Talons

Chapter 134: The Unexpected

Rhea's POV

I don't have to turn around because I can tell from the person's height and from the build of the chest I'm being pulled into that it's Colton holding me.

Sylvia has gone dormant in fear, but I can feel her pop in and out as if she is fighting with herself about what to do.

It's been a week since Colton has made her feel like she needed to hide, and it suddenly occurs to me that I've only been on Iron territory for ten days.

So much has happened that it seems longer, and I can't imagine how slow three months is going to go by.

“What are you wearing? Colton asks. I can feel that he is breathing heavily, and I mentally struggle to come up with a response.

“Miracle made me and I…” Don’t have a valid excuse, so I drop my sentence and settle on silence.

“It looks really good on you, but unless you're wearing it for me, I never want to see it again, okay?” I slowly nod, and Colton spins me by the shoulders to look at him.

“Please don’t hurt me,” I beg, and he frowns before letting me go.

"I wasn't… Never mind,” Colton continues, and for a split second, I wonder if I was wrong for assuming the worst. “We're leaving now,” he says, and not knowing what to do or say, I point to where my cousins were dancing, but they’re gone now. Even the small dance circle has disappeared and made way to people who are nervously staring at Colton. "They’ve already left." Seeing no way out of this situation, my feet start to move. 

Colton looks calm on the surface, but the way he was breathing when he was holding me reminded me of the time he caused me to shift prematurely. He is angry, and I can only blame myself. I knew he wouldn’t like it if I went out, but I followed my cousins because of family loyalty.

I silently follow Colton, who tells me to wait while he pulls his car around. I feel like this is some sort of test, but I can’t move, and Sylvia is still gone.

Colton doesn’t go far; in fact, there was no reason for him to leave me here because I could have walked with him, but when he peeks inside of the vehicle, I realize that he was trying to make sure we didn’t stumble across an embarrassing scene.

I don’t get to see what Colton does next because someone gently lifts my hair, and I turn to face the bold person, worried for their safety.

“Jack?” I question, surprised to see the man. I quickly move away, not wanting his scent to get onto me at all. “What are you doing here?” Colton isn’t back yet, and somehow, I feel like I walked into his trap.

“Your location was on your photo post,” he says, and I make a mental note to turn that off right away.

“You should leave. Colton may-”

“You're still afraid of him?” Jack says, stepping closer to me, but I back away as though he is brandishing a weapon. “Now you're scared of me?” The man looks hurt, but truthfully, I don’t care.

“I heard what you said to Colton at my rejection hearing. How did you think that was going to affect me?”

“Didn’t you get my text?” he asks, and I tilt my head at him. “I’m sorry, okay? I thought that he would reject you if he thought we were together because he and I have never gotten along.”

“Colton believes in the bond,” I reply. “He said it multiple times during the hearing.”

“He’s a bullsh*t liar,” Jack says. “Did he tell you that he forced his girlfriend to reject her mate in exchange for the luna title? And now that he has a mate of his own, he suddenly ‘believes in the bond?’”

“I don’t trust him,” Sylvia says, and although I trusted Jack in the past; I’m also having trouble believing his words. Likewise, I’m relieved that my wolf is back.

“Jack, please listen; there was a time I wanted you to want me, but it was gone the moment you chose to pursue my sister. I don’t know what you thought was going to happen, but I would never date someone who actively chased my sibling and asked me to help.”

“How is that worse than what Colt did? I know you Baby, so I can tell that you're scared. He hasn't even marked you.”

“None of that changes the fact that my rejection request was denied. So please don’t get me in trouble.”

“In trouble? Bebé, does he beat you?”

“Please Jack, just-” a low rumble emanates from behind me, and I turn to see Colton, who looks murderous.

“Come here now,” he orders, and unlike with everyone else, I cannot defy his command. I slowly approach, preparing to be hurt, but Colton just pulls me into his chest and hugs me tightly. “Was he bothering you?” He questions.

“How are we supposed to answer that?” Sylvia asks, but I don’t know how to answer her.

