Her eyes widen. “You thinkMartinis coming here too?”
I straighten slowly, cupping her cheek with my hand. “I don’t know, sweetheart,” I admit. “I want to be prepared.”
Behind me, Alex lets out a low, excited growl that sounds too damn eager. “Then we’ll make it a party.” He curls his hands around a metal coffee can, then tossesthe contents toward the front door. Nails, washers, paperclips, and pennies bounce and roll, covering the floor and rolling into the doorframe.
“What…” Skyla’s mouth falls open as her wide eyes dart all over the living room.
Tadeo and Dakota shift, the metallic scrape of tools cutting through the air as they lay their sheet of plywood flat against the living room floor. The pointed tips of the screws jut upward like jagged little teeth.
“Hold it steady,” Tadeo mutters, dropping to a crouch. The drill whirs to life, biting through the wood as he drives more screws down, securing the plywood in place.
Dakota grins, sweat streaking his temple as he tries to lift the edge of the board. “This ain't coming up.” He laughs. “If he tries to run out the back, he’ll get a foot full of metal.”
“The blood trail will make itveryeasy to track him.” Alex moves to the entryway to the kitchen, raises an empty beer bottle over his head, then hurls it at the floor, letting it crash and shatter. He surveys the damage, his gaze sweeping the room, restless. He pushes a hand through his hair and lets out a low, dissatisfied noise. “Wish we had a chainsaw.”
Tadeo glances up at him, one brow raised. “For what? The décor?”
“For the intimidation factor,” Alex says with a smirk, already heading toward the hall closet. “You can’t tell me the sound of a revving chainsaw wouldn’t make a psycho alpha think twice.”
Dakota barks a laugh, leaning back on his heels. “I mean, he’s got a point.”
Skyla stares at them like we’ve all lost our minds, her hands gripping the edge of the couch so tight her knuckles have gone white. The drill whirs again, and Sky’s breathcomes faster, sharp little inhales that make her shoulders tremble. I can feel her frustration flood through the bond—hot, wild, and raw—before she even opens her mouth.
“You don’t understand!” she bursts out, voice cracking as the blanket falls off her shoulders, puddling onto the floor.
The room stills. The sound of the drill dies mid-whirr as Tadeo and Dakota both freeze, glancing toward her.
The wave of emotion crashes through our bond again—fear, anger, hopelessness all tangled together—and it hits me square in the chest.
Sky’s eyes shine, tears brimming as she glares at all of us like she can’t believe what she’s seeing. “You have no idea what kind of alpha Brayden is.” She swallows hard, voice shaking but fierce. “He’s not some asshole you can just out muscle. He’s powerful. He’s trained. He’s violent.” Her hands ball into fists against her sides, knuckles pale. “You think a couple of boards and some screws are going to stop him?” She points at the back door. “What the hell are jingle bells duct taped to the dang door gonna do?”
The corner of Alex’s mouth quirks up, but he doesn’t say anything.
“I’m sorry.” Skyla looks down, her tone softening, guilt slipping through the edges of her voice. “I don’t mean to be mean, I just…” She hesitates, then blurts, “What’s an accountant, two movers, and a former health store employee going to do against a trained fighter?”
Tadeo straightens from the floor, drill hanging limp at his side. He blinks once, then looks at me.
Dakota grins like he’s about to say something to try to lighten the mood, but he must think better of it, because his smile fades as he presses his lipsinto a firm line.
“We do know what kind of alpha he is,” I tell Skyla, voice low but firm. “And that’s why we’re not running.”
“But—" Her breathing comes in shallow bursts, shoulders tight, eyes glossy with panic. “You don’t understand—” Her chin quivers. Her voice cracks, small and trembling. “I just don’t understand why he hates me so much.”
Her words hit like a punch to the chest.
Skyla’s eyes are shining, her hands twisting in the hem of her shirt as she keeps talking, faster now, like the words are tumbling out before she can stop them. “He hated me being in his house. He hated me being his mate. And now he hates that I’m with another pack. I don’t—” Her voice breaks, and a tear slips down her cheek. “I don’t understand what I did wrong.”
I take a slow breath through my nose, trying to stay calm.
“Hey,” I say softly, falling to my knees in front of her. “You didn’t do anything wrong.” My voice comes out rougher than I mean it to, all gravel and barely leashed fury. “You existed. That’s all it takes for men like him.”
Her lower lip trembles. “But?—”
“No.” I shake my head once. “He hated you because you made him feel small. Because you were something he couldn’t control.”
For a moment, she stares at me, wide-eyed and silent. Then her shoulders cave a little, her breath coming out in a soft, broken sound that makes my heart twist.
Behind me, Alex mutters something sharp under his breath—too low to catch but heavy with anger. Dakota stops moving altogether. Even Tadeo’s expression cracks, something raw flickering across his face.
