Chapter 100: Chapter 100

“You need to eat more, Sister.”

Grace makes a strangled sound.

“I’m serious,” I say.

She’s too light in my arms. And while most men would’ve probably found that satisfying, for me, it just reinforces her frailty. Wolves are prized for strength and ferocity. Grace has fighting spirit, I’ll give her that. But her body is physically weak.

I’d hoped that treatment to pull out the silver would’ve had a better effect. But as Dr. Craigge explained via his extended update to me which I received on my phone, the silver had absorbed into her tissues and bones. She might need multiple treatments to draw it out. Given how painful that process was for there the first time, I wouldn’t be able to try that again any time soon, at least not until she gets through these new debilitating injuries.

Sonofabitch, I hate this.

How easily she could be hurt or taken from him.

That fall… it could’ve killed her.

The night he met her… those men could have killed her.

That asshole at his country club could have drowned her.

The electric bike could’ve run her down.

And… I curse again, just how many times did she face death while in prison?!?

Her face presses against me and she nestles closer as if seeking my warmth.

My wolf makes a low sound of approval. Theo is very drawn to this woman.

“I can’t remember the last time someone carried me. In my memory, when I was a child, Mom was the only one who ever did this for me.” Her voice is wistful. "My memories of those times are too vague.”

I make some soothing noise because I'm at a loss for what else to say.

"Jay, you're so nice," she murmurs.

I can guarantee if you were to poll my pack mates — or any of the wolves in this city— “nice” is probably the last word they would use to describe me.

“I'm very lucky to have a brother like you," she replied.

"Brother..." Here we go again with this game.

I carry Grace to the entry of the hotel and though there is a bench outside and chairs in the lobby, I keep her in my arms.

Lina's car appears not long after.

After the two of us get into the car, Lina launches into a tirade.

“Don’t you dare even interrupt me, Grace, because this shit has gone on long enough!”

With barely taking a second to draw a breath, Lina relays the events that had transpired today.

I feel the adrenaline coursing in my veins again. The urge to fight. I have rigid control but these situations continue to test my resolve. From the corner of my eye, I see Terrence pulling away. My entourage of my beta and other pack mates move into position surrounding Lina’s car.

I doubt she’d notice under normal circumstances and keyed up as she is now, she’s too distracted to notice much of anything.

"That Zoe went too far! Not only did she have the malicious intention of having the store attendant kick us out, but she also intentionally tripped Grace! Can you believe that!?! Grace could’ve been seriously injured. She could’ve died. This wasn’t just a minor fall. That bitch tripped her down an escalator!!!”

“Let it go,” Grace says tiredly.

“Are you insane? Grace, what part of ‘you-could-have-died’ did you not hear!?”

Lina slams on the brakes at an intersection and I throw out my arm to halt Grace’s forward momentum.

I wrap my arm around her shoulder to better support her and hold her in place. Seeing as how Lina is driving aggressively, no doubt a reflection of her mood, I make sure to hold Grace as still as I can so she isn’t jostled unnecessarily.

“It’s all because Zoe is a Stevens…” Lina seethes.

“What does that mean?” I ask carefully.

My eyes flash and Lina catches that in the rearview mirror. “Good. You’re pissed off too. You should be.”

I nod.

“Surely, you’ve heard of the Stevens Pack. They used to be a force to be reckoned with, although now, their strength is less in brute force and more in real estate and enterprises within this city. It’s like they have their greedy hands in everything. And Zoe… she’s the worst! Acting like she’s so entitled and as if everyone else is dirt beneath her feet.” Lina slapped the steering wheel. “If it weren't for Grace's good luck, she might have been seriously injured!"

“I’m fine, Lina,” Grace says.

“Your foot is broken! You have bruises all over.” She eyes me again in the rearview mirror. “Is she crazy?”

Lina turns back to the road ahead. She gnashes her teeth with hatred. "Zoe relies on her pack’s position. She abuses it—acting so brazenly!"

"The Stevens..." I mumble. “You say it’s because of them?”

“Didn’t you hear what I said?!?”

Part of me is amused by how Lina speaks to me. If she were to learn who I really am, I think she’d faint on the spot.

“Oh, Jay, don’t let Lina rile you up." Grace’s voice is tired. “Look, I can complain about them, and they are a bunch of elitist assholes, but that doesn’t change the fact that they’re one of the ruling packs in this city.”

“Ruling packs?” I scoff.

I rule this city.

And there will come a time when this woman learns it.

“Money buys a lot of things,” Grace says quietly. “It’s true that Alpha Reed controls the region, but many lesser packs have power. I know the Stevens pack intimately. They are more powerful than they advertise. A lot more powerful — and poor hungry— that people think.”

“Exactly,” Lina agrees. “And given their reach and influence, if this were to go to court, who do you think would win?” She shakes her head and hits the brakes hard at a yellow light. If not for her injured passenger, she probably would’ve floored it through.

“Surely the packs in this region are not so corrupt,” I say.

“You weren’t there … before,” Grace tells me. “When the accident happened, it brought in the other dominant packs. The Pack Reed. The Atkinsons. Weiss. ” Her dark eyes drift to mine. “I was an attorney, Jay, and I swear I was not under the influence. It made no difference.”

“So you think the court case was…altered by these families?” I ask carefully.

Grace glances away and stares out the window. “It doesn’t matter now. What’s done is done. I can’t get back my life. And neither can Jennifer Atkinson.”

“Grace, that doesn’t give Zoe the right to harm you,” Lina argues.

“Taking her to court…what difference would it make? Even with the mall surveillance video, what would happen? She’d pay a small fine?” Grace shrugs. “It isn’t worth the effort.”

"Then let's not go to court,” I say.

"Then wouldn't Grace be at a disadvantage?” Lina’s voice is outraged. “No, they have to compensate her for all the medical fees and her lost income. Even though these fees won't mean much to them, we still can't be on the losing end. There has to be justice for what they’ve done!”

My hand unconsciously tightens on Grace’s shoulder. “Your suffering will not be in vain, sister. Whoever hurts you will pay for it.”

In an instant, rage blooms within his eyes.

Grace gasps. I watch the hint of fear take root in her eyes, like she is finally seeing me clearly for the first time.

That’s right, sister.

I’m a stranger.

The man you coddle and welcome into your home. He is only a facade of what I am.

What I am capable of being.

In the next instant, I bank my true emotions. Let the mask slide back into place. “What’s wrong, Grace?”

“Noth-nothing." She shakes her head.

When we arrive at Grace's apartment, I carry her once again.

She stares at my hands as I hold her, like she’s wondering what types of violence these same hands are capable of.