. Something meaningful, something that tells him you care enough to try.”
I stared at him, my chest tight.
He finished his beer and stood, leaving the empty bottle on my desk.
“You messed up, yeah,” Chris said, his voice softer now. “But you still have a chance to fix it. Don’t waste it sulking.”
With that, he headed for the door.
“Chris.”
He paused and looked back.
“Thanks,” I muttered.
He gave me a small smile. “You’re my brother. Just try not to start another brawl before New Year’s, alright?”
I let out a weak laugh. “No promises.”
When the door clicked shut behind him, silence filled the room again. This time, however, it wasn’t quite as suffocating.
I leaned back against the headboard, staring at the half-empty beer in my hand.
Chris was right. I couldn’t just sit here doing nothing. If I really wanted Zack, if I wanted to prove that I was worth his trust, then I had to show him.
Even if I couldn’t replace what I’d broken, I could try to mend it.
I pictured Zack again, his hands on the guitar, and the way his fingers danced over the strings when he played. The way his eyes softened when he talked about music and his dad.
Maybe there was a way to give him something new. Something that said I’m sorry and that I care. I’d make it right somehow. Even if it took every ounce of effort I had, I’d win Zack back.