Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1 KAT’S POV There are two kinds of anger. One is scalding, like magma, explosive and destructive. The other is icy, settling in your core, slowly freezing your trust in someone. Right now, I’m feeling both. The first kind is for the teacher who was practically climbing into Ezra’s lap. The second, colder kind is for Ezra himself, my mate, the man who just used an Alpha command on me like I was a dog on a choke chain. “I’m guessing, by your aura, you’re pretty damn angry,” I snort, folding my arms and staring out the window. The trees blur into a smear of oppressive green. Inside my head, Kora paces, her fury as hot as his. Her sense of betrayal is a sharp, living thing—he dared to stop her from shifting. “He can kiss my furry white ass. He’s not the only one who’s pissed,” she growls. Ezra’s grip on the steering wheel is so tight his knuckles are bone-white. He weaves through traffic like a lunatic before swerving onto the back road to the packhouse. “I didn’t think she’d be a problem. I didn’t notice she was one of your teachers, Kat,” he says, the words tight. His grip loosens a fraction, but the tension in his jaw, in the cords of his neck, remains. His anger has been a near-constant, simmering presence for a week now. Is it his, or is Maddox bleeding through? “Bipolar much? The man’s got a few screws loose,” Kora mutters, her tail lashing. A low, raspy growl builds in my skull, a broken sound I can’t stop from vibrating behind my teeth. It gives me a headache. “I get it. You’re pissed. So am I. But can you stop? I need to think.” She huffs and, just to be contrary, turns the growl up a notch, adding a rhythmic thump of her tail against the confines of my mind. Damn wolf. "I will make sure she leaves you alone, or I can fire her if you want?" Ezra offers, finally sitting back in his seat in a more relaxed manner. Too late now, there will be no point changing my teachers this far into the year, and firing her isn’t the issue. It is how she spoke to me, and he stopped me from calling her out on it. "No, I just don't want her near you. She was almost sitting in your lap." "I have no interest in her. You are my mate: you and you only, Kat. I don't want anyone else. And I told her to leave." “You should have commanded her to.” “I was diffusing the situation. I don’t like commanding people against their will.” A bitter laugh escapes me. “Yeah? But you have no problem commanding me, right? Should I start calling you Alpha again?” “No. We are equals, I’ve told you that. You don’t get to call me that.” His voice hardens. “And what did you expect? You were walking away from me!” “Equals. Right. Felt real equal when you commanded me like a fucking dog.” The words are ice chips. He growls, a deep, warning rumble that shakes the air in the car. Fur sprouts along his forearms. “Shut it, Maddox,” I snap, the last of my patience shredding. “I am not in the mood for your temperamental ass today.” “Kat!” Ezra’s warning is a snarl. He suddenly jerks the car off the road, killing the engine. His skin ripples violently. “Maddox, stop!” he grits out, throwing his door open just as Maddox forces the shift. Clothes tear, the door hangs wide, and a feral, ground-shaking growl rips from the massive black wolf now standing where Ezra was. I lunge across the seat to pull his door closed. Maddox’s head whips toward me, a deeper growl rumbling in his chest. I freeze, my hand on the handle, then slowly sit back. Fine. Let the wolf have his tantrum. Maddox bares teeth longer than my fingers, flexing claws that dig furrows into the dirt. He’s pissed, and he really didn’t like being told to shut up. I unclip my seatbelt, ready to move. “Kat?” Kora’s voice is a spike of alarm in my head. He stalks toward the car, muscles coiling. “Oh, shit!” Kora shrieks, trying to force the shift. I shove her back down. A strange, clear calm washes over me—maybe it’s the culmination of all the anger, maybe it’s suicidal stupidity. I’m done being intimidated. As he charges, I point a finger. “No! I’ll get out. You’ll ruin his car!” He skids, claws scoring deep gouges in the leather passenger seat before he backs off, snarling. I glare, then throw my door open. He’s instantly there, circling me, a wall of raised black fur and rage. Hot breath huffs in my face, teeth snapping inches from my skin. Never run from him. Ezra’s advice echoes. So, heart hammering against my ribs, I do the stupidest thing imaginable. I suck in a breath and drop straight down, sitting on the dirt road. Maddox whimpers in surprise, digging his claws in to