Page 84

“Don’t be ridiculous. I never once called youanythinglike that.”

“You didn’t have to say it!” She moved to stand up, and Striker shoved her back down with a hand on her shoulder. “Everyone knew, Ace! Everyone in this whole clan knew you were going to takemeas your mate. But no, I was just a stand-in for your little Georgia peach.” Blakely scowled. “You used me, you lied to me, and you threw me out. For what? Forher?She’s not even a part of this clan!”

Blakely’s gaze flickered furiously between Stephan and me. Stephan kept his arms crossed, watching her, and the silence dragged on and on.

“Say something,” Blakely hissed.

“Are you done?” Stephan asked.

“Areyou?”

“I asked you to explain yourself,” Stephan said. “You ran Harley off the road.”

Blakely narrowed her eyes at me with the same furious expression she’d worn in the grocery store. “You should’ve stayed gone. You don’t belong here. You’re not a part of this clan.”

Her words were thick with venom, but they didn’t hurt me at all. She looked like an angry cat, trapped and hungry and alone. Yeah, she’d made me crash my rental, but I couldn’t help but feel bad for her. She’d lied to get me out of the picture, was delusional about Stephan, and was now paying the price. I pitied her.

“Neither are you, Blakely,” Stephan said. “I thought removing you from the club would be enough, but this is beyond what I imagined you were capable of. You’re cast out.”

Striker’s eyes widened as he tightened his grip on Blakely’s shoulder. “Ace, she’s a human. She’s not even a full clan member, and even if she was, no one’s been cast out since?—”

“Since Sean,” Stephan finished for him. “I know that. This clan has been nothing but kind to you, Blakely. You’ve never been a member, since you haven’t been taken as a mate by any clan members, but we’ve welcomed you into our homes for years. We treated you like clan then, and I’ll treat you like clannow. You’re fully cast out. Just shows how badly you fucked up, Blakely.”

“Ace—”

“You’ve said your piece,” Stephan snarled. “I thought banning you from the club would be enough. But now, I’ll spread the word to the entirety of the Lakeview clan. If any clan member is seen with you, they’ll be cast out from the clan as well. You’re unwelcome. No one associated with the clan will have you at their table. I’m the only one who can allow you back in, and I wouldn’t expect that ever happening.”

“But… myfriends,Ace?—”

“You should’ve thought of that before you tried to kill my fated mate,” Stephan said. “You won’t have a life in Lakeview anymore. If you want friends, I suggest you leave town and start over somewhere new.”

“This isn’t fair!” Blakely cried out. “Just because you’ve got thisbitchand that littlebrat?—”

Stephan surged forward, his eyes burning gold as he towered over Blakely. She cowered back, and I thought she would’ve bolted in fear if it weren’t for the enforcers’ hands on her shoulders.

“Mention my son again and I’ll handle you myself,” he snarled.

Blakely’s rage cracked, and her furious, devastated tears began to spill over. Stephan pulled back with a sigh and rubbed his hand over his hair. He looked exhausted. “Anything you want to say, Harley?”

“No.” I’d come here with the intention to demand an explanation or give her a piece of my mind… But now, all I could see was this sad, lonely woman dealing with the consequences of her own stupid decisions.

“Let’s take her to the police station,” Stephan said to Tank. “Striker, take Harley home.”

I nodded—glad I didn’t have to go with them and relieved this mess with Blakely was finally dealt with. Stephan squeezed my nape reassuringly, his eyes still flecked with gold, before he left the clubhouse. Tank hauled Blakely behind him. She was still crying.

Striker shook his head. “Knew that girl was going to cause problems someday,” he said. “Come on, let’s get you home.”

We drove back in companionable silence, and then Striker walked me to the quiet house. It was empty when I arrived, and there was a note on the counter informing me that Hawk and Dylan had gone back to Hawk’s place to play with Zoey.

“I’ll be outside until Ace gets back,” Striker said. “Holler if you need anything.”

“Thanks, Striker.”

It was strange to be in the alpha house all alone. The mid-morning sun shone through the big glass windows and illuminated the dust floating in the still air. The quiet was calming, but weird; I kept expecting to hear Stephan’s voice or Dylan’s laughter.

I’d settled into a routine here quicker than I expected. I felt safe here, knowing Dylan was with his uncle, Striker was looking out for me outside, and Stephan was handling the issue with Blakely. In the kitchen, I poured a cup of coffee, still warm in the pot from this morning. Then I walked outside onto the deck overlooking the lake.

Guilt nipped at my heels like Hawk’s puppy Zoey sometimes did, demanding my attention. The coffee was delicious, the view gorgeous, the weather perfect… I had all of this to enjoy while Blakely was being hauled off to the police station. If she was cast out, as Stephan had said, would she even have a place to stay? Her whole life was in Lakeview, with the clan. I doubted she’d be willing to drop everything and leave town.