I was annoyed by Jack’s presence, but he wasn’t ‘bothering me.’ Would I have preferred him to not have shown up? Yes. Do I mind that he came? Not really, my major concern is Colton.

Colton’s POV

I was perfectly content watching my mate laugh at Holly because I only want to see her happy, and right now, she is thoroughly entertained.

I ‘was’ fine, until I overheard the conversation next to me and had to refrain from breaking a human’s neck. He was very vividly telling his friend what he would do to the girl in the pink dress, and I can feel Dolton and Carter looking at me as though they’re waiting for me to react first.

“I’m not going to be the one that stops them from having fun,” I say, realizing that we’re all waiting for the other to overreact.

What does it for them is when Miracle bends over in front of Mandy and starts vigorously shaking her ass. I know that girls do that, and I know they are just playing, but Carter and Dolton are so affected by it that they glared at one another before claiming their mates.

As for me, I take the slow approach, gently wrapping my arms around Rhea’s waist as I pull her in close. I cast warning glances around, but not one person offers a challenge, which is good because Orlin is ready to rip throats out.

While I love what my mate is wearing, my wolf and I have come to the decision that she is never to wear it again, unless of course she is wearing it for me, and when she nods at my request, I feel elated.

“She agreed to dress up for us,” Orlin says excitedly, and while that is not what my mate meant by shaking her head; it was implied.

I spin Rhea around, wanting to look at her face but she’s terrified, and the little strength I put into turning her has made her freeze up on me.

“Please don’t hurt me,” she says, and my heart feels like a knife was plunged into it. I was only going to complement her again, but she must be traumatized by my reaction the last time she went out.

I tell Rhea that we are leaving, and like I knew she would, she points back to where her cousins should be, but Carter and Dolton have literally carried their mates away. Holly left as soon as she saw me, and I know she is already on her way back with Carter and Mandy. 

The three of them are friendly, and Mandy goes out with Holly a lot, so Carter is used to dealing with the two of them when they are drunk. In fact, I really must hand it to my beta. Even though he was weary of her at first, he now treats Holly as if she were his relative and not mine.

When Rhea and I get outside, Carter immediately links me to check my car. I can only imagine that Miracle and Dolton are doing something crazy, and wanting to spare my mate the embarrassment that is sure to follow, I ask her to wait for me while I check what level they’re at.

Fortunately, they seem to already be ‘done,’ and Miracle is fast asleep on my brother's lap. I turn back to Rhea, and I’m immediately angered. She is retreating from Jack who keeps approaching her, and from what I can make out, she is asking him to leave her alone, and he isn’t taking the hint.

An intimidating rumble erupts from my chest, just loud enough for Jack and Rhea to hear without the stress of humans freaking out about a person snarling like an animal. 

“Come here now,” I say, allowing my authority to seep into my tone. I heard what she said about getting in ‘trouble,’ but the only thing I want is a hug. “Was he bothering you?”

My mate looks confused, and while I hate that Jack is here, I know that her confusion has nothing to do with wanting him and more to do with the fact that she doesn’t want a fight between us.

“Why are you feeding her lies?” Jack says, shouting so that he purposefully creates a scene. “You don’t believe in anything; you just want the boost. He’ll send you back to me B, and when he does, you better hope that I still want you.”

Jack is pressing on my last nerve, but when I step forward Rhea’s tiny hand rests on my chest, pulling my attention to her instead.

“Can we just go?” She says with a frown that I can’t place.

My mate’s eyes are glistening so I know she is suppressing the urge to cry, but I can’t tell if it's because of what Jack said about me using her, or him getting over her. Either way, I want to show my mate that I can and will use level headed judgement in these situations, so I pull her toward the car.

Jack is shouting behind us but I’m not worried. He isn’t stupid enough to attack me, and I know that he is trying to antagonize. His words are working on my mate, and I’m forced to stop and question her.

“Are you crying because of what he said about me or because you want to be with him?” My mate looks absolutely devastated by my accusation, but before I can apologize, she wipes her face and corrects me.

“I’m crying for myself.”