“Come have dinner with us. We missed you while you were away all week, and Del is leavin’ next,” Evey said, her blue eyes big and round and impossible to say no to.
I glanced through the kitchen doorway at the crowd and steeled my resolve. Even if I ran into one or both of the people I was looking to avoid, that didn’t mean I had to interact with them. I could keep ignoring them like I’d been doing and have a nice dinner with my sisters.
But of course, that’s not how it went.
As soon as I stepped foot in the kitchen, I spotted Aubrey at the sink, already washing dinner dishes. I didn’t think she’d seen me yet, but it was only a matter of time before I had to deal with her smug face knowing Wyatt turned me away for her.
I was just thankful I didn’t also have to deal with seeing him.
The girls and I found an empty table and thankfully, the dinner conversation didn’t revolve around me or… penises. I could only be grateful for that.
I really thought I’d get through the meal without anything awful happening, but fate had other ideas.
Beatrice and I were just dumping our plates in the trash and walking them over to the sink when Aubrey saw me. She switched off the water and turned to face me, hands on her ample hips.
“Well, if it isn’t Callie McCoy. Finally decided to show your face?”
My spine instantly stiffened at her tone, my hands fisting on their own. “I’ve been away. Not that I have to answer to you.”
I turned around to leave, which in werewolf culture is the ultimate insult. It meant I didn’t care enough about her to finish the conversation. It meant she wasn’t worth my time. And mostly, it meant I thought she was so weak and insignificant that I didn’t need to keep an eye on her. I could be vulnerable and give her my back because I didn’t fear her at all.
Powerful meaning for such a simple action, but it did the job.
“You bitch! Turn around and look me in the eye and tell me you ratted me out to Wyatt! Admit you’re so pathetic you need to make up stories to make yourself look better!”
I spun around slowly, my hands already trembling. “Excuse me?”
She took a step closer, bringing her bitter lemon scent with her. “You heard me. Just admit you’re a loser and need to make me look bad to get to Wyatt because that’s the only way you’ll get him.”
The trembling was in my legs now as I desperately fought off my wolf. I hadn’t lost control and shifted since I was thirteen and my sister stained my favorite shirt. I was grown now. There was no excuse for losing control.
“Aubrey, you better keep your opinions to yourself before I make you keep them to yourself. I don’t know what kind of fantasy land you’re living in, but I don’t think that much about you and I’m not threatened by you. If I wanted Wyatt, I wouldn’t need to make you look bad to do it.”
“So, you’re not only a pathetic loser, you’re also a liar.”
“What did I lie about?!” I asked as I threw my hands in the air.
I really didn’t want to be having this conversation, but the fact that what she was saying didn’t make sense was bothering me. We’d never been best friends, but we’d also never had a confrontation like this. What could have happened to make her so mad?
All I knew was she better get to the point quickly because I was running out of patience.
She took another step closer and lowered her voice. Not that it mattered much. Every single eye in the kitchen was on us, the room silent and still as we all waited to see where this would lead. I knew no one would interfere though. I’m sure my sisters were all biting their tongues, but they’d hold their ground. This was my fight and they’d let me handle it.
“You told Wyatt what I said about him being a half-breed. You had to have. You’re the only one I said it to. And then you went and blabbed to him to make yourself look better, but he still sent you away so he could talk to me. I guess your little plan didn’t work and now you just look sad.”
This again.
“I didn’t tell him anything. He heard you himself, you half-wit,” I spat between gritted teeth. “I don’t need to make you look bad, you do a good enough job of that on your own. And I don’t care that Wyatt wanted to talk to you instead of me. For all I care, you can have each other. I don’t want anything to do with either one of you. I just want to be left out of it and left alone.”
“What did you just call me?” she asked slowly.
“Do you have a hearing problem, or are you having trouble understanding?”
We were practically nose to nose now, and I was seconds away from shifting. It would only take the slightest provocation and my wolf would take over.
“Listen here, you princess bitch. I don’t give a shit who your brother is. You call me stupid one more time and I’ll make you regret it.”
“Is it only stupid you don’t want to be called? Or would moronic, imbecilic, and simple also trigger you?”
She growled low in her chest before using both hands to push me backward. I caught my balance quickly, but the damage had been done. The vibrating reached its peak, and with one loud crack, my clothes ripped off my back and I landed on all four paws.
I caught Aubrey in my sight and growled, ready to go for her throat.
Chapter 25
Callie
“Ladies! That’s enough!”
I wasn’t sure who was talking, but it didn’t matter. All I cared about in that moment was eliminating my enemy, and right then, that was Aubrey. It took a little longer, but her body started contorting too, and soon she stood before me a light brown wolf, teeth already bared.
Once she was fully shifted, she wasted no time pouncing toward me. I met her advance with a swipe of my paw before barreling into her.
We went rolling across the kitchen’s tiled floor, claws and teeth catching anything they could find. When we finally came to a stop, she was on top of me, but not for long. I wedged my hind legs between us and kicked, sending her flying away from me. She slammed into the sliding glass door, making it shake violently.
