Page 101

Story: Cost of Courting

“Because his sister is bonded to me. And his father is going out of his mind looking for him, so unless you want the Despair and Mirakill MCs searching every inch of your neighbourhood, you need to tell me where he is right now!”

I close my eyes. Despair and Mirakill. Fuck. “I have to go.”

“You listen here. If you want both MCs descending on your neighbourhood and ripping it apart, you keep being evasive. I have your location. I need proof of life.”

My stomach flips wildly, but I catch sight of an ugly red convertible driving really slowly.

“No,” I breathe, standing up, my stomach dropping out.

“NO?” Zaden growls.

“Oh, god, no. Wait, what’s the day? It can’t be that day already.”

“Hey! Listen to my, what’s going on, we can help you!”

I burst into movement, sprinting across the oval, moving as fast as my legs can go but knowing I’m not going to make it there.

“Where is Bailey?”

“Shut up! Shut up!” I shout at him and pull the phone away from my ear.

It takes far too long to get to the footpath outside my house, but none of my alphas are in sight. I’m panting and out of breath when I spot Hammer. He hits Mr Match hard enough that the old man falls to an unconscious heap on the ground.

“NO!”

I charge across the street, abandoning the phone, and throw myself at Hammer. I get in some good hits, but he gets in some more. Guilt and fear drive me, and I keep swinging, keep fighting, even though I can’t win.

He beats me steadily back until I’m stunned and losing hard. My body aches, but worse is the humiliation of knowing I’m failing to protect my pack.

My neighbours are watching, tears in their eyes. They know they can’t do anything.

They can’t.

No one can.

“Keep your fucking hands off her!” Bailey roars and catches the fist that’s about to slam into the side of my face.

I stare in shock as this feral, vicious energy I didn’t know existed takes over my alpha. He’s as remorseless as Hammer was to me, breaking him bit by bit.

I scramble to Mr Match and check for a pulse. It’s there, he’s breathing. I wave to a couple of my people. They scramble over and make him disappear. It’s a relief to know Dot will have him soon.

He’ll be all right.

I turn back to the fight, watching with my mouth parted as Bailey refuses to allow the bigger alpha to yield.

Hammer collapses to his knees and stares up at Bailey.

“Leave and don’t come back,” Bailey growls in a vicious growl that has me shivering.

Hammer gets up and staggers to the car and his waiting gang members.

We’ve made a mistake. They will be back now, vicious and ready to destroy us. But Bailey saved us.

He turns to me, his jaw set, aggression in every line of his body. Bailey turns that savage fury on me, and I can’t help but stand ready to embrace it. He’s beautiful. When he approaches, I back up a step, but he catches me, yanking me close.

“You should have come and got me.”

“I didn’t have time.”