Page 37 of The Gamma's Second Chance

“Nolan!” I dart forward,but Reid grabs me by the upper arms, yanking me back and away from their tussle.

I glare at him and growl, and his blue eyes widen. He releases me, lifting his hands near his shoulders. I turn my focus back to the males on the ground, and even though I want to intervene, Istay back. I don’t want Nolan to get hurt, but I know better than to get between two fighting shifters, especially when one of them is visibly agitated and almost in a rage.

The two males grapple on the ground, neither of them using any real training or strategy in their fight with each other. They roll around, throwing hits, elbows, knees, or kicks in where and when they can. Neither has the upper hand, and neither gives an inch to the other. It’s a continuous tussle, almost reminiscent of two untrained pups going at it, except this fight is fueled by Nolan’s irritation towards Sebastian as opposed to an argument over a toy or who won a race.

They snarl and grunt and growl as they continue fighting. No one intervenes or says anything, all of us looking on in silence, all of us tense as we sense Nolan’s sudden aggression towards Sebastian.

But as they twist and Nolan’s face becomes visible to us, we all see his fangs are out, his pupils are as wide as his irises, and his claws are extended from his skin, his wolf right at the surface and pushing to be released.

“STOP!” Alpha Wesley’s command ripples through the crowd, pinpointed on Nolan but felt by all. Heads lower, and necks are bared as he storms forward. Haven stops near Cav and rests her hand on his head. “Get off of Sebastian, Nolan!”

The result of Wesley’s order is immediate. Nolan shoves Sebastian away and jumps to his feet, crossing the distance to where I stand in long, hurried strides. His darkened eyes scan my entire body, his jaw clenched and ticking as his canines recede into his gums. His nostrils flare, and his heavy stare lingers on my bare stomach, every muscle tensing further as he scans the expanse of my exposed skin.

“Her shirt,” he says, his hand held out to the side, his eyes still on me. Maddie inches forward and holds it out, but his lip curlsand he growls. “Not that one!” he says between his gritted teeth, disgust and derision tinting his voice. “That one is Sebastian’s.”

Maddie swallows and switches the shirts, then darts away. Nolan steps closer to me until he shields my body from almost everyone around us, lifting the shirt over my head.

“You should be home resting,” he says, his voice low and gentle, a stark contrast to the severe, angry lines etched into his face, the tone he used with Maddie, and the tension tightening the muscles everywhere on his body.

I gawk at him, my arms sliding into the sleeves like it’s second nature for me to wear his shirt. The soft, cozy fabric wraps around my body, bringing his scent with it, but all it does is provide more fuel for my indignation with him.

“I am fine!” I insist. But even as my protestations leave my lips, my body sways where I stand.

“You keep telling yourself that, Daisy,” Nolan says, his hands settling on my hips and tugging me closer.

I bristle at his use of the nickname he dubbed me with yesterday, but before I can say anything to him about it, Wesley rushes towards us, yelling at Nolan. “You’re being a right dickhead, you know that?”

Nolan grunts in reply, his grip on me tightening. There is an inch of space between us, but it feels like a gaping cavern that I simultaneously want to close until it’s nonexistent and widen until I never see him again.

Wesley looks over his shoulder at Sebastian, then directs his attention to us, eyes shifting between Nolan and me. “Get out of here,” he says, sighing and shaking his head. “I don’t want to hear from you or see you until you’re in a better mood.”

Nolan doesn’t respond to Wesley or even acknowledge his alpha. He instead grabs my hand and walks in the direction of his house. “Let’s go.”

He takes me by surprise, dragging me several feet away from the sparring ring before I dig my heels into the ground and yank my hand from his grasp. “Excuse me?”

He whirls around, brows still furrowed, that ever-present scowl on his face. “We’re going home.”

“Says who?”

“Me.”

I shake my head and cross my arms. “You’re not in charge here.”

He inhales, his entire body expanding from that one breath, his lips pinching together as he storms back to my side. “I swear to the Goddess, Cassandra, I will not hesitate to throw you over my shoulder and carry you home.”

He hovers above me, his nose almost touching mine, and my knees shake, my arms loosening a hair. But I stand my ground. I’m not giving in to his demands. I’m done with the hot and cold and the mixed signals.

“Which is it? Cassandra or Daisy?”

He flinches back and blinks at me. “What?”

“Is it Cassandra or Daisy? You can’t seem to make up your mind. And I’m getting whiplash, if I’m being honest.”

His mouth snaps shut, and he stares down at me, breathing heavily, his eyes scanning my face. We stand like that for a long while, at the edge of the training field, neither of us caring what his friends are doing or if they’re watching or what they think. He rubs his hand over his hair and down the back of his neck, then he growls and ducks down, lifting me up and over his shoulder exactly like he threatened to do.

“Nolan!” I shriek as he heads towards his house. “Put me down!”

“I will. When we get home.”

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