Davix
"There's no sign of the River Pride Pack yet," Matt said from beside me at Java Junction. "Rowen ran to their property's borders this morning and spotted them training. Their alpha is hurt, and it seems like it's taking longer than usual for him to heal."
The door opened, and I snapped my gaze to it. "What's his injury?"
"Rowen is still researching. We should know more soon."
"We need to know more today. If they plan on attacking, we'll have an advantage."
"We already do," Matt said, following my gaze to the door. "You waiting for some–"
I dragged my gaze away. "No."
"He's waiting for his girl," Silas snickered. "How's she doing? Ember, right?"
A low rumble left my throat. "She's not my girl. My sister wants me with her. That's all."
"Mhm."
"Drop it," I snarled. "Now."
"Sure didn't sound like that last night. Heard her gagging all over–"
"Drop it!" I shouted and squeezed my eyes closed, attempting to get rid of the memory.
But I hadn't stopped thinking about it all night. Ember had wanted me so fucking badly, was willing to do anything to feel me inside her. And I had to be fucking mated to her. My wolf wasn't going to let it go.
No matter how hard I tried.
When the door opened again, my gaze jumped to it for a second time. A moment passed, and then Cade The Reaper Lucero stepped into Java Junction, a man I hadn't seen in years now, still with that smug expression on his face.
He scanned the cafe and stopped when we locked eyes.
Instead of heading my way, he walked right up to Carl behind the counter and began his order. Matt growled beside me, while Silas tapped a claw on the wooden table, his canines lengthened.
"Look who's back in town," Matt murmured.
"Why the fuck is he doing here? On our territory?" Silas growled.
I drew my tongue across my canines inside my mouth, attempting to stay in control. But my wolf couldn't stop thinking about how Hazel said that Ember knew him. How? Since when? What is he doing here?
After paying with his card, Cade stuffed a hand into his pocket and headed this way.
"What are you doing here, Reaper?" I growled. "Shouldn't you be with Braveclaw?"
"Do you hate us that much because you're on our watch list?" he asked, smirking.
"I hate you so much because you don't help the packs in the Black Hollows. You impose rules that hurt the wolves and pups in this region, and you don't care. All you care about is power and influence."
"You have your family to thank for that," he said. "Braveclaw wouldn't exist if it wasn't for the curse on your pack."
"Bullshit," I growled.
He rocked back onto his heels, a shit-eating grin on his face. "Find your mate yet?"
Thank fuck that Silas didn't open his big mouth.
"Wouldn't you like to know," I said.
"The full moon is approaching. When are you going to continue to curse your pack like your bitch father did," he started, his words harsher and his wolf on edge. The scar on his neck almost glowed. "And ruin more lives?"
"Get the fuck off my property," I said through clenched teeth.
On the full moon, mateless fuckers like him might smell Ember and try to mate her. Usually, humans didn't have a scent that lured beasts like us into them, but they did whenever they were fated to a wolf. And Ember would.
But I couldn't mate her.
So if someone else did, then I... then I...
Blood pooled onto the table from my palms where my claws had cut deep into my skin. I tried to peel my fingers away, but I couldn't. The thought of anyone else being inside Ember drove me fucking feral.
Ember and Hazel were playing with me last night when they mentioned Cade. Sure, Ember might've known him, but there was no fucking way that Cade had slept with her. He was a man of virtue... wasn't he?
A pussy like Cade wasn't her type anyway.
I unballed my fists and stared down at the table, nostrils flared.
It doesn't matter. Why? Because I don't care about Ember anyway.
"Reaper," Carl called from the counter.
Cade gestured to Carl. "That's my cue. Hope to never fucking see you again."
As he walked away, I beckoned my wolf to calm himself. If I took Cade's head right here and right now, then my pack would be annihilated by Braveclaw. It didn't matter if we still had the curse on our pack when we were all dead.
"Here's your banana bread," Carl said.
With a brown bag of banana bread in his hand, Cade sauntered right out of the Java and headed into the direction of town. I gritted my teeth, slammed my palm onto the table, and shot up in my seat, following after him.
For as long as I could remember, Cade loathed anything with bananas.
He wasn't getting that for himself. That banana bread was for Ember.
When I shoved the glass door open, Cade turned on his heel, continuing back a few steps, gaze focused on me. "Did I say something to get on your nerves, Dav?"
I stormed up to him and grabbed him by the collar, slamming him into the nearest tree so hard that it cracked. The sound echoed through the woods, and the tree fell backward into a group of others.
"How do you know Ember?" I growled.
"Ember?" Cade repeated, brows furrowing. "How do you know Ember?"
"She's–" I started, but stopped myself before I could make the mistake of telling him what she was to my wolf. He would use that against me to weaken me, and I couldn't give anyone a reason to weaken me. "I asked you first."
"She's what? Huh?" Cade pushed, his eyes turning a shade brighter, his wolf right on the surface. He shoved me backward. "What is she to you? You saw her yesterday and wanted to fuck her or something?"
My nails lengthened into talons. "What's it to you, if I do?"
"You're not going to fuck her."
"Don't think you get a choice in that matter."
Cade's eyes blazed gold, then suddenly they returned back to their human eyes and he straightened himself out as if he had complete control of himself. "You don't even know Ember. You're just trying to fuck with my head. Go back to your shitty pack." He stepped backward, gripping the banana bread tightly. "Heard you'll be getting attacked. And it's not by the pack you think it is, Davix."
Author's Note: What do you think will happen next chapter? 😏
