Page 67 of Rabid
A warning growl rumbles from her chest when I get about ten feet away, but there’s not a chance in hell I’m going to let her tell me where to stand, so I walk another two feet closer before I stop.
She’s a white wolf with a dusting of red on her muzzle, ears, and flank. She’d be pretty if her ears weren’t pinned to her head and lips lifted in a snarl. Her wolf looks up at me like she wants to rip me apart. The threat in her stance sends the hairs on the back of my neck standing up, and I drop my hands and stare down at her with every ounce ofyou do not want to fuck with meI can muster.
“Shift,” I snarl, not interested in the slightest at having a one-sided conversation. I intend for the bark of my order to make it clear that I’m not going to put up with disrespect. But there’s a layer of power to my command that I’ve only felt once before, and that was when Tyran forced a shift onme.
The wolf instantly folds in on herself, revealing a huddling Presley in a matter of seconds. She looks down at her hands like she’s shocked her fur disappeared, and lifts that same surprised gaze up to me. Her expression quickly morphs to outrage as she rises onto her feet, placing her hands on her hips and pursing her lips. “You had no right!”
“The fact that you just shifted would say otherwise,” I counter and then tell myself, if we’re going to get anywhere, I should probably lay off the snark.
Her eyes flash. “That’s just Tyran’s alpha showing up in you because you’re fucking him. You’re not my luna, and if you ever force a shift on me again—”
“You’ll what?” I challenge, taking a step forward and a page out of Tyran’s playbook. He’s firm, he’s honest, and he takes no shit from anyone. “I told you I wanted to talk, but you and your wolf want to get disrespectful—big surprise there. I’m not here to have a pissing contest with you. I’m genuinely here to talk, to see if that bad foot we got started on and that wholeyour ass in my mate’s lapthing can be worked out.”
She glares at me but doesn’t go for a hit, so I guess there’s that. Crossing her arms over her chest, her eyes widen as if to say,well, talk then.
Which is great if I had any idea what to actually say. Maybe I should’ve planned this better, but oh well. “I’m sorry Tyran did that to you the other night. You didn’t deserve to be played with just to get a rise out of me. It was mean, and I’ll...uhh...punch him in the dick for you,” I offer.
Presley’s green eyes widen slightly, clearly not seeing that angle coming, and I tamp down on my own surprise, because I hadn’t planned on saying it either. We’re both quiet as my words fall slowly like feathers to the ground. The air between us is taut and apprehensive, and even though I’m a little shocked that this is what I led with instead of the tried and true,Bitch, if you touch my man again, I will fuck you up,there’s a heavy truth in what I just told her.
A ray of sun catches her hair, making it glimmer like rose gold in the beam of light. She shifts from one foot to the other, like she’s not sure what to say.
“I’m also sorry for the meat my wolf stole. I didn’t mean it as a sign of disrespect, and to make it up to you, I’d be happy to hunt with you until you feel like I’ve paid an adequate price.”
“I don’t need your apologies,” she snaps at me with a glare that clearly communicates that she thinks I’m beneath her.
“That’s fine. You’ll get them all the same,” I counter.
“What do you want?” she demands, clearly not trusting this exchange in the slightest. I don’t know if I can blame her, I have daydreamed about ripping her apart a lot in the last twenty-four hours.
“I want there not to be any animosity between us. I’m not saying we have to love each other or even be friends, but I feel like a mutual respect is in order, especially since neither of us are going anywhere and Iamthe luna.”
“Oh, I’m not good enough to be your friend now?” she accuses, and I reel for a beat.
Is that what she got from what I just said?
My brows pull together. “Umm, that’s not… Do youwantto be my friend?”
“No,” she clips irritably, and I look around us as though the trees can fill me in on what the hell just happened.
“Oookay,” I respond, not sure what else to say to that. “So, not friends, but not enemies?” I honestly don’t know if we’ve made any progress here.
“He didn’t play me,” she lobs at me, and it’s as though she tossed a ball, but instead of catching it, I just watch it bounce to the ground. I have no idea what she means, and I’m starting to wonder if she’s nuttier than a fruitcake.
“Tyran,” she announces with a roll of her eyes. “He didn’t play me. He asked me if I wanted to mess with you. I said yes. He would never fuck with pack just to get back at someone. That’s not how he works,” she explains, her tone going a little more judgy with her last statement.
I ignore theif you knew him like I know himjab and instead nod my head in understanding. “Okay, noted. No dick punching on your behalf then.”I might punch him there on behalf of myself though.
“Are we done now? My beaver is getting cold.”
I blink, fighting with everything inside of me not to look at her crotch.What the fuck is wrong with this girl?
“My wolf hates it when the blood gets cold,” she adds, and I realize she’s talking about the carcass still positioned between her feet. Beaver, badger, pretty close.
A laugh escapes me, and I’m about to tell her what I thought she just meant when something bites me in the back. A flash of pain radiates through my shoulder blade, but when I whirl around, there’s nothing there. I reach around behind me to feel for whatever fucked up bug just took a bite out of me, but my blood runs cold when I wrap my fingers around a dart.
I yank it out, whipping back around, yelling, “Presley, run!” My voice fills with every ounce of command I can manage.
Terror and rage rise inside of me, both battling for control over my body. A whimper escapes her as she morphs into her wolf, but the fog is already creeping into my head, the effects of the dart horrifyingly familiar.
