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The realization of what he said made my heart drop to the swirling bile in my stomach.
“You bet me?” The incredulousness all but screamed through my high-pitched voice.
“I did.”
“You had no right.” I wrenched my hand out from under his and stood. “So what? After avoiding Garth’s unwanted advances for years, I’m just supposed to sleep with him now because you lost a bet?”
Dad shoved back his chair and grabbed my shoulders. “What do you mean, avoiding his unwanted advances?”
I shrugged out of his hold. “It doesn’t matter now.”
“It does. I never knew. I thought you got along with Garth.”
“No one has a choice but to get along with Garth since he’s the alpha’s son.” I wrenched open the fridge door, needing a drink myself.
Dad rubbed the back of his neck. “I didn’t know. I promise. If I’d known…”
“Too late now, isn’t it?” I scowled, opened a bottle of beer, and drank while kicking the fridge door shut.
“It’s never too late. Run away, Kara. Get out of town before Garth comes to claim you.”
“Claim me?” I spluttered. “No. Not Garth. Anyone but him.”
A loud knock pounded on the door. Our heads swiveledin the direction as though we sensed it was the person we were talking about.
“Run out the back,” Dad urged me.
I took in Dad’s distraught face, then raced for the back door. As my hand closed around the knob, the door flung open, wrenching me outside into the solid plaid-covered chest of the man I was trying to flee.
“Kara, Kara,” Garth tsked. “Where were you going?”
I swallowed down the bile at everything that was Garth. His scent of burned wood mixed with slick oil. The hard glint in his eyes held no warmth or compassion, and the cruel twist to his mouth said he enjoyed doling out pain. All of it I’d witnessed one day hiding high in a tree while he’d ripped apart the vibrant blue wings of a hummingbird when I was twelve. The tree had afforded me protection. Wolf shifters never climbed trees, but I liked the scent of pine, the freshness of the air higher toward the pale-blue sky, and the rough bark that scraped against my palms. I’d run home crying to Mom. It was our last talk together.
I backed up, holding up my hands as if the pitiful act would hold him off. “I’m taking the garbage out.”
His cruel, dark gaze snapped to my hands. “Good try, but you shouldn’t lie to your future mate. There is punishment for lies.”
“Now, Garth,” Dad said, stepping between us. “There’s no need for that. Kara—”
Dad’s voice cut off as Garth’s hand wrapped around his throat.
“Stop it.” I slapped Garth’s arm over and over. “Stop it.”
His grip tightened. Dad’s face turned red.
“Please,” I begged, dropping my hand.
“I like it when you beg.” He smirked and let go of Dad.
Dad fell to the floor so hard the tiles under his knees cracked. He gasped for breath, but in a split second, he halfchanged and slashed the backs of Garth’s ankles, severing his tendons. A grunt of pain puffed out of Garth’s mouth as he crumpled to the floor.
“You fucker,” Garth spat.
“Run, Kara, run,” Dad bellowed.
Garth lunged at Dad, wrapping his hands around his throat again.
“No!” I jumped on Garth’s back, pummeling my fists into the flannel covering his solid, muscular back. It was like punching a rock.
