Page 13 of Brutal Reign (Shadowed Heirs #5)

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“ I ’m just sayin’, if Chandler came at me like she does Seb, I wouldn’t turn her down,” Beau drawls, his hungry gaze pinned to the leggy blonde across the barracks. She’s been strutting around in nothing but her bra and panties for the past twenty minutes, no doubt waiting for Seb to make an appearance. Nobody takes that long to get dressed after a shower.

“Is there any girl here you wouldn’t fuck?” Eli snorts.

Beau considers for a moment, eyes skimming over the she-wolves in the immediate vicinity. “Bella,” he concludes.

“Only because she wouldn’t let you,” Eli points out.

“ Again , you mean,” Beau smirks, knocking his shoulder into Eli’s.

Eli barks a laugh. “Exactly. You’ve already disappointed her once.”

“Shut up, bro,” Beau grumbles, twisting at the waist to deliver a sharp jab to Eli’s bicep.

Eli shoves him back, rubbing his arm with a wince, while I go right back to tuning the two of them out, staring down at the floor while my knee bounces anxiously. Even getting stoned can’t take the edge off this sick, unsettled feeling that’s been twisting in my gut from the moment Seb and River sped away on their motorcycles.

They’d better not fuck around and kill each other.

I’ve always joked that they would someday, but adding a high-speed motorcycle chase into their already volatile dynamic makes the possibility of it actually happening all too real.

My inner wolf suddenly perks up, and I whip my head in the direction of the entrance to the barracks right as River storms in through the doorway, very much alive and looking thoroughly pissed off. She radiates fury as she stomps in the direction of her bunk, everyone in her path instinctively stepping back to clear the way. Nothing makes shifters duck for cover faster than an Alpha’s rage, and the aura of anger surrounding her is so potent I can practically taste it in the air.

Guess it’s safe to assume that Seb won their race. But if I know my best friend– and I do – I’m betting his victory isn’t the only thing that’s got River looking like she’s ready to commit murder. Odds are, he ran his mouth again and said some dumb shit to twist the knife.

Back in the day, it’d be my job to step in and do damage control, but now, all I can do is sit here and watch as River stomps over to her bunk, ripping off her riding gloves angrily and throwing them into the cubby affixed to the end. Her friend Hayden sits up, peering around their bunk to ask River what happened. Before I can hear her reply, though, my inner wolf alerts me to the presence of another pissed-off Alpha.

Seb thunders into the barracks like a storm cloud, emanating so much negative energy that my wolf retreats to the recesses of my consciousness with a whine. Looks like I’ll be doing damage control after all. I sit up straighter, posture stiff and fingers curling into the edge of the mattress at either side of my hips to brace for impact as he heads my way.

Seb’s dark gaze lifts to meet mine for a fleeting second before flickering back to the ground, his heavy boots clomping against the floor as he eats up the distance in long strides. He passes by me to go for his cubby while Beau and Eli exchange nervous glances, looking to me for guidance, and I wave them away with a sigh, opting to handle this one on my own. When Seb’s at his worst, everyone else is just collateral damage.

The two of them clear out while Seb rips his hoodie off over his head, slamming it into the cabinet. I ease up to my feet and step around to join him. He doesn’t look up when I approach and lean a shoulder against the frame of our bunk- he’s stuck somewhere in his own head as he furiously kicks off his shoes, stooping down to grab them off the floor.

“What happened?” I ask calmly.

He grumbles something unintelligible under his breath as he shoves his boots into his cubby.

“ Seb ,” I press, louder this time.

He whips his head toward me, meeting my eyes with a wild, unhinged look in his own. “I fucked up,” he chokes, his expression twisting in a strange mix of fury and anguish. From that look alone, I know it’s something bad. Seb always bottles up his emotions, but right now, they’re displayed all over his face.

“What’d you do?” I question, holding my breath as he averts his eyes again and clenches his jaw tight. My heart thuds harder against my ribcage, throat tightening as apprehension curls in my gut.

Seb drags his hands over his face, his voice muffled behind his palms as he mutters, “I kissed her.”

Those three words punch all the air from my lungs. I freeze, my entire world grinding to a screeching, excruciating, halt.

“What did you just say?” I murmur in a low monotone, sure that I must’ve misheard him.

He turns to face me, the guilt in his eyes betraying the truth behind his words. “I didn’t mean to,” he rushes out, brows pinching together as he shakes his head. “I just… fuck , she was yelling at me, and I just wanted to shut her up, so I… I wasn’t thinking, it shouldn’t…”

I abruptly turn on a heel, not wanting to hear any more of his bullshit excuses and opting to walk away before I say or do something I know I’ll regret.

We had a fucking deal.

Sure, it was one made between a couple of messed-up kids, driven primarily by fear, but it was a deal nonetheless; one that I respected and stuck to.

