Page 25 of Midnight Bond (Wolves of Midnight #5)

Jagger exploded off the ground with a bellow and charged Griff. In a flash, Kolton was between them and shoved Jagger back, snapping, “Stop and think for a moment, Jagger. Griff was only trying to force your hand. He would never betray you or Vi that way.”

Undeterred, Jagger surged forward again, only to be shoved back once more.

Normally strong enough to hold his own against Kolton, concern filled me at how easily Jagger was put in his place.

Studying him a moment longer, it finally dawned on me why.

He’d lost even more weight, the lines of his body sharper from losing muscle mass.

Realizing that he’d been weakened by our bond, guilt twisted my insides.

“Let him through, Kol,” Griff said, bouncing on the balls of his feet. “I’ve been wanting to smack him around all week for letting Brielle go.”

Jagger snarled at him, and Griff flashed his teeth in a taunting grin.

“Enough!” Kolton barked, using his alpha voice.

If I wasn’t already on the ground, I would have lowered my head in submission.

Jagger and Griff, however, continued to glare at each other.

Noting their resistance, Kolton sternly added, “This fight is not happening. The pheromones have you both on edge, and it’s the only reason I’m letting this slide.

Griff, go back to the truck. Jagger, I’m giving you one last chance to fix this.

Either take care of Brielle or take her to a male who will. ”

Ah, hell, he did not just order my fated mate to hand me over to another male if he couldn’t do the deed. If my face wasn’t already flushed, it would be turning beet red right now. Not from embarrassment but humiliation. I didn’t think I could get any more pathetic, but apparently, I could.

As Griff and Kolton turned to leave, I set aside my humiliation long enough to say, “The supernatural hunters could be at my parents’. I’m worried.”

Kolton paused to nod and reply, “We’ll make sure your human family is safe. And if the hunters are there, we’ll take care of them.”

I gave him a wobbly smile, already feeling ten times better despite the pain still wreaking havoc on my body. “Thank you. Be careful.”

He tipped his chin in acknowledgement, then gave Jagger one last stern look before turning to leave again.

When it was just me and the male who’d rejected me, I became keenly aware of my awful predicament.

Our predicament. Jagger might have washed his hands of me, but because I’d called him, he was now stuck with me.

Feeling wretchedly self-conscious, I blurted, “They didn’t have to come. It’s Christmas, and I feel bad that they left the festivities for this.”

Now several yards away from me, Jagger breathed in and out for a lengthy beat before replying, “You’re pack, Brielle. Family. They wanted to come, and I couldn’t exactly take off by myself anyway.”

Another heatwave blasted through me, and I bit my lip hard enough to draw blood. When I was able to form sentences again, I gasped out, “Why not?”

“My Porsche is in the shop,” he said in a strained voice, looking everywhere but at me.

“Why? I thought you’d . . . you’d fixed it.”

He was silent for a long moment, the only movement the rapid rise and fall of his chest. Then, “I destroyed it after you left.”

My eyes widened in surprise. He destroyed his fancy car? Because of me? Not knowing how to take that bit of news, I decided to change the subject. “You don’t have to stay here. Now that I know I’m just in heat, I can deal with it alone. I’ve practiced self care for many years.”

He made a noise in the back of his throat, but it definitely wasn’t a laugh at my joke. I tried to pick up his emotions through our supposedly still-intact bond, but the turmoil raging through my body was all I could feel.

“That won’t be enough,” he finally said, still not looking at me. “A female’s first heat is extremely potent, and without a male to ease her suffering, the pain will become unbearable.”

I scrunched up my nose. “That sounds so sexist.”

He made another noise, and this time, I swore it was a snort.

“Did you just laugh?”

“No. Nothing about this situation is amusing.”

“I agree, but laughing is far better than crying. I’ve been crying nonstop for the past two weeks and am beyond sick of it.”

At my blunt confession, he finally looked at me. The second his blue-gray eyes met mine, a feeling of shame stabbed my chest. I blinked, realizing that the emotion was his.

“Forget I said that. I wasn’t trying to make you feel guilty,” I said.

The shame continued to prick my chest, and after several moments, I couldn’t bear it anymore.

Couldn’t bear the pity in his eyes. Gritting my teeth, I gathered the last of my strength and struggled to stand.

I didn’t know where I would go, only that I needed to get away from here. From him.

If I was going to be in excruciating, unbearable pain soon, then I at least wanted to suffer with some of my dignity intact.

But the second my feet were under me, agony cut through my insides like a bonesaw. It felt like my body was being ripped in half. I took a step forward anyway, determined to grin and bear it, but the pain was too much.

The last thing I saw was Jagger lunging toward me before the world went dark.