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This earns me an exasperated eye roll but also a hint of a smile. “You know what I mean.”
Pulling her into an embrace, I rock her side to side. “You like him, don’t you?”
Mei nods into the crook of my neck.
“And you’re afraid if you do date, he’ll want something you can’t give?” I ask, rubbing her back in soothing circles.
She sniffs and nods again.
“Ever consider that it’s up to him to decide if it’s a deal-breaker?” As soon as the words are out of my mouth, I internally groan. I went from wanting to emulate my nan’s comforting presence to sounding just like her. We might as well be sitting at my kitchen table talking about Kaleb again. “Besides, he’s more than capable of entertaining himself when the need arises.”
Mei steps back and wipes the brimming tears from her eyes. “It’s one thing to say it, and another thing to live it.” She shakes her entire body like she wants to rid herself of vulnerability. Laughing without humor, she adds, “Besides, I’m getting way ahead of myself. He’s into Sam. I’m just a friend.” Her smile is tight when she quietly echoes, “I’m always just a friend.”
Gripping her shoulders, I give her a gentle squeeze. “Mei, you’re an amazing, badass witch, and I love you to pieces.”
This earns me another suspicious squint. “Why do I think there’s a ‘but’ coming?”
“Let me ask you something,” I begin, letting her go and placing my hands on my hips. “What makes you so sure he’s into Sam?”
“Because he’s always been into Sam,” she answers, crossing her arms over her chest. “When we first started hanging out, he wouldn’t shut up about how cool she was. They even went on a date! It was just once, and it was technically in return for a favor, but still!” She frowns. “He didn’t mention what the favor was for, just some comment about how he acted like a total dumbass, and he would have done things differently if he could have.” Her gaze shifts to her feet. “Probably because it didn’t result in a second date.”
“Or he wasn’t proud of using a favor to get a date, and the reason there wasn’t a second is because they weren’t compatible to begin with,” I counter, giving her shin a light tap with the toe of my tennis shoe.
Mei frowns up at me. “Did you just kick me?”
“Barely. I figured it was better than the kick in the butt you deserve,” I reply with one of my no-nonsense stares. “Look, I don’t know Rand and Sam’s history. What I do know is that he talks about how awesome you are all the time, he’s protective of you, and he’s at your side every chance he gets. I wouldn’t be surprised if you’ve been scent marked.”
Her frown deepens. “Scent marked?”
Before I can get too excited that I finally know something Mei doesn’t, the door opens and one of Connor’s older half-brothers stands at the threshold. He isn’t quite as tall as Connor, but I still have to crane my neck to look up at him. With his dark hair, sharper features, and well-toned body, he could be considered attractive until he opens his mouth. What’s worse is he has a twin who looks just like him. However, I instantly know it’s Bayne by his sleazy, shark-like smile. His amber eyes trail down my sweaty body like he’s trying to undress me before he looks at Mei. I grip my biceps to keep myself from punching the look right off his dumb face.
“It’s when a wolf rubs his scent on you to warn other shifters that you are under their protection,” Bayne answers, because doors mean nothing when it comes to wolf hearing. He sniffs the air, and then a look of disgust takes over his features. “Callie is right. You reek of that pathetic loser.”
Hating hearing my name on his tongue, I open my mouth to tell him to fuck off, but Mei beats me to it.
“He’s more wolf than you’ll ever be,” Mei challenges, her earlier melancholy dissolving under her instinct to protect those she cares for. She looks at him like he’s something stuck to the bottom of her shoe. “You’re just jealous that he’s part of the alpha’s inner circle, whereas Connor wouldn’t trust you to take care of a goldfish.”
“The alpha is a fool who surrounds himself with teenage idiots instead of more experienced wolves, because they won’t challenge him,” Bayne sneers, meeting Mei’s glare with a snarling one of his own. “It’s obvious he’s unfit for the role, leaving most of his responsibilities to an equally unfit turned wolf because he can’t be bothered to do his duties. He leaves another pack completely unchecked on our grounds—too busy begging on his knees for time with his mate who can’t be bothered to be faithful. Can’t be too surprised, since he chose a mate outside our own kind.”
Ice-cold guilt slices through my chest as I listen to his words. Logically, I know Bayne shouldn’t be trusted, but there’s a twisted truth to what he said. If Connor chose another wolf as his mate, he wouldn’t be competing with his friends for time with me. They would only have eyes for him. There’s also the fact that my relationships with the guys makes Connor look weak to the other wolves. He’s devoted to a mate who isn’t devoted to him. Bayne’s words are not his opinion alone. These are the whispers of dissonance within the pack.
“Not that I can completely blame him,” Bayne continues, stepping up behind me and placing his hands on my shoulders. Leaning down, he breathes in my scent like it’s perfume, and I’m painfully aware that he, too, feels the call. “It’s unfortunate that you accepted him,” he whispers in my ear like we’re lovers. “If you were my mate, your every desire would be fulfilled, and you’d have no need for other males.”
My stomach rolls from his nearness. “If I were forced to be your mate, you’d be no more than splattered meat on the walls before taking your next breath.”
His fingers dig into my skin, and a low growl rumbles from his chest. My rejection wounds more than his pride. The wolf beneath wishes to serve, and I’ve thrown that back in his face.
Mei holds her hands out, facing the floor, and whispers a few words. The wooden slats start to creak and splinter beneath us. “Unless you have a strong desire to become mulch, I suggest you take your hands off my bestie right now.”
Bayne jumps back and shouts, “You crazy bitch!”
“Close. I’m a crazy witch,” she counters with a wild smile as the splintering wood follows him to the doorway. “Now run along before I change my mind about making you tree food.”
“This is my room,” he yells, his nails elongating into claws. “If anyone is leaving, it’s you… in pieces.”
Hot rage burns through my veins at the mere suggestion of him harming Mei, and before he can leap toward her, I slam my hand against his chest and push him away with a burst of raw magic. Bayne flies backward, smashes through the wall behind him into a bathroom, and remains motionless against the shattered counter. His torn T-shirt reveals a burnt handprint on his chest.
“I could have handled him,” Mei announces with an amused glint to her eyes as she examines my handiwork through the large hole in the wall, “but it’s always nice to know you care.”