“Ace!” Seb snarls, following me over to the other end of our bunk where my own cubby is. I reach inside to grab my duffel from the top shelf, ripping open the zipper and tossing it down onto the ground.

“What are you doing?” he demands, blinking at me in bewilderment as I start pulling my stuff from the shelves and stuffing it into the bag at my feet.

“This was your plan all along, right?” I snap, the accusation leaving a bitter taste in my mouth as it rolls off my tongue. “Get me to back off so you could have her all to yourself?”

“What are you talking about?” he growls, reaching over to rip the stack of clothes out of my hands before I can shove them in the bag. “You know it’s not like that!”

“No?” I scoff, cutting him an icy glare. “Then why’d you fucking do it, Seb? Huh?”

His eyes widen, his mouth hinging open as he struggles for words.

“Yeah, that’s what I fucking thought,” I mutter, yanking my clothes out of his grip. He reaches for them again, but I shove him back with a feral growl, my wolf pushing forward to reveal himself in my irises as a warning.

“You’re really gonna walk out on me, just like that?” Seb rasps.

“Just like that,” I deadpan.

He throws his head back with a groan, dragging his hands over his face. “Ace, c’mon man,” he implores, his voice raw with emotion. “She’s not worth it, you said so yourself!”

“No, I said this wasn’t worth it,” I seethe. “The petty bullshit, the sniping back and forth and getting all worked up over something that was never going to happen because we had a fucking deal. We knew it’d end like this, that’s why we made that pact in the first place, right? But I guess the fucking joke’s on me.”

“ You kiss her, then!” Seb hisses, grabbing for the strap of my bag as I lift it up to sling over my shoulder.

I stiffen, my brain taking a few seconds to turn over his words. “What?”

“Kiss her,” Seb repeats, staring into my eyes. “That’s the only way we’ll be square. Do it, and then we can go back to the way things were and pretend that none of this ever fucking happened.”

I snort a wry laugh, rolling my eyes as I yank my duffel out of his grasp. “You’re a prick, you know that?” I mutter under my breath.

“I’m serious,” he says, ripping my bag out of my hands.

I lift my gaze to his again, searching his eyes. “You really want me to kiss her,” I reply slowly.

“Yeah,” he agrees, head bobbing up and down in a frantic nod.

I swear this guy is his own worst enemy. There’s no way he actually wants this, but Seb’s so goddamn emotionally stunted that he’d rather be a miserable asshole than admit he cares. Either that, or he thinks I’ll just bow out and let him have her. There isn’t much I wouldn’t do for Seb, but that’s the one thing I won’t do. I can’t, and he fucking knows it .

I fold my arms across my chest, staring back at him for a long moment while silently daring him to change his mind. He’s right, though– I’ll always resent him for this unless we even the score.

He had a taste of forbidden fruit, so why shouldn’t I?

“You know what?” I bite out, cocking my head. “Fine.”

I swear I see him flinch, but I don’t let that stop me. He’s made his fucking bed, and now he gets to lie in it. Slamming my shoulder into his, I barge past my best friend, stalking across the barracks to settle this once and for all.

River’s standing beside her bunk, leaning a hip against the frame while chatting with Hayden. I can’t hear what they’re saying over the sound of my blood pumping in my ears, my heart pounding harder with each step I take in her direction.

Fuck, she’s beautiful . I never allow myself to think that, never let myself notice how good she looks or smells because it feels like a betrayal of the worst kind. Even now, letting those thoughts in feels like the first steps of a swift descent into madness.

I step in front of River, her hazel eyes snapping up to meet mine as I invade her space, popping wide when my tattooed hand wraps around her delicate throat.

“Ace,” she breathes as I reach my thumb up to sweep over her plump lower lip. “What are you…?”

I lean down, crushing my lips against hers in answer and swallowing her little gasp of surprise. Sparks ignite between our skin, setting off a chain reaction that has her body melting against mine, her lips parting as our mouths fuse together.

I’ve always wondered what it would be like to kiss River Jacobsen. I almost did once, and I’ve been kicking myself for pussying out every day since. Because I knew how Seb felt about her, and I knew what would happen if I gave into temptation. This .

Every nerve ending in my body comes to life as River opens for me, my tongue sweeping into her mouth, unbidden. Her head tilts, my fingers flexing around the column of her neck as I delve deeper, tasting and claiming my greatest desire. For once in my life, I don’t hesitate. I take exactly what I want, owning every second of this kiss like it’s the last thing I’ll do.

It takes everything in me to stop once I’ve started, dragging her lower lip between my teeth as I pull back and relinquishing my grip on her throat. River’s eyes pop open, her lashes fluttering as she blinks up at me in breathless confusion.

I slowly turn my head, meeting Seb’s glare from across the barracks. His shoulders are bunched tight, fists clenched at his sides as I lift a finger, pointing it in his direction.

“That’s what I thought,” I growl loud enough for him to hear, turning on a heel and storming for the exit.