Aubrey growled and came running at me again. With plenty of time, I reached out a paw, raking my nails down her face while also lunging far enough away that she couldn’t touch me. She howled in pain as I danced into a new position and waited for her next move.
“You fucking bitch!”
I shook my wolfy head. “Do you kiss your mother with that mouth?”
“At least I have a mother, you whore! I heard yours drove off a cliff just to get away from all of you. Can’t say I blame her!”
My vision went red as rage raced through my veins, turning my blood into lava and setting my whole body on fire. “Do not talk about my parents,” I warned, as I circled her.
Aubrey tipped her head back and barked out a laugh. “Aw, did I hit a soft spot, princess? Are you still sad your mommy would rather be dead than spend another minute with any of you?”
That was the final straw.
I darted to my right before leaping to my left, catching her off guard. With both paws, I dug my claws into her shoulders, easily drawing blood. She howled in pain, but I barely noticed. Instead, I caught sight of her jugular vein and lurched toward it. I wrapped my teeth around her neck and bit down until I tasted blood on my tongue.
But I didn’t stop there.
I shook my head violently as her blood sprayed into my mouth and she went limp in my hold. With one last growl, I tossed her body aside and watched as she rolled to a stop. Her chest was still heaving with her labored breaths, so I knew she’d be all right. Not that I really cared in that moment.
I spun around to find every single person in that kitchen with wide eyes pointed at me. At the very front of the group were Wyatt and Beatrice. I didn’t even know when he got there, but he looked horrified. Bea, on the other hand, actually looked proud. Not surprising as I learned everything I know about fighting from her.
But it was Wyatt’s wide, fearful gaze I couldn’t stop staring at no matter how hard I tried. I took an involu
ntary step toward him and his eyes widened until they were round circles in his face. I cocked my head to the side in confusion as he stumbled toward me.
“Callie!” he yelled.
Less than a breath later, I was tackled from behind. Sharp teeth found the back of my neck and dug in as we went rolling across the floor again.
Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.
The first thing Beatrice taught me was to never turn my back on my enemy and I’d done just that. I knew I was going to hear it from her later and really wasn’t looking forward to it.
The sharp teeth in my neck dug in deeper, eliciting a whine from me, but that was the last sound I allowed out of my mouth. Knowing she had the upper hand, I had to do something to dislodge her canines or she’d rip my neck open.
I hunched over, pulling her with me as far as I could go before flinging myself and her backward. I landed on her chest with a thud and a gasp of air. Thankfully, the latter forced her mouth open and I was able to wiggle out of her hold while she fought to catch her breath.
I put a safe distance between us and turned back to her with a snarl.
“Get up and get out of here. We’re done.”
She growled loudly as she staggered to her feet. “You’d love that, wouldn’t you? For me to just give up before you have to get your hands dirty. What? Are you afraid you won’t come out on top?”
“No, I’m scared I’m going to permanently damage you.”
She barked out another laugh before lunging toward me again. I dodged her easily and swiped a paw out just in time to knock her sideways. She shook her head and charged again. This time, I waited until she’d missed me before I reached out and locked my jaw onto her hind leg.
She howled in pain as I bit harder, the blood running down my jaw. Aubrey tried to shake me off, but I was too strong, and my hold was too tight.
“Stop this and I’ll let you walk away with all four legs,” I growled into her head.
She snarled back and snapped her teeth at me, narrowly avoiding my face. I dug my teeth in harder until I heard a snap and her leg went limp. She tipped her head back and howled, filling the room with her anguished cry.
I pulled my teeth out of her leg and jumped back before she could retaliate. Now limping on only three legs, she turned to me with fire in her eyes.
“You broke my fucking leg.”
“You’re lucky I didn’t break your effing face. Now, walk. Away.”
She growled, her hackles raised and her tail twitching in agitation. “I’m not backing down until I break something of yours.”
I snorted. “That’s not going to happen. Just give it up.”
Aubrey snarled at me and crouched down as best she could with only three good legs. “What should I break first?” she said, completely ignoring me. “An arm? A leg? Maybe your pretty little neck so I can get rid of you for good?”
All right, now I was getting irritated again.
“I’m going to give you one more chance to leave before I hurt you again.”
“Or maybe, I’ll go for your boyfriend instead.”
I shot a quick glance at Wyatt and found him entirely too close to two wolves that were this out of control. My stomach lurched to my throat as I tried to position myself between them.
Her eyes lit up as she did her best to stalk forward, her hind leg dragging behind her. “That’s it. I’ll rip out his throat and that’ll be killing two birds with one stone. I’ll get rid of a half-breed and you’ll have to live knowing it was all your fault.”
“You’re not coming near him.”
I was doing my best to shield Wyatt from her, but every move I made, she countered, and it only brought her closer to him. Despite everything, I was beginning to panic, and that could be deadly in this situation.
My eyes hadn’t left her once, and that was the only way I caught the slight twitch in her tail before she launched herself toward Wyatt. I leapt almost simultaneously and caught her throat mid-air.
We fell into a snarling heap in the middle of the floor, with her trying her best to claw me while I tightened my jaw around her neck.
