Chapter 119
JESSICA
I don’t fucking know their plans.
It’s been a day since I’ve bitten Theo and Grayson is still not doing anything except stare out the cabin window like he’s expecting them to come crashing through the trees any minute. My gums ache with the memory of breaking skin, of tasting Theo’s blood.
“Are we not going to find him?”
“You’ve really fucked us this time,” Pierce says, tossing another log onto the fire. The cabin smells like pine and blood and fear. “Rogues don’t last long out here. Not when you’ve pissed off an entire pack.”
I curl deeper into myself, feeling my omega instincts screaming to submit, to apologize, to fix this somehow. But there’s another part–newer, wilder–that wants to snarl back.
“I told you I did not do anything!”
Grayson crosses the room in three strides, grabbing my chin, forcing me to meet his eyes. I can feel my pupils dilating. “I fucking told you. Why are you choosing to believe in him rather than me?”
My wolf rises to the surface, hackles raised. I shove him away with strength I didn’t know I had, my nails extending into claws that leave thin red lines across his chest.
“Don’t touch me like that,” I growl, the sound rumbling from deep in my throat. “Theo cornered me. What was I supposed to do?
Roll over?”
Pierce’s eyes widen as he watches us.
“You’re not telling me something Jess,” Grayson snarls, his eyes flashing gold. “I know something is wrong with you–”
“So you chained me here? Stupid.”
Those little remarks made my brother very proud of me./
1 lunge forward, the chains around my wrists clanking as they stretch to their limit. The metal cuts into my skin, but I barely feel it. My wolf is too close to the surface now.
“Tell me what happened in those woods,” Grayson demands, circling me like I’m prey. “Your scent changed. You reek of something… different.”
I bare my teeth, feeling them sharpen. “Theo and I had sex. He fucked me so good that you ever did, happy?”
Grayson’s growl echoes through the room, deep and primal. His shoulders hunch forward as his bones begin to shift. “You let that omega touch you?”
“He’s not just an omega, and you know it,” I snap back, pulling against my restraints until blood trickles down my arms. The coppery scent fills the air, making both our wolves more agitated.
Pierce steps forward. “Guys, maybe we should-”
“STAY OUT OF THIS!” Grayson and i roar in unison, our voices no longer fully human.
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you, but I never will.”
He lunges at me then, claws extended, but I’m ready. Even chained, I manage to duck and slam my head into his sternum. The impact sends him staggering back.
“I’ll kill him,” Grayson pants, eyes now completely gold. “I’ll rip his throat out for touching what’s mine.”
I start laughing, the sound unhinged and wild. “You should see your face right now. So predictable! Did you really think you could keep me on a leash forever?”
My laughter grows louder as Grayson’s control slips further. “God, you’re so easy to fool!”
Pierce backs toward the door. “Jess, stop provoking him-”
But it’s too late. Grayson’s fully shifting now, clothes tearing as fur ripples across his skin. My own wolf responds, bones cracking as I fight the chains with newfound strength.
This is exactly what I wanted. The beast inside me howls with delight as I feel my own shift coming on.
Grayson fooled me, making me think that he believed Theo suddenly shifted and attacked. He made me sleep on the bed thinking everything was fine until I woke up and saw myself being chained by him.
“You think you’re so smart, don’t you, Grayson?” I snarl, my voice already distorting as my vocal cords transform. “Chaining me up like some pet?”
My laughter comes out as a growl, wild and unhinged. The metal links strain against my wrists as my bones elongate, muscles bulging. God, this feeling is intoxicating.
“You have no idea what I’m capable of,” I growl.
The chains snap. Just like that.
Grayson’s eyes widen–he wasn’t expecting this.
“Surprise,” I whisper, right before launching myself at him, claws extended.
Our bodies collide in a tangle of fur and rage. His teeth snap at my throat, but I’m quickèr, slashing across his muzzle. Blood spatters the wall. Mine? His? Who cares?
This is so much fun.
Pierce is screaming something, but his voice is just background noise now. There’s only the fight, only the primal joy of finally showing everyone what I’ve been hiding all along,
“I let you chain me,” I snarl between attacks. “I wanted to see your face when you realized what a mistake that was.”
Grayson slams me against the wall, but I just laugh, tasting blood in my mouth. My wolf is singing with joy.
I don’t think it’s Riot’s blood in me. And think Grayson knew that much.
“What’s wrong, Gray?” I taunt, eyes locked on his. “Afraid I’ll bite back?”
*We should. We should tear into him. My wolf is restless, scratching beneath my skin, wanting out. Wanting to show him exactly
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Chapter 119
what we’re made of.
He growls–an actual, throaty growl that makes the hair on my arms stand up. His fingers dig into my shoulders, keeping me pinned.
“You’re reckless,” he says, voice barely human. “You could’ve gotten yourself killed.”
I bare my teeth in what’s more snarl than smile. “Yet here I am.”
In a flash, I duck under his arm and shove him hard. He wasn’t expecting it–stupid of him, really—and stumbles forward. I’m on him in an instant, my forearm across his throat as I slam him against the opposite wall.
‘Yes. Show dominance. He needs to know we’re not to be controlled.”
“You forget,” I whisper, close enough to feel his ragged breath on my face, “I’m not some helpless human. I’ve got teeth too.”
The fight that follows is brutal–beautiful in its savagery. We crash through the room, knocking furniture aside, neither willing to submit. When he catches my arm and twists, I kick his legs out from under him. When I go for his throat, he flips me over his shoulder.
“Did you honestly think I wouldn’t figure it out?” I spit, wiping blood from my lip as I circle him. “I knew you’re hiding something from me too.”
Grayson’s eyes flash golden. “Then you’re even more foolish than I thought.”
I lunge, catching him off guard. My nails–no, claws now–rake down his chest, tearing his shirt. He howls in pain and fury.
“I played your game,” I hiss against his ear as we grapple. “Made you all think I was clueless, vulnerable. But I’ve been three steps ahead since day one.”
He throws me off and I land in a crouch, wolf–like, ready to spring again. The animal in me is so close to the surface now, I can practically feel fur rippling beneath my skin.
“You have no idea what you’ve gotten yourself into,” Grayson warns.
I bare my teeth, feeling them sharpen to points. “Show me what you really are.”
He charges, faster than human eyes could track. I meet him halfway, our bodies colliding with a primal force that shakes the walls. We tumble across the floor, snapping and snarling, more beast than human now. His teeth graze my shoulder, and I retaliate by sinking my claws into his back.
Grayson catches my eye mid–fight, and something passes between us–a silent communication. He gives a barely perceptible nod toward Pierce, who’s been watching from the shadows.
Before I can react, Pierce is behind me, shoving something against my face–a cloth soaked in a pungent herb. Wolfsbane. The effect is immediate–my limbs go heavy, strength draining like water.
“That’s cheating,” I slur, struggling to stay upright as my vision blurs. “Two against one.”
Grayson’s face swims before me, his expression almost regretful. “There’s never been fair play in this world, little wolf. The sooner you learn that, the longer you’ll survive.”
