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Chapter 35

Alec

Chloe lay sleeping in my bed, her long dark browncurls sweeping over my pillow. She had been asleep for at least the past four hours. Ever since she came out of the hospital, she struggled to make it through the day without having a nap.

I slowly closed the curtain, blocking the sun out and casting the room into darkness.

“Hey, Alec.” Dan’s voice boomed as he loudly flung my bedroom door open.

“DAN!” I whispered harshly at him while striding across the room. Luckily, he hadn’t woken Chloe up. She was still sleeping soundly.

“What do you want?” I asked, closing the bedroom door softly, blocking our voices out from Chloe. I didn’t care what anyone said. She could sleep as much as she needed.

“Don’t do the high and mighty act with me.” Dan crossed his arms, a smug expression on his face. “Care to explain what happened?”

“Explain what?”

“Don’t play dumb, Alec. I know your handiwork when I see it.” Dan smiled, pleased. “Seeing as I often have worn the marks of your right hook.”

Oh, he was talking about that. “That was nothing. Just drop it.” I moved to walk around him, but being the stubborn little brother he was, he blocked me.

“You aren’t getting off that lightly. I wonder what Chloe is going to think when she goes back to school.” Dan had a firm smirk on his face. “I just don’t know why you wouldn’t let me watch.”

“Chloe won’t know a thing.” Really, how long would it take for him to heal? My knuckles had already healed over. “Now get out of my way, Dan.”

The grumbling in my stomach was enough to scare away any human. My focus the last few weeks had been solely on Chloe, and my body was starting to show the neglect.

“Why did you hit him?” Dan was eager to press the matter. Where the hell was Maddison when you needed her?

“Where’s Maddison?” I attempted to distract him. I didn’t really want to rehash the details to him, especially since Chloe was only sleeping a few feet away and could wake any moment. I still didn’t want to know her reaction to me harming her mate.

“With Mom shopping for wedding stuff. Don’t change the subject.” Dan arched both eyebrows, eager for every detail. “So tell me, what he did he do?”

“What hasn’t he done?” I spat, the rage beginning to creep over me when I thought of that mutt. “He was asking for it.”

“Asking for it?” Dan asked, an eager expression like a child on Christmas on his face. “How did you not get arrested for what you did? I heard you put him through a plate glass window?”

“He fell through the window.”

“With your help, I am guessing.” Dan added, now eagerly following me down the staircase.

“He should have just left.” He was asking for it. I told him to get lost. But like the stubborn, selfish mutt he was, he wouldn’t listen.

“I’m surprised you didn’t tell Chloe about it.”

“Why would I?” I snapped. “You think she really wants to know how I raged at her mate?”

“Yeah, but she doesn’t care for him.”

“Just drop it, Dan.” I slumped onto the living room couch and flicked the TV on. But not even the noise of football could keep Dan’s voice muted.

“Xavier is really pissed, Alec. I don’t think you’ve heard the last of him.” Dan looked at the TV for a few moments, before shaking his head and leaving the room. He finally got the point that I didn’t want to talk about it.

I would be more than glad to have another visit from Xavier. He deserved a lot more than a few punches and a hammering through a window. Considering all that was beneath the window was a garden bed, the impact would have been softer than a mountain of pillows.

I stared aimlessly at the TV.I still don’t know how we both had managed to defeat a change. My wolf wanted to slaughter his and I’m sure his felt the same.

After all, we both were fighting over Chloe. She was everything to me and, sadly, she would always be everything to him.