Page 70 of Brutal Reign
The boys’ gazes lift to meet mine as I creep up behind her, putting a finger to my smirking lips to signal for them to keep quiet as she continues chattering. They smirk back at me, quickly returning their attention to Hayden.
“Wouldn’t it be nice if the squad leaders took out some of the trash this time?” she remarks, clucking her tongue. “I swear I’ll throw a damn party if Chandler and Jake are on the list. Seriously, drinks on me if…”
Hayden’s words morph into a shrill scream as I throw my arms around her neck and tackle her with a hug from behind, knocking her so off balance that we both almost tumble to the ground.
“Hey babe, what’d I miss?” I laugh, tucking my chin over my bestie’s shoulder as my lips split into a wide grin.
Hayden shrugs me off with an annoyed grunt, turning a scowl on me while the boys and I share a laugh at her expense. “What the hell, Riv?” she sputters, smoothing her hair and clothes as she struggles to regain her composure.
“Sorry, couldn’t resist,” I chuckle, lifting a hand to swat her ponytail teasingly. “You’re too easy to sneak up on.”
She huffs out a breath, folding her arms tightly across her chest. “Well warn a girl next time.”
“Where’s the fun in that?” I snort, sticking out my tongue.
She rolls her eyes, cracking a smile and giving me a playful shove. “And here I thought I’d actually missed you.”
“You know you did,” I snicker. “So, what’d I miss while I was gone?”
“Alot,” Gus cuts in dramatically. “The wolf tournament was gnarly.”
“Yeah, I bet,” I breathe, my pulse kicking up a notch at the mention of it. I’m almost afraid to ask who wound up winning.
“Jake didn’t win,” Hayden supplies, as if she’s reading my damn mind.
“Oh?” I ask nonchalantly.
“Ace Conway took him out in the last round,” Kendrick says, tossing me a wink.
My brows shoot up, but I quickly school my expression, swiveling my gaze around the practice field only to find that both Ace and Seb are conspicuously absent. I’m not sure which annoys me more– the fact I’m looking for them, or the stab of disappointment I feel at the realization that they’re not out here to greet me.
Not that I expected them to be. My expectations are ridiculously low when it comes to those guys, but after spending the past few days getting advice from my mom, I’m more open to giving them a chance. If they blow it, it’ll be on them.
“He didn’t even seem fazed by that injury,” Gus scoffs incredulously. “Just kept throwing Jake around like a piece of meat.”
I snap my head back around, my heart skipping a beat. “What injury?”
“Jake fucked up Ace’s hand pretty bad, he had to go to the infirmary to get it set to heal properly,” Kendrick replies, wincing. “Pretty sure I saw a bone sticking out.”
My pulse takes off at a gallop, my inner wolf surging to the surface with panic and concern for our mate. I clench my jaw, fighting to keep her at bay as I ask, “But he’s alright?”
“Yeah,” Kendrick confirms, narrowing his eyes on me. “Are you? Your wolf’s showing.”
I quickly avert my eyes, running my fingers through my hair as I concentrate on shoving my wolf back into the recesses of my consciousness where she belongs. “Yeah, fine,” I grit out. “She’s just… excited at the idea of Jake being beat to a pulp.” I force a hollow chuckle as I swing my gaze back to my friends. “Bet it was fun to watch.”
“Ugh, I wish you could’ve seen it!” Hayden groans, tossing an arm around my shoulders. “If Madd didn’t have that stupid no-phones rule, I totally would’ve recorded it for you. I’m surprised you didn’t stick around just to see how Jake fights as his wolf. Spoiler alert, it wasn’t that impressive.”
“He did make it to the final round, though,” Gus mumbles.
Hayden shoots him a glare.
“I’m just sayin’!” he breathes, lifting his hands in surrender.
“Yeah, well, I had some things I needed to catch up on back at home,” I mumble, shifting my weight uncomfortably. I can’t tell them the real reason I couldn’t be anywhere near here during the tournament. Avery knows, and I’m lucky she was looking out for me.
My wolf pushes forward again, clawing past my mental barriers– but this time, it’s in response to the sharp tug of the mate bond as Seb and Ace emerge from the squad complex, stepping out onto the practice field. I hate how my attention is immediately pulled in their direction, the world around me fading away the moment I lock eyes with each of my mates.
This biological response is a real pain in the ass when I’m trying to hold onto a grudge.