Page 17 of Revenge of the Blood Pack

Any man who stands, blocking an alley exit in front of a woman, is trouble. Luckily for me, I know how to handle trouble.

So, when his slow gaze moves from my feet to my face, I pin him with my eyes, daring him to try me, and analyzing him at the same time. The man is probably in his early thirties with dark hair and pale eyes. All pretty normal, except that he's big. Pure muscle. Which makes me pretty damn sure he's either a supernatural or a human football player.

I take a deep breath, separating his scent from the ones around me. But I'm pretty sure his smell is similar to the scents coming from the dumpster beside me. Unimpressive and disgusting. But unfortunately for me, the scent of another shifter.

Which should make whatever's about to happen more interesting.

As I watch him, a smile spreads across his face, a smile carrying malice so thick, I have the urge to gag. Or scream. I'm not sure which, but I think I'll know soon.

That creepy smile of his widens even further, impossibly far. "Fancy seeing you here," he says, his voice a deep bass with a slight echo that sounds trained.

I lift a brow. "I think you have me confused with someone else."

He shakes his head. "I don't think so." His words are laced with a threat.

"I'm just going to go now…" Taking a step forward, I dare him with my gaze to keep blocking my way.

But he doesn't move out of the way. If anything, I see the muscles in his body tensing, as if preparing for a fight. "I thought they did away with every member of your weak pack but here you are, just like the rumors said."

Weak? Did he just call my pack weak?Oh, that's a mistake.

And rumors about me? Who the fuck cares enough about me to be flapping their mouths?

Apparently, this guy. Whoever the hell he is. A shifter who probably smelled me and marked me as a half breed. A shifter who heard the whispers about my pack and put two-and-two together when he saw me. And a complete idiot if he thinks his size will matter much in a fight between us.

"What do you want?" I'm trying to keep my breathing steady, preparing for whatever will happen next, but it's not working. My breath is already coming in and out in a rush.

He shakes his head of dark hair. "Doesn't matter, mutt."

Fucking helpful."Who are you?"

"Your worst nightmare."

I laugh, even though it’s forced. "Let me guess, you're basing your personality on some villain from a cheesy movie?"

His smile fades away. "You should be nicer, that pretty face of yours is the only thing that might make me gentler with you." He doesn't move as he answers and I survey my surroundings to gauge the best move to make.

If I just kill this motherfucker, I have no doubt it'll screw up my life. Even though he's the aggressor, the Enforcers will come down on me. They may even decide that I need to be kept under lock and key again, or that I'm too dangerous to help find my pack.

But there are ways to make my point without killing him…

"If you've heard about my kind, you've probably heard about what I can do too… so are you really sure you want me to show you the kind of agony most people can go their whole lives without feeling?" I say it in a bored voice, like I'm challenged by weird shifters in alleys every damn day.

His eyes widen, but he quickly recovers. "I think you might be surprised by what I've felt and the pain I can bring you. And then, at last, your worthless pack will be erased from this world."

I cock my head, then gesture to him. "Bring it."

But he doesn't come toward me, just smirks and crosses his arms over his chest.Dick.

Tired of this game, and worrying that Max has noticed my absence by now, I decide the hell with it, and move slowly towards him in a defensive stance. If he wants a fight, he's going to get one. And when he's done, I'm going to figure out how he tracked me down and why. And if he’s acting alone, or on someone else’s orders.

Knowing that fighting him in my wolf form isn't the way to win this one, I raise a hand and point it at him, ready to unleash my unnatural abilities on him.

But nothing happens.

Realization hits me smack in the chest. I'm low on blood, since I haven't been feeding, and my kind isn’t fueled by blood from banks.Fuck.I hadn't realized it earlier because there hadn't been a reason to use my powers, but I grasp my foolishness and what it may cost me now.

Except that my powers aren't my only skills. I just need to change my approach. If I do this right, I can still make this asshole cry.

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