Page 21

CHAPTER EIGHT

JAKE

I’m still fumingby the time we get back to the hotel. My skin feels roughly two sizes too small, and it’s taking every ounce of my self-control not to shift in the backseat of Elena’s Uber and burst through the window out into the street.

It’s a miracle I didn’t shift right there in the middle of the club.

I haven’t been this out of control since I was a teenager, and it scares me. All these years, I thought I’d found a way to appease my wolf — fighting in the cage rather than fighting on the streets.

But one little insult hurled at Elena, and suddenly it’s like I’m fifteen years old again with an uncontrollable rage burning in my gut. I lost control tonight just like I did the night of the basketball game, which proves just how bad Elena is for me.

And yet, despite the rage humming beneath my skin, my mind keeps circling back to what that ass-clown Derek let slip.

Elena never slept with him?

That can’t be right. I know from Raf’s updates that she dated the guy for nearly six months.

And what did he mean that she’s beensavingherself? Elena can’t be a virgin. No way. She’s been sneaking around with boys since the ninth grade. Her best friend isCarmen, for crying out loud.

I don’t say a word to Elena as we take the elevator up to our room, and the stench of her anger fills the small space. I know she’s embarrassed about the fight and mad she had to leave the club early, but I’m not going to apologize for defending her.

That Derek guy is a fucking asshole, and he deserved a lot worse than he got.

I don’t care if he’s in the wedding or if Elenadiddate him. Derek Tyson is bad news. He’s a transfer from the Beaver Creek pack, and I’ve heard way too many stories about how those guys treat their females.

Maybe that’s why he’s Elena’s ex. He sure as shit must have done something stupid to lose her. If Elena were mine, I’d never let her go.

“You didn’t have to start a fight with him, you know,” Elena growls the second we reach our room. “Youcouldhave just walked away.”

A fresh wave of fury hits me straight in the gut, and I round on her so fast that she takes a step back.

“Walked away?” I glare at her, my voice shaking with the force of my rage. “After heinsultedyou like that?”

“He was just jealous.”

“You’re defending him?”

“No, I —”

Elena breaks off at the look on my face. How is it thatthis Derek fucker shows up out of the blue, insults her, and suddenlyI’mthe bad guy?

Oh, because Derek has money and went to a fancy school, while I’m the hotheaded piece of trash who never went to college.

I drag in a breath through my nose, willing myself to stay calm. “If you think that I was just going to walk away after he called you a —” A strangled noise slips out of my throat, and I rake a hand through my hair. “You don’t know me very well at all.”

“No,” she snaps. “I do know you. I just thought you’d gotten past this . . . this . . .” She gropes for what she’s trying to say, looking just as frustrated as I feel.

“This what?” I bite out. “Go on — say it!”

“This chip on your shoulder that makes you fly off the handle like a total psycho!”

My left eye twitches as I glare at her.Chip on my shoulder?Look who’s talking. Elena won’t ask Raf for a dime, even though he’s a fucking billionaire who wants nothing more than to take care of his family.

“You know what? I’m going to bed,” I growl, ripping my T-shirt over my head and tossing it onto the floor. “But thanks for being so goddamned honest. It’s good to know where I stand with you.”

Elena opens her mouth, but no words come out. It’s just as well. I’ve got nothing more to say to her tonight.

I storm over to the little closet by the bathroom and yank out the extra blanket. Elena turns away as I strip down to my boxer briefs and flop down on the tiny loveseat by the window.