Page 12 of The Players We Hate (Rixton U #2)

Talon

Smoke from the bonfire drifted into the night, mixing with the bass that rattled off the stone walls of Devil’s Backbone.

The old tunnel stretched dark behind us, a scar in the mountain turned party spot.

Cars were jammed along the dirt trail for nearly a mile, their headlights cut, everyone already lost in the crowd.

I tugged at the collar of my leather jacket and rolled my shoulders.

The faux claw marks slashed across my chest peeked through the ripped flannel I’d thrown on at the last minute.

The wolf ears on my head were Rowdy’s idea.

A smear of stage blood ran down my neck and over my collarbone, finishing the whole “Big Bad Wolf” vibe we were going for.

The rest of the guys leaned in harder than I had. Kade was wearing fangs, and Rowdy had glued on fur patches and stuck plastic claws on his gloves.

Still, it got a laugh out of people. And if there was one thing we needed this season, it was a distraction. A win on the ice. A break from the weight pressing on all sides .

I hadn’t planned to text Wren, but the group thread had been buzzing about the party for days, and something about the way she’d avoided me after last week’s game got under my skin. So I sent her a half-assed message.

Me: I’m going tonight. Bet you won’t show.

Her reply came hours later.

Wren: You’re probably right.

And maybe she was. I hadn’t expected her. Not after the hallway. Not after that look in the box—eyes cutting into me, as if I was both the problem and the punishment.

The fire snapped behind me, dry wood breaking under the heat.

And then I felt her.

My body registered her before my eyes did—everything inside me shifting. The noise dulled, a static hush pressing in. The music faded until all I caught was the pound of my heartbeat.

Then I turned. And fuck me—there she was.

Wren stepped into view, framed in firelight and chaos, a forbidden fairy tale made flesh. A sin in red.

The cape slipped off her shoulders as she stepped closer.

The dress underneath clung to her, tight enough it looked sewn on.

A black corset pulled her waist in, lifted her chest, and heat twisted in my gut.

The hood still hung around her shoulders, the red satin catching the firelight—same as her lips.

Fuck . She wore it like a dare. She knew .

My chest tightened, breath catching as if my lungs forgot how to work. My pulse hammered low and hard, blood rushing in my ears. I barely noticed Rowdy elbow Kade, or Kade nudge me, stunned by the sight of her in thigh-high boots.

Wren didn’t look anywhere else. Her eyes scanned the crowd, landed on mine, and held. Waiting to see if I’d turn away.

Hell no. I couldn’t if I tried.

She moved with purpose, every step certain, walking into the wolves’ den as if daring it to bite.

Alisa practically skipped, glowing in a pastel dress with a crown of daisies, her hair woven with ribbons, glitter dusted over her shoulders. She clung to Wren’s arm, whispering something that made Wren laugh softly, but even that laugh didn’t pull her eyes off mine.

“You’re welcome, by the way,” Alisa said, strutting up like this was her win. “She wasn’t going to come, but I reminded her you’d be here.”

She pointed toward Wren as though she unveiled a goddamn masterpiece.

“And then she asked what would get your attention. And I mean… c’mon. Nailed it, right?”

I couldn’t answer.

My throat went dry, my jaw tight. My body couldn’t keep up—want and anger crashing all at once. I didn’t know if I wanted to drag Wren into me and kiss her, or cover her up and tell every guy here to back off.

Alisa wiggled her brows. “So… do you like it?”

Like it? That wasn’t the word.

I was wrecked .

Wren’s gaze flicked to Alisa, then back to me. Uncertainty crossed her face—quick, almost hidden—but there.

And I hated it. I hated that I made her question it.

She looked like a goddamn dream. One that was about to ruin my entire night because there was no way I’d stop picturing her like this.

Alisa nudged me again. “Dude. Say something before she thinks you’re about to faint.”

I blinked, hard. Finally, I dragged my eyes off Wren’s thighs, her lips, that corset that had me unhinged in ways I didn’t even know were possible.

One word. It was all I could manage.

“Damn.”

Alisa lit up. “Knew it.”

But Wren, she didn’t grin or gloat. She tilted her head the tiniest bit, lips twitching like she wanted to smile but wasn’t sure she should. Her hands fidgeted with the hem of her cloak, and I saw the nerves there. The vulnerability.

She’d worn it for me . She was here, after everything, after all the shit left unsaid. Something in her still pulled her my way.

And just like that, I wasn’t standing by the fire anymore.

I leaned toward her without thinking, the pull too damn strong. I’d spent all week pretending I could stay away.

She was Red in a den full of wolves. And I wasn’t chasing—I was waiting to be caught.

She stood her ground, every step a dare. My instincts bristled, not just at her but at the way eyes followed when she passed. Some of the guys looked too long, and what stung was that she didn’t seem to notice.

Or maybe she did. Maybe she wanted to .

Either way, my jaw clenched until my teeth ached.

