Page 76 of Plus-Size Sold Mate
Coolly, like he isn’t in enemy territory, his eyes scan the scene, flickering over to his wolves, then to Sera as she forces another wolf back a few steps. Finally, his eyes lock onto mine.
“Quite the reunion,” he says lightly, but I catch the tension coiling beneath it.
Gritting my teeth, I face him, well aware that I can’t let him get the upper hand now. “You’re trespassing. Did you forget what I said before?”
His features turn a little more smug. “I know exactly what you said…But I also told you this wasn’t over. Not while you have something that belongs to me, and I intend to take it back.”
My whole body feels like it’s on fire from having to restrain myself from tearing his throat out here and now. “She was never yours to begin with, and she never will be.”
Dawson tilts his head slightly as he examines me, caught somewhere between amused and irritated. “That’s not how I see it. She was in my pack, following my authority, until you purchased her. Marked her. But don’t assume some bond will stop me from taking what I want.”
I feel more tension building in the clearing as my wolves filter in, and they start to regroup while others can’t stop themselves from provoking. This is teetering on something bigger. This is the public stage he didn’t want before. He must be more desperate than I thought.
My wolf itches to be freed again, but I temper it for now.
“And what do you want then? Why risk whatever influence you have left over this?”
“Because my influence and strength depend on her,” Dawson says, voice sharper now as he steps forward, eyes flashing with anger. “She has the power I need to keep my statusin balance. You stole the very thing I need to keep the others in line.”
The need to shift surges in me as my wolf demands blood, and I bite so hard I swear my teeth are seconds away from cracking.
Though it makes sense. After being defeated by Caleb, Dawson’s image suffered within his pack, and his questioned authority made him no different from the rest. He needs Sera as a tool to stop the others from challenging him and to maintain his Alpha status.
If his wolves lose faith in him, then he loses everything. That’s why he’s here.
“I didn’t steal anything,” I fire back at him. “You and your wolves breached Coldreach territory, and you have threatened my mate. I’m considering this a direct challenge if you don’t take your wolves and leave right now.”
Dawson studies me, the position he and his wolves are now in, then back to me. His expression is both hard and cold, and more unreadable than I want it to be. He’s unpredictable now.
After a drawn-out beat of silence, Dawson takes a breath, then his gaze somehow becomes even darker, like he has nothing left to lose.
“So be it.”
With a sudden crack of bone and tearing skin, he shifts, taking on that dark form of his that looks more akin to a dark omen. Scars, old and new, leave his fur looking patchy in sections, and his coat isn’t as thick as it used to be. He really has been pushed by his pack.
But I don’t feel any sympathy for him. Not when he brought this on himself.
Even if I want to get to Sera more than anything, this is a challenge I can’t refuse. Dawson is right here, right now, and he’s cornered, regardless of his reckless confidence.
I respond in kind, allowing the shift to take over with a snarl, unwilling to hold back now.
He doesn’t have a choice, and neither do I.
Chapter 27 - Sera
The forest feels more like it has split into two now, with both packs clashing while their leaders circle each other, both shifted and ready to fight for their claims.
And regardless of backup arriving, I’m still in the middle of it.
I didn’t expect this. I thought the others would’ve retreated by now, and for Dawson to cut his losses. Instead, he’s pushing even when this is surely not a fight he can win. He’s challenging Luke like he has nothing left to lose, and I know that’s true.
When he lunges at Luke, my heart drops.
Instinctively, I want to go to him, but the clash of their bodies stops me from moving. Worse, the wolves in front of me are closing in, somehow managing to get between Eve and me.
The sound of their fight puts me on edge, and while every part of me wants to throw myself in to protect him, I can’t. Not while the others are right here, trying to keep me cornered.
The unshifted wolves transform now to join the others, snapping their jaws while coming at me in tandem. With a rush of power from my palms, I send a wall of shimmering energy toward them, blocking them out.
