Page 44 of All's Fair in Love & Wrath

Chaos: He’s been what?

Sin: You can read last time I checked

Chaos: Oh fuck off. Wrath what the fuck are you doing?

Malice: He’s protecting her

Chaos: What?

Sin: Do you need glasses old man?

Chaos: Do you wanna die?

Sin: You ready to admit you have feelings that have nothing to do with your dick hardening?

Chaos: Is this about the waitress?

Sin: Maybe it’s time to retire you

Chaos: Maybe it’s time to bury you

Chaos: Alive

Malice: He found his queen!

Malice: Now we all have queens!

Malice: I want to make them a group chat but Sienna said no because she doesn’t belong to a Heathen. But she will. I can feel it. Then I’m gonna make them one.

Sin: Make sure you think of a good name

Malice: Already done, good sir, already done

Me: For fuck’s sake. It’s about Cain and the Kingsnakes

Chaos: Church

Pocketing my phone with an eye roll, I head to our meeting room, trying to think of the best way to spin this, while also battling pushing Malice and Sin’s words out of my head. I never wanted a woman, never wanted monogamy, love, or commitment. I’m happy for my brothers, but I don’t know if I’m capable of that. That isn’t what this is between me and Sienna. My chest aches at the thought, a sharp, unyielding pressure that won’t quit.

We all end up at the doors at the same time, bottlenecking our way into the room like a bunch of stupid assholes. We all take our seats, Malice looking at Rolo’s spot and then shaking his head. I need to remember that this isn’t just about Sienna. This is about retribution for our brother’s death. This is about righting the scales and ridding the world of that piece of shit and ending his path of destruction.

Chaos is the last to take his seat, thrumming his hands against the grain of the hardwood table. Our oath rings out in my head, the one we all take when we become Heathens.

We’re Hell’s Heathens. Forged in fire, bound by blood, and loyal beyond the grave. We ride not for glory, but for each other. In a world that turned its back on us, we chose brotherhood. We protect our own, stand for what’s right when no one else will, and never leave a Heathen behind. Family isn’t born; it’s earned on the road. Home is the clubhouse; family is the cut. We live and die for each other. The only way out is back through hell’s gates.

“Give it to us straight, Wrath,” Sin tells me.

“Saint needs help. His club was ambushed, usurped, his parents were murdered, and that same man that took over wants Sienna as his old lady. I know you all can imagine what that would look like for a man like Cain. I won’t let that happento her. He sent snakes into our clubhouse to deceive us, to get close to us, and then killed one of our brothers. We areHeathens. We don’t let that stand. None of those things are okay with us. Whether we like it or not, we’re involved now, and it’s time we show up and remind everyone who the fuck we are.”

“I need to remind you that she is not yours to protect. She’s a guest here, under the club’s protection, but that only means keeping her safehere. That doesn’t extend to her fate after she leaves. We can’t get involved in another war. This is our home, Wrath, and we will protect that above all else.”

I sit up straighter, bracing my hands on the table. Anger and rage boil over; the only words in my head are, “Mine. Mine. Mine.” Chaos will have to kill me himself before I let anything bad happen to Sienna, no matter where she is. But I know I need to keep Sienna out of this argument and focus on our direct involvement to get the club on board.

“Then we take out the threat. Because make no mistake, he got to Rolo, and we had no fucking idea. He will do it again.”

“He’s not wrong, Chaos,” Rogue adds, having my back. “As long as he’s alive and breathing, he’s a threat to all of us. I have no protection in Aspen Ridge. The Widowmakers rolled right into my tattoo shop and took Kinsey. I can’t take that chance ever again. They need to be dealt with.”

“He’s already taken one of us, left Morgan a widow. What about Saige? Bristol? Monroe?”Sienna,I think in my head. But she’s not fucking mine, even if everything in me is saying she is. She doesn’t belong to anyone. Chaos looks pissed, eyeing every single one of us while running his hands over the thick scruff at his jaw.