The first shifter raised his hands.“It was an accident.I didn’t mean to hit him.”
Ryan rolled his eyes.His cheek stung, and it definitely hadn’t been an accident.How did this guy think he could convince anyone of that?Would he try telling the alpha mate that he’d fallen and had somehow hit Ryan in the face?
Ryan didn’t even care that his cheek felt like it was on fire.He was angry.He understood where these guys were coming from, but it wasn’t a good enough reason to hurt anyone.What had hitting Ryan achieved?Except for hurting him, of course, which could’ve been the goal.These guys were angry.They wanted someone to pay for causing that anger, and Ryan was the easiest target.It was certainly easier to attack him than to talk to the alpha.Chance wouldn’t be happy with any of this, and Ryan wondered if these two had hoped he wouldn’t go to him.Had they even thought things through?
Insisting it had been an accident would be stupid.Maybe if they admitted what they’d done, Chance would turn a blind eye.After all, Ryan wasn’t really a pack member.He was an outsider.
He was a mage.
The polar bear rose on his back legs.He was impressively tall, and for a second, Ryan was worried again.Then, the polar bear began shifting.
It wasn’t the alpha mate.There were only two polar bears in the pack, so it wasn’t hard to understand who this was.It was almost as bad as if the alpha mate had walked in on this.There was no way Theo’s brother wouldn’t tell Theo and Chance what had just happened.
The two idiots who’d attacked Ryan seemed to understand that.Even though it wasn’t Theo standing in front of them, naked as the day he was born, they still took another step back.
“You’re not going to tell your brother about this, are you?”the man who’d slapped Ryan asked.
“Why shouldn’t I?”Seth answered.“You’re doing the one thing Chance explicitly forbade.You’re attacking one of the mages who’s taken refuge with the pack.”
The second shifter didn’t seem to have gotten the memo that he needed to be careful because he pushed past his friend and glared at Seth.“Who the fuck are you to tell us what to do?You’re not one of us.”
From what Ryan knew, he wasn’t completely wrong.The alpha mate and his brother hadn’t been with the pack long.It was long enough for Chance to fall in love with Theo, but still.They were kind of outsiders, too, just not as much as Ryan and the other mages.They were shifters, so it was easier for the pack to accept them, even though not everyone had.These two certainly didn’t seem to have.
Ryan couldn’t see Seth’s face because he had his back to him.Ryan was having a hard time keeping his eyes off the man’s round ass.Ryan wasn’t sure he’d ever get used to the way shifters walked around naked as if it wasn’t anything strange.To them, it wasn’t, but to him?He could feel his cheeks flush and his chest heat.
“I knew you were an idiot, Tim, but I didn’t know you werethatstupid,” Seth drawled.“I don’t care if you think I don’t belong.I don’t care about anything that comes out of your mouth.You were told to leave the mages alone, and you haven’t.I’m going tohaveto tell Chance.”
Tim paled.Maybe he was starting to realize what an idiot he’d been.“It was a mistake.”
“Oh, it definitely was, but I think you meant it.I think you wanted to scare Ryan into leaving.You don’t want him here, and you feel like you have the right to tell him what to do.Chance will be very interested in finding out about this.”
“This is my home, not yours.You don’t belong here,” Tim snapped.“Neither of you does.”
The other shifter grabbed Tim’s arm, but Tim wouldn’t move.
“I belong here as much as you do,” Seth said.“I’m a pack member, and my brother shares a bed with your alpha.Do you really want to tell Chance that Theo and I don’t belong?”
Tim opened his mouth, but the other shifter pulled him away before he could say anything.That seemed like a smart choice.The only thing Tim was doing was digging his grave deeper.
Luckily for him, his friend seemed to understand that.He dragged Tim away, harshly whispering to him and shaking him when he attempted to turn back around.
Ryan watched the two leave.As soon as they were gone from his sight, he reached up for his cheek, wincing.That was going to leave a bruise.Even if it didn’t, it would be red enough that his mother would notice it.
Ryan didn’t want to tell her what had happened.He didn’t want her and the rest of their family to be afraid of leaving the house.No matter what Tim and his friend thought, this was their home, too.It was the only home they had and the only place they could go.They couldn’t afford to leave.
“You okay?”Seth asked when he turned to Ryan.
This was the first time they talked.Ryan knew who Seth was because he knew who Theo was.He’d also heard the story about how the two of them and the rest of their family had ended up with the pack.He’d thought that meant that the pack would be fine with having the mages there, but clearly, he’d been wrong.
“I’m fine, thank you,” he said, still poking at his cheek.
Seth grimaced.“Are you sure?Because I saw him hitting you.”
“I’ve survived worse.”
Seth frowned.“Maybe you did, but it doesn’t mean you have to go through that again.You should see a healer.”
“It’s nice of you to worry, but I promise I’ll be fine.It was just a slap.”
