This Dark Wolf (Soul Bitten Shifter #1) - Everly Frost Page 0,75
rising. “This is what you wanted, isn’t it? To make sure I know my place? Well, I know my place. It’s right beside Tristan. Not lower than him. Certainly not fucking lower than you.”
Her gaze flicks to Tristan.
It’s the first time she’s checked his response to our fight.
He looks like he might kill her if I don’t, his fists clenched, his lips drawn back in a snarl, his focus lined up with hers.
Her eyes widen and the blood drains from her face.
If she were in wolf form, she’d tuck her tail between her legs right now. I guess there are many pack laws I still don’t know about, but it looks like she broke one of them by engaging me in a fight.
She drops her gaze from mine and backs away from me.
Her body language is probably an acknowledgment of my status, but my human side is wary of another challenge. If I don’t end this now, the shifters in Tristan’s pack could keep coming at me.
Spinning away from Bridget, I discover that a crowd has grown at the entrance to the gym, both men and women, even some older teens. The women I beat slowly stumble to their feet and also back away from me, clutching their ribs, arms, even heads, but I know I didn’t do them any serious damage.
“Who else?” I scream at the crowd, my wolf’s energy rising inside me so that my scream turns into a shrieking howl. “Who else wants a piece of me?”
In the background, I finally see Iyana and Danika trying to push through the men and women gathered in the opening, but the shifters won’t budge, blocking their way.
Iyana looks like she’s ready to bite the next wolf who keeps her from me. Her fangs are fully descended while Danika keeps reaching for her hip as if she’s expecting to find a pistol with a handy silencer on it.
I wait in the silence that ensues.
“Come on!” I scream. “No men? Are you all fucking cowards? Fight me!”
Tristan flinches, suddenly more subdued, and I’m not sure why my challenge had that effect on him.
“You either challenge me now or you challenge me never!” I scream, my gaze raking over the crowd. Waiting for someone to answer my call.
“Really?” I ask when the silence continues. “Nobody else?”
“Nobody is stupid enough,” says a quiet male voice at the side of the room.
Jace steps out of the crowd, approaching me cautiously, warily. I put him on his backside at Hidden House and I guess he remembers it.
He looks like he got dressed in a hurry. He was probably out patrolling the city for most of the night—might have only had a few hours of sleep before he came up here to the gym. I can only imagine how quickly the news must have spread that a fight was going on to bring all of these shifters up here to see it.
Jace steps to my side, placing himself carefully where I can see him, as if he’s wary of my wrath. He turns to the pack. “Tessa Dean is the daughter of Andreas Dean, former alpha of the Middle Highlands pack. You’ve heard the stories—the rumors.”
Murmurs grow among the onlookers, but they hush when Jace says, “They’re all true. Tessa’s wolf is unique but formidable. Two months ago, Tessa fought Dawson Nash, Cameron Griffin, and Cody Griffin at the Conclave. She challenged her alpha, Peter Nash. But as a consequence of defending herself, she lost her father. He was one of the last true alphas. A friend of this pack. We feel his loss deeply.” Jace gives me a careful nod. “Tessa is part of our pack now. You will welcome her and treat her with the same respect with which you treat each other.”
Some of my rage evaporates with Jace’s firm and clear speech, but my underlying distrust remains. I was within their presence for two seconds and these shifters turned on me.
Nothing has changed. I’m a target and that’s what I’ll remain.
Jace continues to eye me warily, cautiously, before he turns toward Tristan.
I hold my breath, waiting for Tristan to respond, waiting to see if he’ll reinforce Jace’s statements and make sure the message is clear—that I’m safe among the pack.
Tristan’s gaze flicks from me to Bridget and back again. The muscle in his jaw clenches and I sense his inner turmoil again—about what, I’m not sure.
He strides across the room, but everything freezes when he passes behind me and walks straight to Bridget.