Page 15

Silence.

With no other choice, I got back in my truck and headed to the clubhouse.The garage was already open when I pulled in.Relic and Fender were sipping their morning coffees and getting ready for work.I got out, lifted the second stag from the back of the truck, and carried it behind the workshop to the walk-in chiller to hang it.

When I came back around, Fender was looking down at his phone, scowling.

I heard someone say Sutton’s name through the speakers.

“What are you watching?”I said, closing in on him.

His scowl lifted to me.“Someone from Draven’s pack posted this on Nightscape.”His scowl deepened.“What the actual fuck, man?”

I snatched his phone, then thrust it back.“Make it play from the start.”I didn’t know how to work all this shit.Maybe if I did, I could have stopped Sutton from deleting all those photos and messages or saved them somehow.

Fender tapped something on the screen and handed it back, and I watched as Sutton stood at the tall table, looking at the female beside me with her arm around my waist.Sutton’s veins turned black, her eyes shifting, now swirling red and black.

“I—I’d like you to s-stop touching him.”Her voice broke, shaking, and I could see the rest of her was as well even on the small screen.

“What the fuck did you s-s-s-say to me?”the wolf said, mimicking Sutton.

I growled.

“I think you heard me.”Sutton squared her shoulders a little.

The wolf screwed up her face.“What the fuck is wrong with your face?Freaky-looking bitch.”

I sucked in a sharp breath.I’d been too busy trying to wrestle down my hunger for her when she walked up, and the blood that had been rushing through my fucking ears had blocked everything out.I hadn’t even heard the wolf say that shit.

I watched the rest unfold, while I just fucking stood there and let Sutton be disrespected, humiliated, in front of everyone.While Fern tried to lead her away—when she’d looked up at me again.

“Jagger…”

Every muscle in my body jerked at her voice saying my name through the speaker.Fern tried to draw her away again while Sutton looked at me with wide eyes.

“Jagger?”she said again.I fucking hated the look of betrayal on her face.“What are you doing?”she rasped.

“What are you talking about?”My voice rang out.

Fern tried again to pull her away.“You know.You know what I’m talking about.”

“I don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about, Sutton.Spell it out.”

Her pretty, swirling red eyes sliced through me.“You’re my mate.We’re…mates.”Her voice was a barely there whisper.

My shock was obvious.“Female, you’re confused.”

“I’m not.”She shook her head.“Your scent…you gave me your shirt, and?—”

“I wanted you to stop crying.”

“No…that’s not what happened.I’m not…” She was stuttering, flustered.“You kissed me, and I felt it, I felt?—”

“You kissed me, Sutton,” I said to her.“I’m not your mate, that’s impossible.”

My fingers curled into a tight fist as her expression went from betrayal to horror, then devastation.Loyalty, anger, and lust may be the extent of my emotions, but Lucifer gave us the ability to recognize others, to understand them, and I wanted to take my own fucking eyes out.

A smile curled her lips, and I realized that wasn’t Sutton’s smile, it didn’t reach her eyes, it didn’t make her whole face light up.“I’m sorry,” she said.“I don’t know what I was…sorry,” she said again.“I was confused.I think I…I need to go now.”

She stumbled back, looking around while people stared at her, laughed at her, while the wolves filming her talked shit about her.And I did nothing.