Page 105 of The Deceptions

Wilder

Mom. You okay?

I stare at the screen, ignoring the looks from Hux and Mack. I’m sure they’re glaring at us like we’re the damn enemies here. But my mom never replies. Fuck. Not only will I have to stop by and check on her, but now it’ll be in the back of my mind throughout our entire fight tonight. I can’t leave, or Mack will think he’s won and blacklist me from everything, including my only outlet.

“Well, well,” Malic says, standing tall. “Our opponents for the evening.”

“You got what you wanted,” Hux says, lifting a shoulder.

“I did.” The way Malic says those two words has my eyes snapping at him. He’s insinuating something. What? I don’t have a clue.

Ever since he fucked that chick in the bathroom, he’s been acting stranger. Okay, stranger than usual. Not only did he lose his V card, something he never seemed to care about, but now he’s become obsessed with finding her. I see it in the way he peeks at every corner and looks over his shoulder. Fuck. He even dragged me back to that bar. Sure, we were trying to find Mer again, but he was also looking for her. The oddly familiar girl that I feel like I should know. But I shouldn’t, should I? There’s no way.

“I got exactly what I wanted. But you wanted it, too. Didn’t you?” He cocks his head, stepping up to Hux. Nose to nose. Chest to chest. He’s ready to take him right here and now.

“Back off,” Mack says, pushing the two apart forcefully.

“Hands off,” I growl at him with gritted teeth. I can’t wait to punch his fucking lights out and make him bleed for everything he’s done to me in the past.

“Make me,” he taunts, turning in my direction. “What’re you afraid of? Huh?”

I run my tongue over my teeth, grab Mal’s shoulder to pull him back, and step between him and the other two idiots. “I’m not afraid of shit. But I don’t fight in the locker room. I fight on the mat. Or I could meet you in a back alley and show you what you should be afraid of, little brother.” I cock a brow when his chest heaves. There’s no fear in his eyes. Only tension in his muscles. Good. He’s finally toughened up.

“Do you feel like a big man now?” Malic asks my brother with a laugh. “When you realize what you did later...” He shakes his head, using cryptic words again. Jesus. I’m going to have to check on him, too, tonight. Make sure he’s in bed and not building a damn bomb to put under my brother’s bed.

“Realize what?” Mack grits out. “That I’m about to show my brother up?” He’s way too cocky for his own damn good.

“Just get dressed,” I say, gesturing for them to get away from us.

“Can’t wait,” Hux murmurs, eyeing Malic up and down.

“Ditto!” Mal says giddily, stepping back and standing beside me. “Can’t wait for the bloodshed.” And I know he means that. He’s been ready to beat their asses all his damn life. It’s like he was born with a grudge against the three of them.

“Malic,” I say in a low voice, bringing his gaze to mine. It’s the only way I can tell what the fuck is going through his mind.

“Wilder,” he quips back, cocking a brow.

“What’s up with you?” I murmur.

He grins. “I’m a new man.” With that, he yanks his gaze away from me and walks out the double doors, toward the ring. The crowd goes nuts at the sight of him. They fucking love his fights. The terror it brings the guys who call on him, thinking they can take him down. Malic is indestructible.

I rub my temple. I don’t know what the hell he means by a new man. Was it him finally losing his V-card at the bar? Losing Meredith? Whatever it is, something has fundamentally changed Malic, and I can’t tell if it’s for the better. His obsessive tendencies have ramped up, making him hyper-focused and losing himself in his room for hours. Well, until we have a job to do.

Egg Donor

I need you, Wilder! I’m so scared...

There’s a fine line between loving someone and loathing them for what they did in the past. How am I supposed to hate someone for ruining their life when they can barely remember who the hell they are?

Wilder

Mom. What’s scaring you?

I plop on the metal bench with a heavy heart. I run my fingers over my nearly bald head, reveling in the feel of the tiny hairs slowly growing back.

Egg Donor

The man… he’s back!!!