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That judgmental look in her eye made anger burn in my chest, fed by the flames of my guilt.

God forbid I cut loose a little at my own clubhouse.

This was just another way she thought I was a fuck-up.

Another way I’d never be good enough to earn her trust. “You don’t need to baby me,” I snapped as I pulled away from her touch. “We’ve got Dylan for that.”

Harley’s eyes widened. She dropped her hand and took a step back. “Jeez. You’re falling all over the place like a teenager, Steph, and now you’ve got the attitude to match?”

“Attitude? You’ve been avoiding me all night. Is that the mature attitude you’re expecting?”

“Avoiding… Steph, I needed a little space.”

“Then take it. I’m having another round.” I narrowed my eyes at the bartender, who looked torn for a moment, then slid me another whiskey.

“What the hell is this about?” Harley asked. “Are you mad about what I said earlier? About Sean? About how I should be gone by now? I’m not going to apologize for that. I’m still here, aren’t I? Can we work together on this?”

I whirled to face her. “Harley, you don’t understand a damn thing that’s going on here!

This is why women stay out of clan business!

This is between me and my brother. I told you I’d handle it, and I’m handling it, in the way that’s best for this whole clan.

I’m the alpha. It’s my responsibility. It’s bigger than you and me.

I’m handling it, and as my mate, you need to trust me. ”

Harley’s eyes were huge with shock.

The room fell silent. All around us, people stared.

Smoke burned on the back of my tongue. Only then did I realize how loud my voice was. How I towered over Harley. My eyes were probably burning with gold.

Fuck.

I didn’t think I could make her trust me even less. But apparently, I just had.

“Harley, I’m sorry—” I took a step closer.

Harley stopped me with her fingertips pressed to my chest like five brands. “No,” she said coolly. “You don’t get to speak to me like that. Ever.”

I fell silent.

“So, you’re the big bad alpha. That doesn’t matter to me. You don’t own me, and you don’t get to tell me to stay out of things that affect my son’s safety. And you never, ever get to speak to me in a tone like that.”

If I didn’t know better, I’d expect her eyes to flash with draconic anger.

She was human, but in that moment, the strength of her anger shocked me.

And even through the haze of booze and guilt and frustration…

it turned me on. I’d never seen her like this.

Fierce. Ferocious. Gorgeous. She’d try to kick my ass to keep our son safe. And she’d probably succeed.

“I’m going back to the house,” she said. “Don’t follow me.”

“Harley, wait.” I tried, one last time. But I knew she wasn’t going to listen. Not tonight, at least. All I could do was lean against the bar and watch the crowd part around her as she stormed out.

Then she was gone.

Someone cleared their throat, and then the party picked back up around me. I sank onto a barstool and slumped my weight against the bar in front of me. At least I still had another whiskey to drink.

Hawk appeared next to me. He was a little red-faced, but mostly clear-eyed. “Hey.”

“Hey.”

“You’re an idiot.”

“I know.”

“You really can’t talk to Harley like that.”

“I know.”

“I mean, if I tried to shout at Mia, she’d cut off my balls.”

“Hawk,” I said firmly, resisting the urge to bark at him as well. The last thing I needed was more awkward attention from the surrounding clan. “I said I know. ”

Hawk sighed and squeezed my shoulder. “This whole Sean thing’s got everyone fucked up, doesn’t it?”

I huffed a laugh, but there wasn’t any humor in it. “Understatement.”

“Nothing we can do about it tonight,” Hawk said. “You can apologize to Harley in the morning. When you’re sober. And probably hungover.”

“I’ll drink to that,” I said and drained my whiskey.

The party continued like my outburst had never happened.

After another hour or so, and a few more rounds, it finally began to wind down.

Mia and Bella were long gone, and Hawk had passed out upstairs.

Tank was lounging on the grass outside, maybe passed out as well, and Striker was on the couch with one of the local girls, Tori, in his lap.

Tori glanced over at me and gave me a flirty little wave, then leaned down to kiss Striker’s neck. I huffed and stood up from my seat at the bar. My head spun. It was that time of night when everyone either passed out or wrangled someone else into their bed.

I hoped Harley was asleep. My dragon hoped she was asleep in my bed. Probably not, though. She’d probably retreated back to her bedroom at my house. She probably wanted nothing to do with me.

The clubhouse spun around me. There was no way in hell I was making it home tonight. Hell, I’d be lucky if I made it up to my room.

I took the stairs one careful step at a time—a herculean endeavor.

I stumbled to my clubhouse bedroom and shoved the door open.

The room looked the same, but it was stuffy.

I hadn’t spent any time here since Harley had showed up in Lakeview.

It didn’t exactly fill me with joy to be back here, but at least I had a bed.

I threw open the windows so the cool night air flooded the stuffy room. Then I managed to get my shoes and jeans off without falling on my face, collapsed onto the bed, and passed out into a dreamless sleep.

After what felt like minutes, maybe seconds, my dragon woke up first.

He stirred, then he thrashed. Angry. Repulsed. Something was wrong.

A small, broken voice filled the room like an alarm clock.

“Steph?”

I blinked my eyes open a sliver. Early morning sun poured into the room—so I’d slept, even if it felt like I didn’t. My head throbbed like someone was jackhammering my brain. My dragon was still thrashing and twitching.

There was a warm weight on my chest. Arms around my waist. But the body felt too narrow. Smelled wrong.

I looked down.

Red hair. Pale skin. A smattering of freckles down her bare back.

