Chapter 13
MARK
Zack and I stood on the small raised platform at Griffin’s bar. We had hooked up our instruments to Griffin’s old sound system. The acoustics weren’t perfect, but the vibe was right.
We’d been playing for an hour, fine-tuning the set for the New Year’s Eve performance.
Zack strummed a few chords, head bent, that look of quiet focus I’d grown to love etched across his face. His lips moved as he counted under his breath, keeping time.
I played along, following his rhythm. Every now and then our gazes met, and every time, that same spark hit me square in the chest.
I couldn’t believe we’d made it here. After everything that happened at dress rehearsal and the broken guitar, I’d really thought I’d lost him. Zack had every reason to walk away.
He didn’t, though. Zack forgave me. I wasn’t used to being forgiven. Usually, I just burned bridges and walked away, but Zack wasn’t like anyone else. He was my mate.
The thought came unbidden, low and sure, deep in my chest where my wolf lived. I froze for a fraction of a second. Mate. Could I really call him that?
We hadn’t claimed each other, hadn’t even talked about it. But every time I looked at him, every time I caught his scent, I knew, and my wolf knew.
“Let’s take a break here,” Zack said, snapping me from my thoughts.
He leaned his guitar against a stool and stretched, the hem of his shirt lifting just enough to tease a line of tempting skin. I swallowed hard.
“Sounds good,” I managed, setting my guitar down.
Zack smiled. “I’m just gonna hit the restroom,” he said.
“Sure thing,” I said, watching him head toward the back hall.
When he disappeared around the corner, I blew out a breath and scrubbed a hand over my face.
My pulse hadn’t settled since the moment we started playing. I felt wired, alive, and maybe just a little lovesick. I made my way to the bar, deciding a drink or two might help.
“Hey, Griffin,” I called, sliding onto one of the stools.
The enforcer looked up from polishing a glass, giving me his usual no-nonsense look.
“What’ll it be?” Griffin asked.
“Two lagers,” I said. “One for me, one for Zack.”
He nodded and turned to the taps. I leaned my elbows on the counter, letting my eyes drift to the glowing string lights above the bar, the flickering candles on tables.
The place was comfortably packed tonight. There were the usual locals and a few tourists. The usual mix of shifters and humans who’d learned to coexist without too many questions.
For once, everything felt right, but then, the air shifted, like the hum of static before a storm.
My wolf stirred uneasily, fur bristling under my skin. Griffin froze mid-pour, eyes narrowing toward the door. I followed his gaze just in time to see it slam open.
Theo stumbled inside. He reeked of alcohol, his movements loose and uncoordinated.
That alone was bad news. Shifters didn’t get drunk easily, as our metabolism burned through booze faster than water. If Theo was this wasted, he must’ve chugged half a distillery.
“Oh, great,” I muttered under my breath.
The bar went quieter, conversations tapering off as heads turned. Griffin’s jaw tightened.
The last thing we all wanted was another supernatural brawl in front of humans, especially after what had happened at rehearsal.
Theo’s eyes found me immediately. Of course they did. He staggered toward me, nearly knocking into a chair.
“You,” he slurred, pointing a shaky finger. “This is all your fault.”
I straightened, pulse quickening.
“Theo, you don’t want to do this,” I said, keeping my voice level. “Just leave the bar. Maybe I can call you a cab.”
“Oh, I do,” Theo snarled, voice loud enough to draw everyone’s attention. “You ruined everything. You think you won, huh? Think Zack’s yours?”
A growl threatened to rise in my throat, but I swallowed it down.
“You’re drunk. Go home before you do something stupid,” I told him firmly.
He laughed, a harsh, ugly sound. “Zack’s mine. He’s always been mine. You think some random wolf from the sticks can replace me?” Theo demanded.
I clenched my jaw, feeling my wolf strain against the leash. The muscles in my arms burned from the effort it took not to move.
Theo wasn’t finished. He stepped closer, invading my space, eyes glowing faintly gold.
“He and I were a thing. We were going to have a future. He was supposed to leave this shit town with me after I won him over. But you had to show up,” Theo blurted out.
Around us, the tension was thick enough to choke on. Griffin set the two beers down with deliberate care, his expression dark.
“Mark,” Griffin said quietly, a warning in his tone. “Keep your cool.”
I nodded slightly, eyes locked on Theo. I wasn’t going to take the bait.
Not again. I’d promised myself and Cooper that I wouldn’t lose control. Not here, heck not ever again. Theo however, knew exactly where to press.
Theo leaned in, his voice dropping low and venomous. “You think he forgave you because he genuinely cares about you? Wake up. He’s just pitying you. You’re nothing to him, wolf.”
My grip on the bar tightened.
“Hey,” Griffin barked. “That’s enough.”
Theo ignored him. His pupils flared. “You don’t deserve him.”
Before I could react, Theo shifted. It happened in a blink.
Theo snarled, and there was a ripple of muscle and fur. One second, a man stood in front of me. The next, a massive golden lion crouched where he’d been, tail lashing, eyes burning.
Gasps rippled through the bar. Someone swore. Chairs scraped as people backed away.
