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Maddox closed his eyes and sucked in a deep breath. However, his grip on me tightened. I fidgeted, squirming, so I could reach up and grasp the sides of his face. When his eyes cracked open, the blue-fire light of his beast burned in them.
A hand grasped the back of my shirt and pulled me back. I let out a shout before stumbling into Vi’s waiting arms. She braced me and helped me back onto my feet.
“This isn’t…” Vi’s words were cut off as snarls filled the room.
Ryder crashed into Maddox. The two men hit the floor in a sudden flurry of fur and teeth. When had Maddox shifted? It’d happened so fast that I’d missed the change. Ryder couldn’t shift inside without bursting through the walls. He slammed a human fist down onto Maddox’s head, but the impact didn’t even faze the wolf.
“This isn’t helping,” Vi grumbled beside me.
I could control Maddox with my voice, but that wouldn’t stop Ryder. Maddox’s behavior had threatened Ryder’s dominance. That was no excuse for this behavior. I wanted to throw myself in the middle and show Ryder just how stubborn he was being.
Other thoughts slid into my mind while I listened to the grunts and growls of the fight. Why had Maddox hugged me so possessively? Why was he being so protective of me? We were in a room of people who also wanted to keep me safe. There was no reason for Maddox’s beast to react like that.
Sure, I wastechnicallyMaddox’s food source. This seemed a little overdramatic, though.
“Maddox!” Ryder shouted. There was still that hint of Alpha power resonating in Ryder’s voice, but it did nothing as if Maddox couldn’t hear it.
Had I made him immune to Ryder’s Alpha power? Maddox answered to me and me only…unless Ness’s command worked. I looked to her. She bit the inside of her cheek like she was fighting the urge to use her voice arcana.
It wasn’t the same as mine. While I had power over the dead, Ness’s arcana was more specific. It allowed her to maintain control while she delivered justice. She could easily issue a command that would separate the two men, but that might anger her mate.
It was worth Ryder’s anger, though. The two men crashed into furniture and cracked walls as they fought. The rest of the pack had moved towards the exits so they could stay out of the way and watch from the doorways.
Do it,I silently begged Ness.
She gave a soft shake of her head, her eyes wide with worry. This was Pack business. To them, this was the way of things. However, as I listened to grunts and growls, my heart clenched tight with worry. I couldn’t stand for this.
They were fighting for petty dominance when the world was coming apart. We didn’t have time for this right now. They could tear each other to pieces another day…though I didn’t like the idea of that any more than I liked it now.
As I opened my mouth, I held onto hope that Ryder would know when to stop, because I couldn’t control him. Before I could speak, a hand covered my mouth. Ness’s smell of chocolate and coffee filled my nose. I thrashed, but her grip was too strong. I couldn’t fight against shifter strength.
My friends dragged me to the exit and back outside where the sun blinded me. Outside, Ness released me. I staggered away from her. Cerri came up to catch my hand and keep me from falling over. She quickly placed a pulled pork sandwich into my hand before letting me go.
“Eat up. You’re going to need the energy after today.” Cerri shook her head.
“What the hell is that all about?” I chucked the sandwich at Ness.
Ness dodged the sandwich, letting it splatter against the façade behind her. When she turned back to me, her eyes were alight with electrical anger. I didn’t care. The men were still fighting inside.
“He’s Pack now,” Ness said between clenched teeth. “These are Pack matters, and they will be handled how we do things around here.”
“Excuse me?” My voice rose.
“If Maddox doesn’t submit, then he’ll never be a trusted part of the Pack. Ryder needs to know that Maddox can be reasonable. Your boyfriend is overreacting to everything! He doesn’t need to be throwing a fit when you’re completely safe.” Ness tried to reason with me.
I wasn’t having it.
“You’re not making him feel safe! You literally grabbed me against my will and dragged me away. How does that look to someone who isn’t used to this life? He doesn’t know what’s going on! You fools are too damn impatient to just talk to someone.” I wished I had another sandwich to throw at Ness’s head.
She deserved it. ThisPack mattersbullshit was going to drive me up a wall. I was done being bossed around by people who thought they knew better than me. The days of quiet and passive Addie were gone.
The threads of fate were still intact here. I reached into the earth and grabbed ahold of everything dead. Instead of using my own life force to make the dead do my bidding, I took the life from Ness’s precious landscaping. Her bushes withered. The grass turned brown.
When the earth broke open and an amalgamation of bone crawled out, the other members of the Pack went running. The bones pulled themselves together, flesh forming around them until I was surrounded by a small pack of animals. It should have been intimidating.
Instead, I ended up looking like a creepy storybook princess. My shoulders slumped. Cerri laughed behind me. Ness took one look at her lawn and lifted a burning glare in my direction. I gave her a sheepish, apologetic smile.
Before Ness could say anything, two men appeared behind her. Maddox had a swollen black eye that was already healing as he scratched the back of his head. Beside him, Ryder had a busted lip pulling itself together. Ness spun and reached for her mate.