My stomach roiled, and all the whiskey I’d had last night threatened to come back up.

Harley stood in the open door.

She looked like she’d rolled right out of bed herself. She was wearing that same Cole’s Garage shirt she liked to sleep in, leggings, and sneakers. Her hair was in a messy bun. Devastation clouded her face: her mouth slack with shock, her eyes wide and shining with unshed tears.

“How could you?” she asked. “How could you do this?”

Blakely moaned, half-awake, and nuzzled her face into my belly like a pleased cat. The gesture made me snap into wakefulness, and I shoved her off me. She flopped to the side, and the comforter slid down her naked body.

“Hey!” she said, voice rough with sleep. “What the hell, Ace?”

“Yeah, Ace, ” Harley echoed. Her voice was suddenly cold, and her expression was furious. It was like a door had shut over her face. The devastation was gone. “What the hell?”

Hearing Harley call me Ace made my stomach turn again.

“It’s not what it looks like,” I said. I clambered to my feet, hands outstretched like I was trying to calm a spooked horse. “I promise. Just—just let me explain.”

“Explain what? Why you’ve got a naked woman in your bed? A woman who recently tried to kill me?” She shook her head like she couldn’t believe it. “I almost have to laugh. I knew we had problems, Stephan, but I never in a million years thought you’d stoop this low.”

“I wouldn’t,” I said. “I didn’t.”

But I had no explanation as to why Blakely was here. In the bed, Blakely pulled the comforter up over herself and cuddled into the bed, watching us with a pleased smirk on her lips. I was struck with the sudden urge to throw her out the window.

“I got a text this morning,” Harley said.

“Unknown number. Said someone needed to take you back to your house, because you were way too drunk. I figured it was one of your clan members. So despite everything, I got out of bed at the crack of dawn to drive over here and pick you up. But it looks like you didn’t need any help at all.

Looks like you’re doing fine right where you are. ”

A glimpse of that devastation appeared in her blue eyes. So much pain. I’d hurt her so badly.

She turned to leave.

“Goodbye, Stephan.”

“Harley, wait!” I followed her down the hallway, jumping into my jeans as I went. “Wait! Harley!”

At the top of the stairs, she turned to face me, anger and betrayal burning in her eyes.

“Wait for what? For some magical explanation as to why Blakely’s naked in your bed?

After everything you said. Everything you promised.

” The tears that had been threatening to fall finally spilled over.

“She tried to kill me , Stephan. It’s not just that you cheated, which would be bad enough—but with her?

You keep saying you’ll handle it, you’ll fix it, and then every time I turn around I’m getting hurt. By your people. By you. ”

“I don’t know what happened,” I said desperately. I longed to pull her into my arms and wipe away her tears. But I couldn’t. Not when I was the one who caused them. “I wouldn’t do this to you. I wouldn’t. I know that.”

She laughed, and there was a deep sadness in it. “You were so drunk last night, you wouldn’t even know if you did. I didn’t think you’d ever scream in my face, either, but you managed to do that.”

The guilt slashed through me. My chest hurt so badly I wondered if I was bleeding. I wondered if I could simply take out my heart and give it to her.

“I need to get out of here,” she said breathlessly. “I need to think. Away from all of this. Away from you.”

She turned and hurried down the stairs.

All I could do was stand there and watch as she walked away. Away from me. Away from my life. From our life. The life I’d just blown up.

My dragon whined and howled in my chest. I didn’t know what had happened, but I couldn’t have slept with Blakely.

My dragon wouldn’t have allowed it. It was hard enough when Harley was just a memory, but now that she was back in my life, my dragon hardly wanted to look at other women. How could I have slept with Blakely?

But the booze…

It was so potent. It’d made me feel good. It’d quieted my dragon. Would it have knocked him out enough to let me sleep with Blakely?

Would I have done that?

Was that the kind of man I was?

I stormed back to my room and threw the door open. Blakely was still in bed, scrolling her phone with the comforter low around her waist. Her skin was untouched—no rough marks on her neck or chest.

“What the fuck happened last night?” I demanded.

“What?” Blakely asked. “Why are you so worked up? You’re the one who called me, Ace.”

“I’d never do that,” I growled. “You’re excommunicated.”

“Then what’s this?” She turned her phone toward me. There it was, in her call history. My number. The late, late hour.

What the fuck?

“You called me, I answered. You sounded pretty out of it, but you asked me to come over, so I did.” She smiled. “I thought you’d finally gotten over your temper tantrum.”

“Get the fuck out.”

“What? It’s true.”

“I said get out!” My voice boomed through the clubhouse.

Blakely’s face paled. “You’re such a fucking asshole.” She climbed out of bed and tugged last night’s clothes back on. “I’m only here because you called me, and now you’re acting all pissed? It’s not my fault your little girlfriend’s got a stick up her ass.”

“Don’t speak about her,” I snarled. “Not now, or ever again.”

“Jesus,” Blakely said. “Fine. I’m leaving. You’re such a fucking pig. And a liar. I don’t know why the hell I ever thought I was in love with you.”

She grabbed her things and stormed out of the clubhouse. I heard the front door slam.

My knees quivered. I slowly sank down until I hit the floor and leaned back against the side of the bed. I didn’t even want to touch the sheets I’d shared with Blakely. I dropped my head into my hands.

I couldn’t lose Harley. Not now. Not ever.

I had to fix this.

How the hell was I going to do that?