Lanie âWhere is she?!â | screamed. âWhereâs my baby?â
I spun in a circle around the room, and my eyes landed on him.
Braden, across the room, holding Stella. My mind went blank. What the hell was going on?
Next to me, | heard a low, dangerous growl, but | couldnât rip my eyes away. Braden had lowered his head, and his nostrils were flaring.
Was he sniffing her?
Any second, | thought his fangs might drop. | had to stop this.
âWhat are you doing?!â | cried. My voice sounded high and distant. My heart was pounding so hard that | felt nauseous, | was afraid of what might happen if | made any sudden moves.
Braden looked up and locked eyes with me. His face softened.
He spoke calmly and evenly. âI didnât mean to scare you, but | had to-â
âPUT HER DOWN!â Mason roared behind me.
The boom of his voice made me jump. | whipped around, and another wave of nausea crashed over me. Mason's claws were out, and his canines had dropped.
He couldn't lose it on Braden again, not after what happened the first time.
Braden glanced from me to Mason, a curious expression on his face.
âYou're not going to bite me again, are you Mason?â Braden asked, moving toward him. âNot while Iâm holding Stella, | hope.
was.
NOW Another furious growl ripped from Masonâs chest.
D amn Braden for being so cheeky. He was pushing Masonâs buttons. He shouldâve known how deadly that â| said, Put. Her. DOWN,â Mason snarled through clenched teeth. âBefore | make you.â
âNo!â | cried, jumping between the two of them and holding my hands out. âBraden, explain yourself.
âBraden?â Mindy asked. | had honestly forgotten she was there. She walked over to us. âHold up Is that the guy you were seeing before? Heâs cuuuuute.â
Not the time, Mindy Mason raised his eyebrows so high they practically disappeared into his hairline. âSeeing?!â he said Perfect. Just perfect.
Before | could respond, Braden was running his mouth again. âDonât worry, Mase. The timing wasnât right for us.â
Mason's fists clenched at his side. F uck. He was really about to blow his lid now.
âIt was before we met,â | said quickly. âAnd nothing more than a kiss.â
Not entirely true, but not the time to go into detail.
âNow, can we get back to why Iâm really here?â Braden asked. He took a step toward me, and | moved back instinctively. But then he held Stella out to me. âI'll hand her over if you promise to leash your dog.â
âHeâs not gonna bite,â | said, rolling my eyes. âIsnât that right?â | turned to Mason.
Mason took a few deep breaths and, finally, his wolf retreated. He nodded reluctantly.
| reached out for Stella, and Braden let her go. | held her close to my chest, relief filling my insides with warmth.
âNow... why the f uck did you take my pup?â | asked Braden.
âYou need to get out of here and hide immediately.â Braden warned. âYou and Stella both.â
Mason threw his hands out. âNope. Not until you answer the f ucking question.â
âFine,â Braden said. âI was scenting her. | thought she could be, but | wasnât sure at first.....
My mouth went dry. | somehow knew what he was about to say, and part of me wanted to lunge at him and throw my hand over his mouth.
âShe has vampire in her blood,â Braden said. âI can smell it already.â
| swallowed hard, but | was suddenly weak and unsteady. Mason came up behind me and held me by the arms while | clutched onto Stella for dear life.
âNo hybrids are safe,â Braden said. âEspecially not one whose scent is already so strong. And especially not when her motherâs is, too.â
âWe know this already,â Mason said icily. âWe all heard Rhiannon. So why are you back here scaring Lanie again? | thought you were going back to your coven.â
Braden shook his head. | couldn't tell you what | was really doing. It wouldâve been too dangerous.
âIâm gonna need you to be a little more specific,â Mason spat. Thank the go ds for him.
âLet's just say that me being in Constantine was never totally about Lanie,â he said darkly. âThe Council is planning something, something theyâve been keeping a secret from the whole pack. And itâs going to destroy the peace we've kept for years.
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