Page 99 of Claimed

He’s talking to Erica.

“Why the fuck do you think we’d let you trade?” Jase asks.

“Caught her scent on the way in here tonight. She’s gotta come with me. No ifs or buts about it. Unmated alpha here. This one’smy mate. But who the fuck are you?” He’s looking at Erica still. “Are you the one who tried to set me on fire? Who fried two of my betas? Thought I knew your scent, but it was covered by his claiming scent.”

“You fucking jerk,” Erica yells. “You have my sister! You thought she was me? Maybe I’ll melt you right now.”

Tiny blue sparks float around the crown of her head, almost like glowing but separated pieces of a halo. My heart pounds harder than it has ever pounded as I hang onto Grey for dear life, hoping that whatever my brother has planned, it goes wrong for him, that nobody gets hurt, that we get through this night unscathed somehow.

Erica shoots imaginary daggers from her eyes at my brother, but maybe they’re not imaginary because smoke floats around Wyatt’s shoulders.

Sherry gasps.

“Hurt me, witch, and your sister dies,” Wyatt tells her, clutching Sherry tighter. “And other bad shit happens, too. Really bad shit.”

“No. No way,” Sherry cries, struggling. “No fucking way.”

“You okay, Erica?” Bailey asks because more sparks float around Erica’s head.

Erica addresses my brother instead of answering. “Get my sister here right fucking now. And let go of Sherry.”

He holds his phone up. “My phone’s fucked, so I can’t. You all need to listen to me and listen good, otherwise shit will go south for everyone here in a big way.”

“Wyatt, please don’t do anything crazy,” I plead. “Please. Just… let’s end this. These aren’t bad people. This pack isn’t bad. And like I said in the bathroom, the thing that happened toour father… it’s not what you think. The man who’s really responsible is already dead.”

“Shut up. Traitorous bitch,” Wyatt says, seething at me.

Lightning fast, Grey has let go of me and I hear bones crack as he grabs Wyatt’s wrist to make him let go of Sherry.

Sherry wisely gets out of the way, running to Jase.

Grey pulls his fist back and punches Wyatt so hard in the face, my brother hits the floor, like a falling tree.

I can tell Grey isn’t done with him, that he wants to pulverize my asshole brother, but Wyatt quickly sneers, “If I don’t phone or show up at our rendezvous point in ten more minutes, bad shit is gonna happen.”

Grey’s teeth enlarge and though his eyes are still trickling blood, they’re also glowing mercury as his face half-shifts, then recedes back toward his human shape, but then half-shifts again.

And my brother looks terror-stricken.

Erica shouts a warning, “If anything happens to my sister, you will be very fucking sorry.”

“You’re gonna be sorry anyway,” Grey advises, menacingly. “After the shit you’ve pulled. After the shit you’ve put your sister through?”

“I’ll melt you into a puddle of bad guy goo,” Erica adds. “You’re gonna look like a steaming pile of wolf shit if you or your goons have harmed a hair on my sister’s head!”

“Shh, baby. Easy does it,” Riley tries to settle her down while Wyatt’s eyes bounce between Grey and Erica.

“He wanted me. He took my sister because she has red hair and they thought she was me, Riley. She probably smells like me being my sister, right?”

“I know, darlin’,” he says.

“I’ll give her back,” Wyatt offers. “She’s unharmed, just mostly disabled right now. Let me take my mate. Let me and my guys out of here. You hurt me, you’ll never find them. I’ve got all their scents masked.”

My brother is scared. He’s talking fast and his eyes are darting around the space as he calculates his next moves.

“No, no, no,” Sherry repeats.

“No,” Jase echoes. “You give her back and then maybe we let you live.”

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