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“You sure you don’t want me to come in with you?” Nedrick asked.

Brett squeezed Nedrick’s wrist while shaking his head before releasing him. He wasn’t quite at the handholding stage, but he didn’t mind a little contact. Brett appreciated that his shifter was patient with him.

“Naw.” Brett indicated the wooden benches that had been built around a number of the trees filling his college’s courtyard. “Just sit and relax. It shouldn’t take me long to pop into the administration office and change my schedule and address.” When Nedrick looked doubtful, as if he didn’t want Brett out of his sight, Brett laughed. “If there’s a line, and I’m going to be more than twenty minutes, I’ll text you.”

Nedrick sighed even as he nodded. “Deal.”

Brett started walking away from the bench where Nedrick was standing. Then he paused and turned back. Girding up his courage, Brett stepped close to his shifter and pecked a quick kiss to his cheek.

Fighting the blush that threatened his neck, Brett muttered, “I’ll be back soon.”

The grin that spread over Nedrick’s face was worth overcoming his slight discomfort.

Brett drew away and started heading toward the building housing the administration offices. As it turned out, the wolf pack owned the building Preall and Trina lived in. Preall acted as the building supervisor for the six-tenant complex. The couple in one of the apartments had graduated, so there’d been an opening for the two-bedroom place. When Preall had offered it to them, Nedrick had insisted they move in together now that they were mated.

Brett hadn’t had a good reason to say no, especially since it would save him money. The pack refused to accept rent from pack-members.

“I knew it,” a cold feminine voice came from behind Brett, and he paused with his foot on the first step. “I knew you were a fucking faggot.”

Turning, Brett spotted Karissa standing ten feet away. She had one hand in her purse and the other clenched at her side. Her face was flushed, and cold fury blazed in her green eyes.

“I can’t believe I let you kiss me.” Curling her lips into a sneer, she took a step toward him. “I feel defiled, and you’re gonna pay for that.”

Lifting his hands in placation, Brett countered, “Uh, I’m actually bi, if you want to put a label on it.”

Personally, he thought labels were stupid. Why did people need to fit themselves into any particular box? As Karissa took a few more steps toward him, Brett wondered if she was going to try to slap him or something. The college had a zero-tolerance for bullying, and there were others around, so it wouldn’t go well for her.

“Look, we had two dates,” Brett continued, trying to defuse the situation. “We weren’t compatible. Let’s just move on,” he encouraged. “Bygones be bygones and all that.”

“Bygones?” Karissa mocked. “Oh, no.” She sneered as she lunged forward, yanking something from her purse. “Payback!”

Pain erupted through Brett’s chest as his body jolted, yanking a shocked cry from his throat. Tumbling backward, he dropped onto the concrete steps, his body still twitching. His head slammed onto a stair, as did his casted arm, sending another wave of pain through him.

Then Karissa was leaning over him, and as the sizzling agony returned, what caused it flashed through his shocked brain.

Stun gun.

She’s electrocuting me!

Knowing what was happening and doing something about it were two completely different things, however. The excruciating sensations went on and on, as if time were standing still, even though he figured it couldn’t have been more than a few seconds.

“Hey! Get away from him,” someone ordered as footsteps pounded toward him.

“Brett!” He recognized Nedrick’s roar.

Then Karissa was gone, along with her weapon of choice.

Still, Brett couldn’t seem to control the way his body twitched and jerked. His limbs were no longer his own, and his head bounced repeatedly against that damn stone step.

“Brett? Baby?” Nedrick was kneeling beside him, leaning over him. “Can you hear me?”

Brett felt his head being cradled in Nedrick’s lap, and his wrist was moved to his chest. His body continued to jerk, but the intensity was slowing. He finally managed to suck in a lungful of air, then a bit more, and the spots across his vision began to fade.

Blinking, Brett squinted up at Nedrick, who was running a gentle hand over his face even as he held him steady with the other.

“There you are, baby,” Nedrick rumbled, his voice soothing. “You’re okay. You’ll be okay.”

Swallowing hard, Brett managed to get a little moisture into his throat. “Ow.”

Nedrick barked a strained laugh. “Ow. Yeah, ow.” He glanced to the left, anger flashing across his features before he refocused on Brett, and his expression softened. “Crazy bitch is restrained. Campus patrol has her cuffed.”

“Hi, sir. I’m Officer Laura.” A young blonde woman in a campus security uniform suddenly appeared in Brett’s line of sight. “How are you feeling? Do you need a medic?”

“No,” Brett muttered. “I just need a minute.” Thanks to having bonded with Nedrick a couple of weeks prior, he could already feel his headache easing. After another minute, Brett tried to ease into a sitting position and appreciated Nedrick’s support. “Damn, that was a surprise.”

“Can you tell me your name and what happened?” Officer Laura asked, appearing concerned as she looked from Brett to where he saw Karissa was being held in zip-tie cuffs by another officer. “I can get you a bottle of water if you need it.”

“I’ll tell you what happened,” Karissa screamed, trying to tug away from the guy holding her. “He’s a fucking faggot, and he kissed me. He defiled me!” Her face was red with rage as she continued to rant. “He should be locked up for touching me with his perverse lips.”

“Huh?” Officer Laura looked confused.

“M’name’s Brett. Brett Robinson, and I’m bi,” Brett told Officer Laura, deciding to keep it brief. “I dated Karissa twice. Realized we weren’t a good fit.” With a sigh, he explained, “I met Ned here, and Karissa took exception to me dating a guy.” Grimacing, Brett shook his head as he watched the officer take notes. “I didn’t know she was a homophobe when I met her. Neither did our friends.”

“Do you want to press charges?” Officer Laura asked.

“Hell, yeah,” Brett replied, noticing a cop car was pulling into the nearby parking lot. Glancing at his wrist, he wondered if he could ask Dixon if he could change his mind about adding charges for his fall, too.

Something to look into.

“We’ll get her taken into custody and booked,” Officer Laura assured him. “The police may need you to come and make a statement.”

“I’ll be happy to,” Brett claimed, watching as a still-screaming Karissa was transferred to police custody and taken away. A thought came to him, and he commented, “I think she’s a student here.”

The blonde officer scoffed. “Not anymore. She’ll be expelled for this.” Shaking her head, she frowned in disgust. “Hate crimes are prosecuted to the fullest extent.”

“Good,” Nedrick growled. “As they should be.”

“Exactly.” After jotting down Brett’s information, Officer Laura offered her card. “If we need anything, Brett, we’ll be in touch.”

“Thank you.” Brett hesitated, uncertain if he could get his fingers to cooperate, yet, so he was grateful when Nedrick took the card and slid it into his pocket.

“Again, we’re sorry this happened, sir,” Officer Laura told him before heading to confer with her partner.

“Let’s go home, baby,” Nedrick urged, helping Brett get to his feet. “We’ll come back and do this another day.”

Still feeling a little unsteady, Brett nodded. “I’m all for that.” As he allowed his wolf shifter to help him back to their car, he grinned over at him. “Hey.”

Nedrick gave him a searching look. “Yeah? Need something?”

“At least I didn’t piss myself,” Brett quipped with a grin. “Heard that can happen sometimes.”

Snorting, Nedrick rolled his eyes. “Yes. Yes, that’s important.”

“And all I need is you, Ned,” Brett continued, sobering. “You stole my heart.”

Pausing, Nedrick pressed a kiss to his temple and whispered, “And I’ll take good care of it.”

“I know you will.”

Brett smiled as they headed to Nedrick’s Jeep , safe in the knowledge that he was right where he belonged, in his wolf’s arms.