“Shit,” Griffin hissed.
My wolf surged forward, adrenaline flooding my system. There was no time to think. If Theo attacked, he could hurt someone, human or supernatural.
In a packed place like this, that couldn’t happen.
I heard Griffin’s voice cut through the chaos like a bell. “Mark! Take this fight elsewhere!”
I moved before he finished the sentence. Without thinking, I sprinted, lungs burning, through the bar and into the kitchen.
A cook looked up in surprise as I shoved past, then the staff parted when I shoved the back door wide and spilled into the alley.
Theo was right behind me, stumbling but fast. Cold air hit my face, and for a second the world narrowed to the slam of my heart and my wolf struggling to surge out of my skin.
Words wouldn’t reach Theo in the state he was in. I had to end it fast. Knock him out and send him back to his motel before he hurt someone or ruined everything.
I let my control snap just enough to shift. Bones cracked and reshaped. The pain was a hot, anchoring thing I’d learned to expect.
When my paws met the alley stones, my wolf was fully in charge. Theo roared and lunged. We collided with a noise like broken timber.
His claws raked across my shoulder, and hot blood slicked my sleeve, but I barely felt it. I drove into him and pushed, teeth snapping inches from his throat.
He was bigger and heavier. He fought with that lion arrogance. Theo kept resorting to powerful swipes, with paws meant to maul. I was faster, though.
Theo snarled and twisted. His paw caught my side, and pain flared. I retaliated, slamming him into the brick. The impact rattled dust from the wall.
He tried to bite my neck. I ducked, barreled forward, and used my momentum to shove him so hard he hit the wall again. His roar came back, but it was thinner, the edge dulled.
My wolf had him pinned. I bared my teeth and let out a low, warning growl that vibrated through the small space. One wrong move, and the animal inside me would have finished the job.
Theo’s eyes burned with defiance, then flickered to fear. In that beat, I could have ended him. I could have let my teeth find his jugular, told Cooper it was self-defense.
Instead, I saw Zack’s face, hurt and stunned from the rehearsal. I remembered Cooper’s warning. Not again. I forced the leash of discipline down hard.
It felt like holding a cliff back with bare hands, but I managed it.
I pressed Theo harder against the wall until his resistance melted. Then I struck, fast and precise, not to kill but to break his balance and knock him out.
He went limp and slid down to the alley floor in a tawny heap, then shifted back into human form, naked and out cold.
I stood over him, chest heaving, the taste of blood and adrenaline metallic on my tongue. Slowly, painfully, I shifted back to myself.
My knees hit the ground; my legs shook from the strain of holding the worst of it in.
Griffin was the first to reach us. He looked from Theo to me, eyes hard but not unkind.
“You handled it fast,” Griffin said quietly.
I nodded, wiping at my jaw where sweat mixed with a smear of blood. “He could’ve hurt someone.”
“Yeah.” Griffin’s voice was flat with the weight of it. “But now you might be in trouble again with Cooper.”
My stomach dropped.
“Don’t worry,” Griffin added, surprising me with the small mercy. “I’ll tell Cooper you tried to mitigate the situation as best you could. You stopped it from becoming a full blowout inside the bar.”
The back-alley silence broke as the service door opened and Zack came running out.
He skidded to a stop when he saw Theo on the ground. For a second, he just stood there, eyes wide, chest heaving from his own sprint.
“What the hell happened?” Zack demanded, then his gaze landed on me.
Shock, worry, and something unreadable flickered across his face.
I opened my mouth to speak, to apologize and explain, but the words tangled.
Griffin stepped forward and filled the pause. “Zack,” Griffin said, blunt and steady, “Mark had to take him out before he tore the place apart. Theo came in hammered and started pushing him. Mark moved it out here before anyone else got hurt.”
Zack looked from Griffin to the crumpled form at our feet, then back to me.
For a heartbeat I braced for the look I’d seen before. That hollowed, hurt expression that had followed the broken guitar.
Instead, Zack crossed the alley in two long strides and pulled me into a hug.
At first I was so stunned I didn’t return it, but then his arms tightened, and a fierce, trembling relief flowed into my ribs.
“I’m proud of you,” he said, just loud enough for me to hear. “You held back. I know how hard that was.”
Heat flooded my face. His words steadied something inside me that had been fraying since the guitar.
“I did the best I could,” I whispered into his sweater.
He pulled back a fraction and looked at me, and his eyes were steady, not accusing.
“I know. You did what you had to. You kept everyone safe.” Zack smiled, small and fierce.
Griffin cleared his throat, a polite cough that reminded me he was still there.
“I’ll tell the humans that the danger’s over,” Griffin said. “As for Theo, well, after all the trouble he’s caused in this town, Cooper’s probably going to ban him from ever setting foot here again.”
“Thanks, Griffin,” I said quietly.
He gave a short nod. “Cooper will probably want to hear your side of the story, too,” he added. “But for now, get that shoulder checked.”
Zack stepped closer.
“Come on,” he said, reaching up, nudging my jaw with his fingertip. “Let’s get you cleaned up.”