“All right. That’s enough,” Bea said from somewhere nearby.
Seconds later, a large set of hands pulled me away from Aubrey as she got dragged in the other direction. My fight instinct was still very much alive, and I squirmed and scratched at the hands that held me until his voice broke through the haze.
“Callie. Stop. It’s me.”
Wyatt’s voice was trying to be calming, but it barely dented my rage. I caught sight of Aubrey being held down by Beatrice and tried to struggle out of his hold again.
“Just stop. It’s over. We need to get you looked at.”
I scoffed, which in wolf form sounded a bit like I had something stuck in my throat. It would have been much easier to communicate if I shifted back, but I couldn’t do that yet. The threat to me and my mate was still very much there, and my wolf refused to back down.
My whole body froze as one word repeated in my head.
Mate.
I’d referred to Wyatt as my mate. I’d never thought of him as mine before.
That was like an icy bucket of water over my head, and I instantly stopped fighting him.
“’Atta girl. Just relax and shift back so we can take a look at your neck.”
My neck?
I looked back toward Aubrey and saw Bea had dragged her outside with a couple other enforcers. Seeing that the danger was gone for now, I relaxed enough that my wolf receded, and my bones slowly shifted back into a woman’s.
When I was fully shifted, I looked down at Wyatt’s hands on my bare skin and shivered.
“Are you cold?” he asked softly from behind me.
I stepped out of his hold and shook my whole body, attempting to get the feel of his hands off my skin.
“No.”
He was quiet for a moment, and when I got up the courage, I met his eyes, instantly regretting it.
Because nothing had changed.
It didn’t matter that I’d spent weeks avoiding him.
It didn’t matter that I was still so angry at him.
It didn’t matter that he was the last person I wanted to see right then.
Because one look in his light brown eyes and all those things disappeared. It was just me and him. Nothing and no one could touch this. Nothing could touch us in these moments.
I ripped my eyes away from him and stared at the floor instead. I didn’t need him clouding up my brain at a time like this. I was still amped up from my fight with Aubrey, my veins buzzing with electricity.
“Let’s get you cleaned up.”
I nodded once and stalked past him toward the bathroom. I almost closed the door in his face, but at the last second, I let him in with me.
One glance in the mirror and I realized why he’d suggested I get cleaned up. I had blood streaked from my mouth down my chin and neck. Despite the scuffles I used to get into when I was younger, I don’t remember ever looking quite so horrifying.
I let the hot water run in the sink and soaped up my hands, doing my best to ignore the fact that Wyatt was only inches away from me. He made that a hundred times more difficult when he reached out and traced his rough fingers down the side of my neck.
“Does that hurt?”
I shook my head as I dipped my face into a handful of warm water. I scrubbed at the drying blood as Wyatt gathered my curly mess of a hair and draped it over one shoulder.
“She did a number on your neck over here.”
“Don’t even feel it,” I mumbled.
“You should get Doc to look at it before it heals up.”
“No.”
He sighed and stepped back, allowing me to take the first real breath since he’d invaded my space minutes ago. “Figured you’d say that. Will you at least let me clean it before it closes? We don’t need you getting an infection there.”
We.
Since when were we a we?
I’d been an I for a
s long as I could remember and everything he’d ever said to me had led me to believe he also wanted to just be an I.
“Callie?”
I shook my head and met his gaze in the mirror. “Fine,” I spat.
He sighed again and pulled some cleanser and antibiotic cream from the medicine cabinet. “What happened back there? I never thought I’d see you get into a fight like that.”
I ground my teeth together and shook my head. “I don’t want to talk about it.”
“It had to do with me, didn’t it?”
I pressed my lips together and watched him in the mirror as he dabbed a wet cotton ball against the wound on my neck.
“And at the end there, she was aiming for me, wasn’t she?”
He met my eyes in the reflection and I looked away before I could be caught in their depths again.
He let out a deep breath and swiped some ointment on my wound. “For what it’s worth, thank you. She caught me completely off guard. Who knows what could have happened if you hadn’t gotten in between us.”
I felt the ice cracking around my heart and knew I had to stop it. I couldn’t keep riding this merry-go-round with him. I needed to get off the ride if I had any hope of things getting back to the way they used to be. When everything made sense. When there was order in my world. When I didn’t fight with my packmates over men who didn’t deserve it.
I slammed my hands on the marble vanity in front of me and turned around to face him. “Just stop it.”
“Callie, what–”
“No,” I said, holding up a hand. “Just stop. I’m not doing this with you. I can’t take the back and forth. I can’t listen to you be nice to me knowing how easily you can drop me whenever you feel like it. I deserve better than that. I am better than that. We’re not friends. We’re not anything anymore. So, keep your sweet words and your soft touches to yourself. I’m done.”
I pushed him out of my way and stomped toward the door. Just as I reached for the handle, Wyatt grabbed my hand and spun me back around to face him.
I had one single second to watch his eyes go from panicked to determined before his arm wrapped around my waist and his mouth slammed against mine.
Chasing Callie (Southern Werewolf Sisters Book 1) Page 21