Under The Skin

C h a p t e r E l e v e n

"You," He growls.

Colton shifts himself in front of Poppy and stands up to his full height, "Don't start this."

The man ignores Colton and yells directly at Poppy, "I'll kill you!"

Poppy doesn't move. She knows she deserves whatever is coming. She let her guard down. She lost control. She attacked a pack member. She deserves this and so much worse. When she hears the man's fast approaching feet she stands to face him with her eyes closed and her body ready for impact. The impact never comes.

Colton's hand wraps around the younger man's neck and he dangles him a few inches off the ground, "I warned you."

Colton throws the man away from him and Poppy's eyes fall on Laura again. She's still unconscious but her chest is rising and falling evenly. Poppy curls her hands into fists and feels them throb in pain. Glancing down she sees her knuckles are torn and bleeding but instead of pain all she feels is guilt.

"She nearly killed my mate!" The man booms making Poppy flinch as she tunes back into the situation around her.

"It was an accident!"

The man snarls and gets to his feet to get right in Colton's face, "Do you know who I am? Do you know who my father is?"

"I know exactly who you are Samuel Cortez and I know your father Manuel even better but this is not something you want to push me on."

"There are rules! Laura is my mate! She is my Alpha female! Attacks on her will not stand!"

"You are not Alpha yet, Samuel. Those rules do not apply to you."

"So you'll let her walk away? How can you claim to be an Alpha at all if this is the amount of concern you show your other pack members?"

"And she will be punished," Colton thunders back, "But it will not be by your hand!"

"You think I don't know of your relationship to her?" Samuel sneers with a glare in Poppy's direction, "You think I don't know what you've let her get away with? You think the other packs don't know? She attacked her sister! She's gone feral and missing for weeks! She has an uncontrollable wolf Colton! She needs to be put down and it's about time someone do what you lack the balls to do!"

"Are you threatening me on my own land boy?"

"I am demanding you do what must be done!"

Colton's voice is as cold as ice as he answers, "You may not think I know who you are Samuel but you forget to whom you are speaking. I am Alpha here and Poppy is a member of my pack. She will be handled my way."

"Not when she attacks my mate!"

"You-"

"I'll take it," Poppy says quietly, cutting Colton off his response, "I'll take the punishment. Whatever he calls for, I'll take it."

Both men look at her but with varied expressions. Colton is full of pain and pleading while Samuel looks frightfully pleased with her words. Colton knows just as well as her that whatever Samuel Cortez has planned for her isn't going to be pretty. It'll be worse than anything Colton would ever subject her to but looking at Laura, Poppy is willing to take it.

She's never liked Laura and the feeling has been mutual but she wouldn't have wished this on anyone. Poppy's wolf snarls in protest in her head but she pushes her down with as much force as she can muster. They have to take this punishment or something worse may happen. Poppy may be forced to become a rogue and she'll do anything to avoid that, anything.

"Poppy don't..." Colton pleads but she ignores him.

Poppy straightens her back and looks at Samuel straight in the eyes, "Whatever punishment you want me to have I'll take it."