Page 19 of Tangled Fates

I dipped my snout down as spit dripped from my fangs. Make me, dumbass.

Levi quickly stepped in front of Dean. “This isn’t okay. This kind of anger? It’s not with us. It’s with Raven.”

My gaze snapped toward him. I’m much more infuriated with the two of you right now than I am with her. She has every right to feel overwhelmed. To feel like the world is working against her. We kept things from her. Things we had a duty to tell her. And now, the two of you want to break the most precious bond we’ve got with her? The only thing that’s keeping her here? Are you fucking insane?

Levi sighed heavily. “Maybe she’s not meant to be with us. Did you ever think of that?”

“Yeah,” Dean said, “maybe this time, the magic got it wrong.”

Blasphemy!

Levi shook his head. “Not always.”

I snapped my jowls at them and the two of them jumped back. I knew they’d never seen me this angry. Hell, I’d never felt this angry before. I’d never felt so out of control. But it didn’t stop me from being disgusted at the idea that they’d ever think that they knew more than fate did.

“We got enough shit to deal with without infighting and killing,” Levi said as he held his hand out toward me. “So, can you tuck it in and be reasonable, for once?”

I gnashed my gigantic teeth together. When the two of you stop talking about fucking treason, then sure.

Dean furrowed his brow deeply. “It’s hardly treason. But maybe, if she’s really going to leave, it may be the most humane thing we do for all of us involved.”

I howled toward the sky again. Then, wait until she makes the decision to leave. Because as far as I’m concerned, we’re bound by a duty to Colin to see this through until the very end. Until she makes her final decision.

“Even if it means the safety of the pack?” Levi asked.

I narrowed my eyes. You think you could’ve led us through two back-to-back bear attacks better than she did? Huh?!

The two of them looked at one another, but they sure as fuck didn’t have anything to say about it.

That’s what I thought, assholes.

“Hudson, cut it out!” Dean exclaimed.

“And he’s gone,” Levi said with a heavy sigh.

I didn’t want to stick around and listen to their bullshit any longer. The more I heard, the more pissed off I became, and I’d already had enough share of anger for one lifetime. I took off into the woods, heading in much the same direction that I saw Raven sprint off in. I needed to let off some steam. I needed to fight someone. Maybe I’d come into contact with a lone bear out in the woods for a prime opportunity to rip its jugular out with my bare fucking teeth.

And as my talons sank into the dirt, yanking me forward at blinding speeds, my memories pulled me back into one of the darkest times in my life.

“Lila!”

“Hudson!”

Watching her run into my arms sent joy cascading throughout my veins. Feeling her place her delicate cheek against the middle of my chest brought me more pride than anything I’d ever encountered during the course of my years on this planet. She was my life force. My future. The woman that I wanted to bear my children.

I loved Lila, and she loved me.

Pain gripped my heart as I swerved among the trees, testing my muscles and pushing them to the brink. I tried blocking out the memories. I threw up a wall so great and so wide that nothing would be able to get through.

And yet, her voice found me every single time.

“I love you, you know that?” Lila asked.

I captured her lips as I hoisted her against me. “I do.”

She giggled. “Practicing for the big day?”

A growl reverberated up the back of my throat. “More than you know.”

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