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Cullen’s eyes widened as he started to shake with rage.

Uh-oh.

That wasn’t good.

“You’re getting pissy with me?” he asked incredulously. “I’ve seen some pretty desperate behavior from women, but kidnapping my child takes the?—”

The insinuation ignited something in me, a rage I didn’t even know I was capable of. Cullen’s biting words cut off as my hand connected with his face.

“You fucking listen to me right now, Cullen Noble,” I growled as he stared at me, his face torn between shock and anger. “That sweet child of yours issick. I noticed it at the rink. None of you three assholes answered the phone so, yes, I brought her home, fed her chicken soup, and let her sleep in a comfortable nest instead of on a hard bench at a freezing ice rink! Now, I fucking despise what you are insinuating, so I suggest you take a breath and think things through before you open your dumbass mouth again.” The words fell from my mouth in a tidal wave, propelled by my own outrage.

Cullen deflated slightly. “Sick? Like, really sick?”

I was still shaking, though I had no idea if it was with anger or shock at the fact I had just slapped an alpha who towered over me.

“It’s a low-grade fever. If it were worse, I would have taken her to the doctor.”

Cullen swallowed. “Why didn’t you take her to our house?” he asked, but his voice was smaller.

I cocked my head to the side, giving him an incredulous look. “Because none of you three bothered to answer your phones. For all I knew, none of you were home. I wasn’t going to drag Joey back and forth when she was sick!”

“That…makes sense,” he admitted. “No one answered?”

“Nope.” I rested my hands on my hips, leveling him with a glare.

“Fuck,” he hissed, running a hand through his hair.

“I’m not apologizing.” I shrugged. I had no idea where this bravery was coming from, but I was going to roll with it.

“Nor should you,” Cullen said. “Fuck. I’m sorry. I just got to the rink and learned that you’d taken her and freaked out.”

“You didn’t see all the missed calls from me?”

He grimaced. “No, I just picked up a call from Mrs. Green at the restaurant where she told me…oh, fuck.”

“Come on. Joey is asleep, and you look like you could use a drink,” I said, jerking my head in the direction of the kitchen.

Cullen nodded. “Yeah…”

“I’m afraid I only have the cheap stuff,” I said as I pulled out an old bottle of Jack. “I got it as a gift and never opened it.” I cracked it open and handed him a glass.

He downed it immediately.

I poured him another.

He downed that one too.

“I realize not knowing where your child is has got to be terror-inducing, but have I given you any reason to think I would do Joey harm? Fuck, the worst I would do is introduce her to trashy reality TV shows and get her hyped up on chocolate!”

Cullen deflated, leaning against the kitchen counter. “I know…Fuck, I’m sorry, Bethany.”

“As you should be.” Hesitating, I asked, “I didn’t slap you too hard, did I?” The right side of his face was looking a little red.

He let out a quiet chuckle. “Actually, you pack a punch for one so small.” His head turned to the front door as a knock echoed through the small apartment. “Expecting someone?”

I shook my head. “No, but I’ll go see who it is. I don’t want the knocks disturbing Joey. It’s probably just a neighbor worried about the shouting.”

“Or my pack mate.”