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me against his father. My body trembled at the sight of him, and I wondered if he looked this

way the night he killed Zoë. He snarled and growled, no longer the gentle white wolf that lay in

my bed and slept in my arms. His true nature was before me, a wild and dangerous animal. He

lowered his body into an attack position, growls rumbling in his throat, but his father flashed into

a human and blocked his path.

Aidan stared him down and then his voice boomed into the night. "YOU WILL NOT

SETTLE THIS NOW! I DECIDE WHEN YOU FIGHT!"

I stood and protested too. "But I don't want Dominic!"

Quinn was suddenly at my side. She put her arm around my waist and spoke quietly. "It

doesn't matter. Dominic made a claim for you, so Riley has to fight him. Now they have to earn

the right to have you as a mate. There's nothing you can do."

I pulled myself away from her and approached the sheriff. "Please, I just want to be with

Riley," I begged desperately.

I saw sympathy in his eyes, but his words were void of any. "I'm sorry, Paige, but Quinn

is right. That is pack law, and I've already broken enough laws tonight."

When he turned his back on me, I felt as if the whole evening meant nothing. He shifted

into his wolf form again and ran off into the woods. Celia's brown wolf form followed behind

him like a good Alpha Female. I guess the ceremony was over, but I still wasn't Riley's mate.

Some pack members still lingered, most of them looking confused and whispering to

each other.

I looked at Riley. He stood as a human, his shoulders slumped and his beautiful face

etched with melancholy. He stared at me and I saw the raw hurt behind his eyes.

Suddenly, red-hot anger started to boil inside me. With narrowed eyes, I slowly turned

my head and set my deadly gaze on my
own
prey. Wrath had taken over me and I exploded in

rage. I ran toward Dominic and shoved him with all my strength. He stumbled back, his eyes

wide with surprise.

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"You fucking bastard! Fight
me
!" My fist made contact with his nose and he doubled

over.

When he lifted his head, I saw blood trickle from one nostril. He chuckled darkly. I shot

him a death glare, and if looks could kill, he would've dropped dead where he stood. Once the

blood reached his lips, he darted his tongue out to taste it. Then he grabbed me in a vice grip,

pressing me hard against his naked body.

"Oooh! I like my bitches feisty." I struggled to free myself, but he held me tightly. He

moved his head next to mine and whispered nastily in my ear. "I'm going to kill your precious

white wolf. I'll taste his blood, and then...I'll taste yours when I mark you."

I slammed my knee into his groin and he finally released me, howling in pain and falling

to the ground grabbing his crotch.

I stood over him, and my voice cracked when I yelled, "Why are you doing this?"

He was breathing hard still holding his privates, but then I heard his sinister laughter

again. With lightning fast speed, he got to his feet and hissed at my face, "Why do you think?

Aidan took my father from me, so I'm going to take his son away from him."

My mouth dropped in shock. Before I could blink, he shoved me hard and my body

skidded across the grass. I groaned, and looked up to see Riley get right in his face.

He snarled, "You think you can kill me?"

Dominic licked his bloody lips and grinned. "Oh, I
know
I can kill you."

Riley smiled with his fiery wolf eyes. "You don't know me very well."

His stepbrother wore a thoughtful look. "Actually...I
do
." He clasped his hands together, his voice cheery. "A fight is just what I need to release some of this pent up frustration." His eyes darted toward me still lying on the ground. "You gave me the perfect opportunity. How could I

pass it up?" He gave me a slight bow with sick mockery in his eyes. "Thank you, Paige."

Riley shoved him violently and he fell hard on the ground.
Good, let's see how YOU like

it
. In less than a second, he leapt on top of Dominic and pinned him down. He growled close to his face, his sharp canines glinting like tiny razors in the moonlight.

"You'll
never
have her," he seethed.

Dominic chuckled again. "We'll see about that, brother." Then he flashed into a wolf and

pushed him off with superhuman force. Riley shifted in midair and landed on his feet easily.

Dominic walked away and I glared at him, even after his tail disappeared into the shadows.

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Riley approached me in his human form and helped me to my feet. "Just forget about him.

Let's go home."

I grabbed his arm. "I don't want you to fight," my voice loud and frantic.

"I have to."

"There
has
to be a way out of this." Tears welled in my eyes.

Riley's face fell, his voice quiet and somber. "There isn't. I would disgrace myself if I

didn't accept his challenge to claim you as a mate." He gently peeled my fingers from around his

bicep. "You have to understand pack life now that you're a part of it."

I searched his eyes for the truth and quietly asked my fear aloud. "Is Dominic stronger

than you?"

He shook his head. "No. Don't worry, I'll beat him. I have more to lose, so I won't let him

win."

Riley put his arm around my shoulder and held me close. His warm body smelled

pleasant, but did nothing to comfort me or ease my distress. My lips trembled and I let my tears

fall.

We walked out of the clearing and into the dark forest. He spoke softly, his alluring

English accent lacing his words. "When we get home, I don't want to talk about the fight. I just

want to climb into bed, wrap my arms around you, and fall asleep."

I didn't want to talk about the fight either, but I was determined to find a way to stop it.

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The twins and I walked through the forest toward my cabin. Even at night, a dark cloud

loomed over our heads. What was supposed to be an evening of celebration, nearly turned into a

death match between Riley and Dominic. For the first quarter-mile, none of us spoke. Riley and

Quinn walked on either side of me like my protectors. Riley's robe hung open and flowed in the

wind. Quinn's robe wrapped around her and she clutched it as if she was cold.

