Wolf Endangered (Willow's Forbidden Pack #2) - Avery Song Page 0,84

I were going to tackle him head-on, but two steps before reaching him, I forced my body to stop, sliding as if the ground were but an ice rink and I wore skates that skidded against the ice to stop me in place. The move shot out soil and the lingering puddles of water from my fight with Saint.

Jayce immediately jumped back to avoid the wave of soil and water, but my intention wasn't to actually hit him. I took a deep breath and let it out harshly, the flow of air magnifying in power until a stream of hot water crashed into the soil and water that was about to make its descent to the ground.

The impact wouldn't normally make mist, but the point of it was to give me the distraction needed to magically create the cloudy force. The impact triggered a combustive explosion that sent an aftershock of grey smoke that went beyond our imagined ring.

"Oh shit," Saint whispered. "I can't see shit."

"Me neither," Onyx huffed.

"Sucks to be you," Neo stated in clear amusement, and I was sure he would see what I was planning on doing, but I didn't care. This position wasn't worth triggering Jayce, and I certainly wasn't going to allow him to break down in front of his pack that he trusted.

Using my magic some more, I clapped my hands once - creating a soundwave that shot outward like another aftershock of wind. The point was to nullify the sound so no one would hear our conversation, let alone our footsteps.

"Willow," Jayce growled. "What the fuck are you doing?"

I knew he couldn't see me, but I was sure he sensed my approach as I walked over to him. He froze when I stood right in front of him, his eyes now registering my arrival, but they flooded with confusion as he realized my calm stance.

"Sorry," I apologized. He looked at me as if I'd lost my mind or something, but very slowly, I reached out to gently place my hand on his cheek. "I triggered something, didn't I?"

He just stared at me with wide eyes, taking in my compassionate orbs of blue as we stood in the middle of the mist.

"One minute!" Dimitris announced.

"Can they even hear us?" Saint questioned.

"Who knows," Dimitris replied.

I zoned out their conversation once more, noticing how Jayce swallowed down whatever lump was in his throat.

"Willow."

"You won't lose control and hurt me," my voice was soft-spoken, but I was sure he heard every word. "No one is here to manipulate you."

"I know," he admitted, but his voice trembled. "But..."

"No." I shook my head and took one step closer, my hands moving to press against his cheeks. "You would never hurt me."

His eyes were locked onto mine, while the magnetic pull between us grew more intense. I didn't fight against the growing need to place my lips on his, and there we were, sharing a tender but solid kiss when we should have been battling it out.

There was something so uniquely different about Jayce that I'd yet to figure out. He carried so much anger, and yet it felt like it was all a front to protect his heart from agony. To shield him from the pain he'd endured in the past and anything that threatened to shatter his heart in the present.

It was as if the very fear that coursed through his veins was what triggered his persona of rage and concealed hate, just so the world would only see that and not the real him.

Not the man who was able to cut through the heightened void of rage that had consumed me back in the locker room.

He was stoic at first with the kiss, but as seconds began to pass, his lips pressed firmly back while his arms slowly moved to pull me against him. I could feel his energy begin to calm, and the tension that fought to consume him eased.

I didn't want the kiss to end, and maybe he didn't either, but we forced our lips to part and took a moment to stare into each other's eyes. The fear was gone now, and it seemed to satisfy my wolf because she backed into the shadows once more.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"Yes," he replied. "You didn't...have to do that, Willow."

"It's fine if your Alpha sees your struggles, but I don't think the entire pack has to," I confessed. "But I still have to kick your ass."

He arched an eyebrow as I winked, gave him a peck