Page 5 of Brutal Alpha

“I never said you were,” he said, checking his mirrors. The casualness of the motion pissed me off in a way I could articulate even if I tried.

“You don’t need to say it,” I muttered, hoping that would be the end of it, but apparently, Ethan had more to say.

“Maybe I do. You’re acting like a child right now.” Ah. So he was going for the cool and collected approach today, saying things he knew would make me mad in that even tone, and then acting shocked when I started a fight. I should have ignored him, but inevitably, he made me so angry that I became stupid.

“Right. Sorry,” I snapped back. “I forgot you’d never done anything wrong in your life.”

Crossing my arms, I resolved to say nothing more, but Ethan wasn’t going to have that.

“No, please, carry on,” he said. “Get it all out of your system.”

“Get what out of my system?”

“You’re clearly in one of your moods, and I’m gonna need you to get over it by the time we reach town,” he said, still using that awful, calm tone. “If you want to yell at me this whole ride, that’s fine, as long as you shut up when we arrive and don’t make a scene.”

“I’m sorry, make a scene?” I hissed, but he continued as if I hadn’t spoken.

“Tonight is supposed to be about promoting positive relations. It doesn’t look good if you’re needlessly combative.”

“I am not needlessly combative,” I insisted, but Ethan only paused for a pointed moment before he replied,

“You’re arguing with me right now.”

“Because you’re insufferable! Have you ever noticed that I’m not like this with other people?”

That seemed to strike a nerve because his voice was quiet when he replied,

“I’m not blind.”

“Good for you,” I shot back, pleased to see him flinch as he realized his error. “Did you ever consider that maybe the problem is you?”

Ethan’s knuckles were white on the steering wheel, and I flushed with victory.

“I just came to pick you up instead of making you run through unfamiliar territory alone, and you ripped my throat out about it, but I’m the problem?” he said through gritted teeth, and I grinned.

“Yes.”

“Sure,” was the only reply I got. “Whatever.”

It was going to be a long drive.

Chapter 2 - Ethan

The rest of the A-Team had already arrived by the time Julia and I made it to Ferris town. It was tradition at this point: if the Solstice was taking place on one of our islands, the others would arrive early to help set up. We had it down to an art at this point, and when I pulled into town, they were busy building up the bonfire.

Julia was out of the truck before I’d even cut the engine, racing toward the guys with a grin. They greeted her with equal fervor, and I tensed as Xander swept her up in his arms.

“Hey, squirt! Long time, no see.”

It shouldn’t bother me that they touched her freely. None of us had sisters of our own, and my friends had adopted her as their honorary little sister. None of them thought of her as anything more, but we were stricter about touch between males and females on Ferris. If a woman wasn’t family or your mate, you didn’t touch her unless it was absolutely necessary, and the liberties my friends took with Julia made me uneasy.

The moment she was out of Xander’s arms, Leo’s arm was around her waist, and he pressed a kiss to her temple.

“You’re looking lovely this evening,” he told her, and she beamed up at him, slipping out of his hold to give him a spin. The movement caused the light cotton of her skirt to flare out, revealing even more of the pale skin of her legs. My jaw clenched; she might be my responsibility for the evening, but she wasn’t my sister or my mate or a member of my Pack. I had no say in how she dressed or who she showed herself off to.

Jace, at least, was more reserved, opting for a fist bump and a simple,

“Hey.”

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