The moon provided limited vision for my eyes because the canopy of dense trees blocked

most of the light. I could see Riley's profile and glanced at him every now and then. His mouth

was set in a deep frown and his eyebrows knit together. I could only imagine what he was

thinking. He probably shared my thoughts to kill Dominic.

I knew it was a bad idea from the beginning to walk in high heels. I accidentally stepped

into a dip because I could barely see. My ankle twisted and I heard a snap.

"Fuck!"

The twins stopped and Riley caught my left elbow to steady me. I didn't feel any pain so I

knew the sound wasn't my bone breaking. I lifted my foot and realized I broke a heel.

"Great," I muttered. "This is just what I need."

"Are you all right?" Riley asked.

I sighed. "Yeah, my stupid heel broke off."

Quinn took the heel from me. "Can you still walk?"

I took a couple wobbly steps. "Yeah." I was already livid about Dominic's stunt, and now

my broken shoe pushed me over the edge. "You know what? Fuck this."

I took my other shoe off and threw them both into the darkness. They landed in the

distance with muffled thumps. Now barefoot, I resumed walking, but my casual stroll turned into

an angry march.

"I don't give a shit. I don't care if I step on a rock or a piece of wood impales my foot. I

wish I had a gun."

"Why?" Quinn asked.

"Because I'd use it to shoot Dominic," I replied in a hard voice.

With inhuman speed, Riley moved and grabbed my arms. "I don't want to hear you say

that again."

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A chill ran through me because of his aggressiveness. I looked at him with wide eyes.

"What?"

"As much as I hate him and want to rip out his throat, I hate guns more than anything."

He pressed me hard against his body. "I don't want you to
ever
bring a gun into our town. A pup could find it and someone could get hurt or killed."

I nodded quickly, my voice trembling. "Okay, I won't. It was just a thought."

He released me and walked ahead of us. I obviously hit a nerve, so I walked a few paces

behind him. Quinn stayed at my side, and when I looked at her, she just shrugged. I knew Riley

was pissed off about Dominic, but now he was directing his frustration onto me.

"Okay, maybe I wouldn't shoot him, but he still needs his ass kicked. First he hurts Quinn,

and now he ruins our moment to finally be together."

Riley turned around and I froze on the spot. "What do you mean he hurt Quinn?"

I gulped nervously when he approached me again.

In the next second, Quinn moved swiftly and wedged herself between us. She faced me

and spoke through clenched teeth. "
othing
." Her eyes blazed an amber warning.

My mouth dropped. I looked back at Riley and stammered, "Uh, I mean...he shoved her

earlier...back at the trailer."

Quinn extinguished the fire behind her eyes and I released a breath.

Riley's shoulders relaxed. "Oh." Then he walked away.

This time Quinn followed behind him and I scurried to keep up. I had almost revealed her

secret and wondered if she was upset with me. I kept stride with her and smiled when she looked

at me. She returned the gesture and knew she had forgiven me.

"Can I stay in the cabin with you?" She asked in a hopeful tone.

Immediately, Riley shot back, "No. Paige and I want privacy."

I scoffed at his cold reply. "
Yes
, you can stay," I said, overriding his decision.

He growled, and I whipped my head toward him, my jaw dropping again. "Are you

growling
?" His growl lowered to a rumble. "Now stop it."

Quinn walked between us, and he looked at me over her head. A dim yellow light

switched on behind his eyes. It illuminated part of his face and revealed his jaw set hard.

"Wouldn't you rather have your sister stay with us instead of back at the trailer with

Dominic? I bet he's staying there."

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Riley didn't reply, but turned off the hostile light in his eyes.

Quinn gave a short, sarcastic laugh. "Oh wait, I forgot. You marked the cabin so now it's

your territory, right?"

Eyes wide, I whipped my head toward her. "What do you mean he marked the cabin?" I

looked at Riley for an explanation, but he ignored me.

Quinn spoke up again, amusement in her voice. "He urinated all around it and on the

front and back doors too."

Revolted, I cried out, "Ugh! Riley, you peed on my house?"

He still didn't speak nor make eye contact.

Quinn laughed. "It's normal for males to mark their territory. Just be happy he didn't mark

the
inside
." I guess I had a lot more to learn about wolves. Then she said, "No worries, I'll sleep in the woods."

This time I stopped walking and grasped her slender arm. "No you won't. You can sleep

in my old room."

With narrowed eyes, I set my gaze on Riley and silently dared him to object again. He

didn't say a word. I released Quinn and we continued to trek through the wilderness.

"It's only temporary until I get my own cabin built," she added.

A smile broke free on my face at the thought of having Quinn as a neighbor.

Riley's head whipped toward his sister and he shouted, "Your own
cabin
?" My smile

disappeared. "Do you know how long it will take to build? If you don't want to stay with Dad

and Celia, then you better buy yourself a trailer."

"I don't want a bloody trailer! I
want
a cabin."

"Well, you're not staying with us for too long. You're going to have to go back home. I'll

take care of Dominic, so you won't have to suffer him for much longer."

Riley's temper silenced me and Quinn, and neither of us said anything to him after that.

Once we reached the cabin, I opened the front door and let Quinn enter first. I was about

to follow behind her, but noticed Riley stopped on the porch.

I turned to face him. "What's wrong?"

The porch light finally allowed me to see clearly. "You go ahead," he said quietly, biting

his bottom lip. "I'm going for a run."