Page 19

Ivy

The air was silent, save for the labored breathing of the Blood Fang wolves.

Briggs’s power rolled off him in waves.

Colten and Baylor struggled to stay upright.

Their faces contorted with effort, muscles straining against their Alpha’s command.

But young Lila?

Inexplicably, she stood tall.

Briggs's eyes flickered to mine. The bond between us hummed but I felt nothing of his Alpha vibes, protected by our connection.

"Lila, come here," Colten ordered through his gritted teeth.

Lila lifted a finger. "Just a sec," she replied, smiling sweetly.

I held my breath. What was she doing?

Suddenly, Briggs released his hold. The Blood Fang wolves gasped for air.

Then Lila pounced. Her foot connected with her tormentor's groin.

He doubled over with a grunt.

“That’s for putting your hands on me.”

Her fist followed, smashing into his face with a sickening crunch.

Blood spurted from his nose.

“That’s for ruining my favorite t-shirt,” she spat.

My heart raced.

Her tenacity was scary yet impressive.

Lila sauntered towards us, a satisfied smirk on her face that disappeared when her brother wrapped her in a quick, tight hug.

I couldn't help but ask, "Lila, why did you wait for Briggs to release them?"

"I try to keep fights fair,” she answered, wiping blood from her knuckles on her pants.

I blinked.

Briggs's low chuckle surprised me. His eyes softened as he looked at Lila, a hint of pride in his expression.

The object of Lila’s wrath lay curled on the ground, groaning. His pack mates glared at us, fury and fear warring in their eyes.

In a blur of motion, Briggs lunged at the nearest foe, his claws slicing through flesh. Colten and Baylor followed suit, their movements quick and precise.

They killed five of the six in less than three seconds. Then the Darkwood wolves closed in on the last one.

The wolf trembled, fumbling in his pocket. He produced a small envelope, holding it out with shaking hands.

Briggs snatched it from him. "What's this?"

The wolf shook his head and dropped to his knees with his hands up in surrender.

Briggs glared down at him, then at the envelope in his hand. “Go back to your master.”

The wolf scrambled to his feet, shifting mid-stride as he fled into the forest.

"You’re letting him go?" Colten’s eyes blazed.

Baylor’s muscles tensed for pursuit. "I’ll run him down."

“No,” Briggs countered. “You’ll stand down. Both of you.”

A flash of movement caught my eye. Lila darted towards the treeline.

"Lila, no!" I shouted.

The teenager was fast, but Briggs was faster. He caught her before she crossed the boundary.

She whirled on him, her long, dirty blonde braid nearly catching him in the face.

"Let me go," she hissed. "I can catch him!"

An intense, knowing look passing between them. Briggs chuckled, a rich and warm sound so at odds with the situation.

"Not today, little wolf," he scolded lightly.

Orange rimmed her dark gray eyes and he chuckled again.

"Trust me, Lila. One day I won't stop you, but only once you’ve learned when it's worth the risk and when it’s not."

Lila's shoulders relaxed slightly. “Promise?”

Briggs nodded. "I promise. For now, we play it smart. This reeks of a trap, and I want Turner Phelps to know his enforcers failed."

The teen huffed but didn't argue further. I marveled at her boldness, at the way she stood toe-to-toe with her Alpha.

"Fine," Lila grumbled. "But next time—"

"Next time, we'll see," Briggs said, a hint of a smile playing on his lips.

Our mate will be a good father , Rieka remarked from out of the freaking blue.

So not the time! I sputtered.

Unprepared as I was for my wolf’s assertion, I didn’t have an argument against it. I also didn’t have any defense against the warm gooey feeling it gave me.

As we rode back to the Alpha’s cabin, I couldn't get my mind off of Briggs. Or off of Rieka’s comment.

Before I knew it, my feet were stepping out of the cab. Colten had just gotten out when he blocked Lila from exiting.

“What the hell, bro?”

“Lila, I told you to stop calling me that. Baylor, take her home and make sure she stays put."

Baylor's head slowly turned towards his Beta. "You want me to babysit?"

She paid the enforcer no mind. "I’m not a baby. Therefore, I don’t need a babysitter. Bro .”

I grimaced. How many times had Caleb looked at me with that same stubborn defiance when I pulled the big-sis-in-charge card?

"This isn't up for debate, for either of you," Colten told them.

Lila rolled her eyes but didn’t argue.

The entire exchange was enough to remind me how much I missed my brother and Emery. Briggs had yet to allow them to visit.

The burn of that recent memory seared my brain. Why did everything have to be so damned complicated with that Alpha-hole?