Page 80 of Fragile Heart

Bile rises in my throat, and I lean as far away from him as I can. He tries to follow, but a hand is suddenly on his chest and pushing him away.

“You’ll get my goddamn fist in your face, Jake.”

The low baritone rolls through me, and the unease that had been quickly sinking into true fear eases. The man growls, a low, dangerous thing, and shoves Ethan back.

“Fuck off, Monroe. You’re just jealous she’s interested in my knot instead of yours.”

Monroe? He hasn’t been Monroe in years. Not since they registered with the Council and were given a pack name. Who the hell is this guy?

He shoves away Ethan’s hand and closes the distance between us, grabbing my elbow like he’s entitled to touch me. I try to pull away, but his grip tightens.

“Let. Go.” My voice shakes—with fury or nerves, I’m not quite sure.

“You should listen to her,” Ethan seethes. His body is hot behind mine, a wall of warmth that has my body thinking all kinds of things that are in direct opposition to this asshole stranger grabbing me.

The man tightens his grip again, hard enough I whine.

A long, awful moment stretches between the men, and then Ethan’s fist connects with the side of the guy’s face. He drops his hold on me, focusing on Ethan entirely. I don’t dare move.

I’ve heard of Alphas freaking out over an Omega. It’s one of the big dangers of an Omega dropping into heat in public. But have I ever seen it happen? No. Not beyond the awkward as hell dynamic that’s been developing between Ethan and Caleb.

Of course it’s me that it happens to. I’m sure this article will be just as awful as the last one.

I wrap my hand around where the jerk grabbed me. The points where his fingers dug in pulse with a new ache that means they’re probably bruising. And if Ethan’s this ready to punch someone, him seeing bruises won’t help anything.

There’s shouts from across the bar a second before movement surrounds me.

“Hey! Get them out of here!” Devynn’s voice cuts across the room.

“It was Brown, Dev! He started it.” I recognize the voice but can’t figure out who it belongs to.

A couple guys descend on them and pull them apart.

Ethan immediately drops the aggression, angling his stance to block me from the other Alpha’s view nearly entirely. The guyswho pulled him away drop their arms and back up a few steps, their gazes trained on the other man.

Calder Dean leans against the bar, his eyes locked on the other man, too, his lips pulled into a sneer. Devynn’s frowning.

“Get the fuck out of here, Jake,” a man says. “Before someone decides Miller needs to be called.”

John Miller is the police chief and one of Ethan’s father’s best friends.

The temperature in the room drops at the implied threat.

Jake’s nostrils flare, his jaw going white with the strength of his clenching it. Ethan’s growl starts, low in his chest.

“Jake,” Calder calls, warning clear. “You really want Pierce down here? Because he’s struck a deal with his brother.”

There’s enough undercurrents that not even I’m quite sure of them all. Pierce is Hudson, I’m pretty sure.

This one, though, seems to be enough to make the guy back down. He shoves out of the men’s holds and storms for the door, not looking back as he slams it behind him.

Chapter Thirty-Five

ETHAN

Idon’t move as the bar resettles around me, waiting until everyone slowly loses interest in the mess I just created. Fuck, I shouldn’t have punched him. Not Jake Brown. The asshole has a reputation for a reason—namely the brutal assault charge that got him put behind bars a couple years ago.

What the hell is he even doing here? Dad hadn’t mentioned he’d gotten out. Maybe the news hadn’t traveled through the Millers yet. Though John not knowing about someone getting out doesn’t sound quite right. He’s Chief of Police, and he’s damn good at his job. He keeps tabs on most of the people that might be coming up for parole.

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