stop his charge. He still plows into me, his weight crushing the air from my lungs for a second before he leaps back. I spit out a mouthful of coarse fur. He turns, growling, his muzzle right in my face. He sniffs my neck, and I feel the damp heat of his breath. “Are you done?” My voice is dry, surprisingly steady. He nips my mating mark WITH a dominant, demanding gesture. I smack his wet nose. He growls and nips again, harder, breaking the skin. A sharp sting, then warmth as blood trickles down my collarbone. “Kitty!” His voice is a menacing snarl in the mate link. “Don’t bite me. Have some manners.” He shoves a massive paw against my chest, pinning me to the car door, and tries for my neck again. I drop my chin, refusing to submit. He nips my shoulder instead, another bright point of pain. “Maddox!” I snap. “Do what he wants!” Kora pleads. “Or let me shift! He’ll hurt you!” I shove her back again. No. He has to learn size doesn’t equal unquestioned authority. Seeing his paw still planted on my chest, I grab it and bite down as hard as I can with my blunt human teeth. He yelps at a shocked, almost puppy-like sound, and yanks his paw back, licking it furiously. He glares at me, murder in his gold-flecked eyes. I gag, trying to dislodge the fur stuck to the roof of my mouth. “See? It hurts, doesn’t it? Don’t bite me.” I check my shoulder; my tank top is ruined. “You hurt me, Maddox.” He sniffs the blood on my fingers, his growl softening to a confused rumble. Then his tongue flicks out, gently licking the droplets away. The change is abrupt. The aggressive tension melts. He drops his head with a whine, then flops onto his belly, scooting closer in a playful, almost apologetic shuffle. He’s suddenly… huge and awkward. “Thank the Moon Goddess,” Kora sighs in relief. Maddox whimpers, edging closer until he can rest his heavy head on my leg. He starts licking my shoulder and neck, his rough tongue healing the small wounds he made. “Let Ezra back in,” I tell him, scratching behind his ear. “You can’t shut him out. It has to go both ways.” He huffs but then, astonishingly, rolls onto his back between my legs, presenting his belly. “Are you sure you’re not just a giant lap wolf?” I mutter, rubbing his chest. He makes a rumbling, purr-like sound, and Kora, the traitor, purrs back in my mind. “Kora, I’m trying to get us home, not encourage him!” “But he looks like a puppy!” “A puppy with teeth the size of my hand!” Maddox nudges my hand with his nose. “Bring her back. I want to play with Kora too.” “No. Now, bring Ezra back. It’s getting cold.” He grumbles but sits up. The air crackles with the sickening sounds of bones reforming, fur receding. A moment later, Ezra is crouched naked on the dirt, breathing hard, his whole body trembling. “Thank the gods,” he gasps, surging forward to clutch my face. His hands are shaking. The fear pouring down our bond is a tangible wave. “Did he hurt you?” “He nipped. Until I bit him back. I’m fine.” Ezra pulls back, stunned. “You bit him?” “Yes. He was being a jerk. We need a brush; his fur is everywhere.” A strange, relieved laugh bursts from him. He cups my face, his thumb stroking my cheek, before kissing me—a desperate, grounding kiss that melts the last of my icy anger. I wrap my arms around his neck. “We need to get home. You’re naked, and it’s cold.” “I love you,” he murmurs against my lips, kissing me again, softer now. He helps me up, groaning when he sees the shredded passenger seat. “Maddox tried to get in.” He just nods, a weary acceptance in his eyes as he gets in. I buckle up, and we drive in silence for a minute before a familiar, frantic presence claws at the edge of my mind. My mother. No words, just the raw, shuddering static of someone trying not to sob. “Mom?” “Kat… is your dad with you?” Her mental voice is broken. “No. What’s wrong?” “I told him. And he just… he threw the table and left. He wouldn’t even look at me, Kat. The way he looked at me… he hates me. I’ve ruined everything.” Her grief is a physical ache in my own chest. “I want to see you. Can I come?” I glance at Ezra, focused on the road. “I’m with Ezra. Just… give me a second.” I need a place away from pack ears, from Alpha scrutiny. “Meet me tonight. At the river bend. Midnight.” “Okay, baby. Okay. I’m going to try to find your father first.” The link closes, leaving a hollow echo of her pain. The cold anger is gone, replaced by a new, heavy dread. One fire put out, another already smoldering. I lean my head against the cool window, watching the packhouse gates draw near, feeling the weight of all the secrets we’re still keeping.