placed his hand on the door. “Phoenix.”
Fuck. He hated the silent treatment. He’d rather Phoenix yell and scream, but he wasn’t the type. Phoenix, although a cocky bastard, never took what wasn’t offered freely. And Juri had made it clear what he wasn’t willing to give down in the kitchen.
Juri knocked at the door. When Phoenix didn’t answer, Juri opened the door and found Phoenix sitting on their bed, tapping on his phone. Most likely sending out a clan-wide message with Holly’s warning. Juri walked over and sank to his knees in front of Phoenix. When he carefully touched Phoenix’s knee, his mate looked up.
“Zeke Lassiter called and suggested you left a piece of clothing at his place.”
“What?” Juri frowned, trying to remember what he could’ve forgotten in Silver Creek. “How is that more important than the fire? Come on, you need to get dressed.”
Phoenix snorted. “Yesterday, when I checked out the building site for the new rec center, I heard one of the builders talking about how he’d love to have a go with you. It wasn’t the first time, either.”
Juri sighed. “Babe—”
“People are talking behind my back, Juri. Clan members are whispering. They giggle when I walk by.” Phoenix’s lips pressed into a firm line. His eyes blazed with fire. “Did you think I wouldn’t notice? I’m not blind to the clan questioning my leadership. And it’s not because you’ve taken over most of my responsibilities. Last week, after training the enforcers, a couple of them asked me how much longer I planned to string you along.” Phoenix raised his voice. “They actually accused me of using you to lead the clan for me while denying you the honorable position of alpha mate. That, of course, led to a serious scuffle where I was forced to the wipe the floor with them.”
Juri swallowed around the lump in his throat. He hadn’t seen Phoenix so angry since the day they met. “I... I mean... we can tell them it’s my decision not to—”
“Yeah, sure. Because your actions haven’t undermined my position enough already.” Phoenix pushed his hand away and stood. “I’m wondering if you’re the one stringing me along.”
“What?” Juri stared at Phoenix open-mouthed until he gathered himself and stood as well. “What the fuck? Do you really want to have that conversation now? In case you forgot, the fire department—”
“And it was most likely arson. Desmond informed me today about an arsonist who’s wreaking havoc in Paw’s Cove. He’s apparently moved on.” Phoenix threw his arms into the air. “You obviously don’t want me as your mate. You practically lead this clan on your own. And when we met, you left no doubt that you think I robbed you of your rightful position.”
Juri’s belly was tied in knots. Aside from the part about mating, Phoenix was right. But he had a bad feeling about the direction of their conversation. “What are you trying to say? Be frank.”
Phoenix placed his hands on his wide hips. He bit his lip while blinking rapidly. “You’re my beta. I offered you the position without expecting anything in return. You... you don’t have to... be in a relationship with me to hold your position. You know what? You can have it.”
Juri gasped.
“What? Don’t act all shocked. What the hell am I supposed to think, Juri?” Phoenix rubbed his eyes. “You say you love me, but still you deny me what I want the most. Whenever I try to talk about mating, you change the topic.”
“I do love you.” Juri placed one hand over his heart. “You’re my whole world.”
Phoenix’s answering laugh sounded tired. “You have a weird way of showing your love.” He walked over to the dresser and started pulling out clothes. In no time at all, he was dressed and ready. “Let’s go, Alpha Juri.” When Phoenix pushed past him, he slammed his shoulder into Juri’s, rocking him sideways.
Juri didn’t feel it, since the agony of his heart splintering into a million shards distracted him from everything else.
Chapter Four
Phoenix couldn’t believe he’d—most likely—just ended his relationship with Juri when only a couple of hours earlier he’d sworn to work through their problems.
Well, a break-up is a way for people to deal with problems. I should’ve kept my stupid mouth shut.
Phoenix parked the car close to the police tape that had been set up to keep gawkers out of the area. Two of Hazel Wood’s four patrol cars stood close by, the lights on their roofs flashing through the night. Not that