Page 42 of Tolerated By the Sigma (Mate Hunt 7)

If Char saw that and assumed the worst, there was a very real chance that her wolf had too, and was going to reject me because of what she likely saw as me cheating on her.

I had Lisa off of me in a heartbeat and sprinted out toward my mate, fighting the roaring monster within me that kept trying to break free. Charly’s back arched before I reached her, her furious, pain-filled scream piercing the air.

My arms were around her before she could crash to the ground, and I lowered her to the damp, green grass in the yard as her body shifted.

Her wolf was taking over and hadn’t tried to claw my face off yet, so that was a good sign. Some of my scars had come from Lisa’s first shift; her wolf had rejected me as it took her body over, and had made sure I knew that.

Lisa and her raging bitch cloud came over as I kneeled beside Charly, my hands moving over her skin, both to calm her through her shift and to prove to myself that I hadn’t lost her.

Lisa put her hand on my shoulder as Char’s wolf finished shifting, and Charly’s wolf finally snapped her teeth as her shift ended.

“She’s fine, Ryder baby,” Lisa crooned, shoving her tits up against my back.

Char’s wolf was on her paws faster than I’d known the female could move—and then, she lunged.

Lisa shrieked as Char’s wolf tackled her to the ground, and my wolf surged to the surface. I had my jeans on the ground only an instant before the bastard took over.

The scent of blood filled the air as I changed, and I immediately recognized the smell as Lisa’s.

At least my girl was okay; she wasn’t the one bleeding.

A door opened somewhere down the street, and I heard shouting as my wolf finished his change and shot into action.

Charly’s wolf was ripping into Lisa’s cowering human body; not terribly ethical, though Lisa had definitely poked an already-furious beast. I figured that given the situation, things could go one of three ways when my wolf joined the fight:

Better, worse, or much worse.

If my wolf changed things for the better, he would nuzzle Char’s and love on her as he slowly moved her away from the bleeding non-shifted werewolf.

If he changed things for the worse, he would throw himself between Charly and Lisa, protecting Lisa and likely proving to Char and her wolf that I’d invited Lisa over or some shit like that.

And if he changed things for the much worse… well, he would help Char rip Lisa to fucking bits.

Even a werewolf could only survive so much, and something told me that if my wolf had his way, Lisa would die for risking our relationship with his mate the way she had.

Being rejected again would literally kill me, but going to jail would destroy Charly’s life, so I was more in favor of being rejected than ruining her dreams and everything she had built for herself.

Despite my silent, unheard urges for my wolf to choose good over evil and just persuade Char’s wolf to move away from the other woman, reality was a bastard.

And rather than distracting Charly or protecting Lisa, he went with the worst possible option.

I don’t know why I bothered hoping he would choose anything else. The bastard had never chosen good over evil a day in his fucking life.

He tore into Lisa’s shoulder, and I wished there was a way to close my eyes, to remove myself from the situation.

Another rip of teeth into flesh, and then Charly’s wolf was pushing mine away from Lisa, snarling at him. Blood dripped down the fur on her face, and pain spasmed in my chest for the second woman I’d brought into this situation.

Fuck me, I’d ruined her.

She’d never forget the terror of this moment. The horror of the things she had done would haunt her for the rest of her life. I knew that, because I was haunted by the things my own wolf had done. The things my pack had done to me and the hell I’d survived in the days following Lisa’s rejection would stick with me no matter what else I lived through.

Char’s wolf wanted the kill for herself—and mine knew that was her right.

But me?

As I watched Charly’s wolf tear through Lisa’s throat, all I felt was regret.

I should’ve been able to stop Charly—I should’ve been able to protect her from this. From the wildness of our wolves, the destruction the beasts could wreak on a human’s life.

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