“Come with me,” I muttered, not waiting for her answer as I closed the last bit of space between us. My fingers brushed her wrist, enough to make it clear this wasn’t a suggestion.

Wren blinked. “Where?”

I didn’t answer. Just caught her wrist and pulled us toward the shadows at the edge of the clearing, past the tunnel where the firelight barely reached. I heard her boots crunching on the gravel behind me and felt the charge between us climbing with every step.

When I stopped, I turned slowly, letting her walk straight into me.

The fire lit her from behind, turning her into a silhouette. Her cape skimmed her thighs, the wind tugging at the hood, trying to pull it back and show what I already knew was there.

“You trying to get me arrested tonight?” I asked, my voice low and rough.

She blinked up at me, wide-eyed. “What?”

“You showed up dressed like that and walked straight into a party full of wolves.” I stepped closer, crowding into her space. “Did you think I wouldn’t notice you? Or were you hoping I would?”

Her lips parted, but she didn’t speak.

“You look like fucking bait, Red,” I ground out, eyes raking over her. “And I’m starving.”

Her breath hitched. “You don’t get to talk to me that way.”

“Oh, I get to do a lot of things,” I said, voice dropping even lower as I backed her up a step until her spine hit the side of the tunnel wall. “Starting with asking what the hell you were thinking coming here wearing this.”

Her chin lifted, defiant even as her chest rose unevenly. “It’s a Halloween party. I dressed up. Same as everyone else.”

“Bullshit. You came for me. ”

The words hung between us, thick as smoke.

Her fists curled, lips twitching as if she wanted to argue further. “Don’t flatter yourself.”

“I don’t have to. You’re doing it for me,” I rasped, letting my hand trail down the edge of her hood, slipping under her jaw. “That corset? Those boots? You knew exactly what it would do to me.”

“I dressed for me,” she whispered.

I leaned in, brushing my mouth beside hers, letting my breath skate over her skin. “Then why the fuck am I the one you’ve been staring at since you walked in?”

She didn’t answer, but she didn’t have to. Her silence was its own confession.

My fingers curled around her hip, gripping tight through the fabric of her dress. I felt her body arch slightly, her breath catching as I backed her harder against the wall. Her lashes fluttered, mouth parted—an invitation she didn’t mean to give.

“You walked into the wolves’ den, sweetheart,” I murmured, brushing the tip of my nose along the line of her cheek. “And now you’re looking at me like you want to be devoured.”

Her hand came up and pressed flat against my chest, but she didn’t push.

She held on, as if I were the only thing steadying her .

Her voice was barely audible. “You’re not the only one hungry.”

And fuck me, I was gone.

Her back was already to the wall. I caught her wrists, pushed them over her head, holding her there. My mouth hovered just short of hers, eyes locked on hers, waiting to see if she’d stop me.

She didn’t take it. So I took her .

The second our mouths met, heat tore through me. Her hands slid into my hair, pulling, demanding more. I kissed her hard, like I needed it to breathe, like I’d been starving for this since the day she crashed into my life.

Temptation, meet danger.

And this time? Neither of us ran.

My hand still pressed against the wall beside her head, anchoring us at this moment, even as everything else around us spun. The air was heavy with smoke and music and tension. But all I could smell was her. Sugar and spice and everything nice.

Wren’s eyes locked on mine, daring and unguarded. Her lips were swollen, her breath brushing the space between us. The corset, the hood, the firelight on her skin—all of it hit, but not as hard as the pull in my chest, the grip low in my gut, the rush that made it impossible to step away.

“You know what you’re doing to me, Red?”

“Maybe I wanted the wolf to chase me,” she said, her voice low and daring.

Who was this girl, and what had she done with Wren?

“I’ve thought about this,” I rasped, the words rough against her lips. “Too much. Having you. Feeling you. Hearing you let go. But I made myself a promise. I wouldn’t take what wasn’t mine.”

Her fingers twitched in mine.

“I’m not a secret, Wren. And you’re not someone I could ever forget.”

She blinked, and the polished mask slipped, leaving her bare. Her hand slid up my chest, smearing the fake blood on my torn flannel.

“I’m not asking you to take anything,” she whispered. “If I give it to you, if I’m sure, then why are you still holding back?”

I stared at her, stunned. Not because I didn’t believe her—because I wanted to. Wanted it to be more than heat or some twisted rivalry.

I leaned down, pressing my forehead to hers, fighting for control.

“We can’t come back from this,” I said.

“I don’t want to.”

Her answer came without hesitation. No fear or doubt.

My restraint coiled tighter, but I kissed her anyway. Slow and deep. When we broke apart, I cupped her jaw, breathing hard.

“Come with me.”

“Okay,” she exhaled.

I laced our fingers together and kept walking, slower this time. No more pretending. No more running.

She was mine, whether she realized it yet or not.

And as the trees closed in behind us, I didn’t look back. Red never stood a chance against the wolf.