Page 112 of Conner's Luna

Dad's jaw clenches down so hard I think I can hear his molars grinding together. Mom always says he's going to ruin his teeth. Auntie Cassie and Uncle Mattie bought him mouthguards last year for Solstice as a gag-gift, then laughed for days about their pun.

"It's a possibility," Trey mutters.

I throw him a sharp glance, immediately on the defensive at his easy capitulation. If I were him I would throw Lydia under the fucking bus real fast to get a chance at Bailey. Yeah, Lydia is pregnant, but he's still an alpha-wolf giving up his goddess-given mate.

Then again, so am I. But... Bailey isn't pregnant and she hasn't rejected him. Of course, I'm biased for my honeygirl. I just can't understand why Trey would be so fucking stupid.

"No, it won't," Dad grates out. "It's a legal release so that you can Mark each other and have your little pissant pup without it being a declaration of war."

I'm proud of Dad holding his cool, until his next words. "Then, my son is going to take the 'human' and Claim her and this shitstorm can be done, yeah? Once that dipshit Marks you," he says to Lydia as he points to Trey, "you will have nothing to do with my son anymore. You won't even feel my son fucking his female into next week."

Lydia goes pale and bursts into tears. Dad grins evilly. "Deal?" he says to Alpha Antony. Trey's dad nods stiffly, no longer offering any argument. They back away slowly, Trey tugging Lydia to get her to move, until they disappear around the corner.

"Let's talk, Conner," Dad claps me on the shoulder and squeezes in a way that tells me exactly what he wants to talk about. Shit. He hauls me around to face him and pins me with a hard stare. "You hurt that sweet little girl?"

My wolf paces, snarling. Foam drips from his maw. He's lost one mate. He won't lose another. "An accident," I seethe, ripping free of his grip.

"Conner Alexander Grim," Dad says softly, dangerously. "What the fuck did you do to her?"

"I held her shoulder too tightly and it dislocated," I grind out as renewed guilt floods me.

"Then your wolf hasn't chosen her?" Dad asks me with a frown.

Our bodies hit with the force of two semi's colliding. Dad wins, but it isn't easy for him. We manage to turn over an empty i.v. stand, a cart of towels, and a cot that was bolted to the floor before he pins me.

"Nevermind," he says casually in my ear. "She's yours," he soothes.

I relax enough for him to let me up. Dad stands and hauls me to my feet, then I'm wrapped in his tight embrace. It's harder than the chokehold he just had me in, he's hugging me so tightly.

"Are you crying?" I manage to gasp out.

"No." After a minute of cutting off my air supply, he draws back, his eyes suspiciously wet. "You, ah, did good just now."

My wolf wags his tail, but I jolt, startled, with the realization that just a month ago Dad could have pinned me in a heartbeat. I was so weak and now... I think I may be stronger than I was before Lydia fucked me over.

Dad is grinning like a loon. Braxton walks into the room, his arm bandaged and in a sling, with the same dopey look on his face.

Fury scalds me. "Why weren't you with her?!" I yell at my brother. "She wasn't supposed to be on campus."

"I don't know!" Braxton protests. "I went to her house to pick up our project and she had already left. I don't know why."

"I do," the voice makes us turn to see Sarj in the doorway. "Trey and Alpha Wilkinson have left," he tells us. He's got Braxton's phone in his hand, his expression dark as he looks at Braxton. "You sent her a text asking her to drop it off."

Braxton snatches his phone from Sarj's hand. "I didn't. Dad, I love Bailey, I wouldn't risk her. And what is this shit? Mom isn't sick."

I grab his phone from him, the growls rumbling in my chest. I read the messages a few times, over and over.

"I'm sorry," Braxton whispers, looking horrified. "I don't know..." his voice trails off and he goes paper-white. "Fuck," he breathes.

"What, Brax?" Dad asks sharply.

His hands crumple into fists. "I didn't even think about it. I lost my phone in the fight with that piece of shit weeks ago," he says, stunned. "I bought a new one and had them change it to my number."

"Yeah, but the old one still works if you have Wi-Fi access," Sarj says.

Braxton blows out a breath. "The RedMoon must have picked it up. I'm sorry, Con. It's my fault."

"It's not your fault, son," Dad says quietly. He stares at me. It's a look I've rarely seen on his face, but my wolf goes still. "Your female didn't listen to your command to stay put," is all he says before he leaves the room.

---