Shadow Mate - Jen L. Grey Page 0,24

way."

I swung the door open so hard it hit against the wall, and I marched down the hallway. "You don't have a right to get mad at them after the childish prank you tried pulling on me. Really? Drenching my clothes in skunk piss. That’s the best you got?"

"That's where you're wrong, pup." He took a few menacing steps toward me, and I could tell by how tense he was that he was on the edge. “That was just a nice warning. One that I thought someone at your level would understand.”

I was livid. I wanted to push him over that edge badly.

"Actually, no I'm not, Sparky." If we're going with condescending wolf names, I could play that game too. "You are not a god."

"Look..." Kai started, but both Liam and I turned toward him and yelled '’No'’ at the same time.

"I'd be quiet," Tripp whispered as he headed over to the couch and sat down. He placed his hands behind his head with his full attention on us.

The elevator dinged again, and that's when I realized the main door wasn't closed. Of course, Liam's goons strolled into the living room, joining the party. Except I refused to back down from Liam's gaze. Instead, I held it, almost welcoming the challenge.

"Aw, look at the puppy trying to attack the big wolf." Simon cackled and flanked Liam, staring me down. "You know what happens when someone doesn't receive their lesson? A bigger one is shortly to come."

"Thanks for the warning." I took a deep breath and lifted my chin, refusing to back down. "It'll keep me up at night for sure."

"He wasn't warning you." Micah, of course, stood on the other side of Liam glaring at me.

Evan stood in the doorway, scowling.

"It's funny, you act like you're all-powerful, but there are four of you right now staring down one of me." My wolf, for once, was just as angry as me. "But I guess there's a lot to be overcompensating for."

Bree snorted and then broke out into laughter.

"We need to get back to practice." Evan motioned for them to go with him. "We don't have time for this shit."

"He's right." Simon punched Liam in the arm. "Coach isn't going to be thrilled we bailed on the run."

"He'll deal with it." Liam took a few steps toward me, his chest brushing against mine. His eyes glowed but with something other than alpha will. He lowered his head, and my breath caught.

That asshole couldn't be about to kiss me. What was even more worrisome was the thought didn't repel me. Though it really should have. What the hell did that say about me? The words mate flashed in my mind, but I pushed them away. That couldn't be what this was… could it? Besides, I hated him. He was awful.

The corners of his mouth tipped upward and his nose wrinkled. "You stink. Maybe you should take care of that."

"Aw, I'm so sorry about that." I raised my right hand that smelled like ass and rubbed my palm across his cheek.

"What the fuck?" He jerked back, and anger once again returned to his eyes, turning the blue to almost black.

That I could handle.

"I thought you had something on your face." I had to force myself not to smile. "My bad."

"Come on." Simon grabbed Liam's arm and tugged him out the door while Micah stepped into my personal space and stared straight at me.

"I don't know who you think you are, but you better watch yourself." He growled, showing me just a smidgen of his wolf. "The best thing for you to do is walk away and pretend that you don't know us. Otherwise, right now will be the highlight of your year."

This dude scared me, but I refused to cower. "If you can get him to leave me alone, then we won't have a problem. I'm not here to make a name for myself. I'm only here to learn."

"Make sure you mean that." He glanced over at Kai and Tripp. "And you two better never interfere with council business again." He walked out the door, slamming it behind him.

"Wow, that was weirdly intense." Tripp shook his head and stood up, clapping. "But bravo. Bravo. It was standing ovation worthy."

"Really?" After the whole thing, I felt exhausted. "I just want to wash my hands." I hurried into the kitchen and turned on the sink water. I grabbed the dish soap that was right next to the sink and scrubbed my hands.

"How did you get involved?"