“Nothing is broken.”
Emma was our medic, and veterinarian. If she said he was fine, then there was nothing to worry about. Except for Simon seeking revenge.
“You could have at least warned me first,” Simon grumbled, holding his face.
“Would you have let me examine it then?” Emma asked.
“No,” Simon said.
“My point exactly,” Emma said.
“So who is that guy?” I asked, pointing across the street to where Cal was stil trying to restrain the stranger.
“Is he the one who hit you?”
Simon sighed and turned away from us, staring down at the sidewalk. Emma and I stole a questioning glance at each other. What was going on here? Simon spun back around with a haunted look in his eyes.
“That’s Gabriel,” Simon said. “Meredith’s younger brother.”
*****
Meredith’s brother was everything his namesake implied. Gabriel was gorgeous, more beautiful than handsome, his cherubic face surrounded by a halo of curly blond hair. He looked like an avenging angel as he stormed toward Simon, emerald green eyes flashing.
Gabriel was just as tal as Simon, but where Simon was al lean muscle, Gabriel looked wil owy by comparison. He may be angry with Simon, but Gabriel didn’t stand a chance against him in a fight.
“It’s al your fault,” Gabriel said, stopping directly in front of Simon. “She never should have been running that morning. My sister is dead and it’s your fault.” Simon, who was never at a loss for words, stood in anguished silence. For a moment Simon let his mask of indifference slip and the look on his face was one of raw pain. And were those tears in his eyes?
Emma slid between Gabriel and Simon, placing her hand firmly on the younger man’s chest.
“Leave him alone,” Emma said.
Surprise Gabe, we have our own avenging angel.
Gabriel did look surprised by Emma’s interference, but he wasn’t backing down.
“Gabriel, this isn’t how we handle things,” Cal said. He had moved to Gabriel’s side and was staring at him intently. “You have a right to speak your mind, but this is not the time or place.”
I smel ed the scent of wet dog and knew that Cal’s wolf spirit was emerging. Pulse racing, I panicked, until I realized that Cal was intentional y bringing his wolf to the surface to exert his dominance. Cal was pack alpha and he was making sure that Gabriel didn’t forget it.
It was an impressive display of his wil , and of the peace that Cal and his wolf spirit had achieved, especial y for someone so young. Al of those weekends and long nights practicing with Simon had paid off. Cal had brought his wolf spirit to the surface just enough to display his dominance to any surrounding wolves, and smel sensitive girlfriends, but not enough to make humans in the vicinity uneasy.
Gabriel stepped away from Emma and Simon, thrusting his hands into his jacket pockets as though he didn’t trust what they might do if left free. Simon continued to be ogled by his entourage as he resumed his pacing up and down the sidewalk, but he no longer looked angry.
Emma was keeping an eye on him, so I went to Cal who was running his fingers through his wavy hair.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
“I could use less excitement today, but I’m fine,” Cal said, reaching out to pul me closer.
“That was impressive what you did with your wolf spirit,” I said, keeping my voice low.
Al eyes were on Simon and Gabriel, but I didn’t want to take any chances. We didn’t need a passerby to overhear and become curious about wolves in Wakefield. Protecting the pack was important to Cal and I wasn’t going to be the one to risk their safety with a slip of the tongue.
“Real y,” Cal said, raising one eyebrow. “Do I get a reward?”
“Of course,” I said.
I reached up behind his neck, and on tiptoes, pressed my lips to his.
“Very, very impressive,” I said, running my hands through his hair.
“You should be dead, not her!” a voice shouted.
Son of a dung beetle. It was Gabriel. Apparently Cal’s authority was less effective when he was lip-locked with a human. Who knew?
Emma jumped in between Gabriel and Simon and I had a bad case of déjà vu. Didn’t we just do this, like ten seconds ago?
“You don’t know what you’re talking about, dude,” Emma said, thrusting her finger into Gabriel’s chest to punctuate each word. “He may not always show it, but Simon is a good man. He’s kind, and loyal, and I lo…” Suddenly Emma looked sick,