Page 14 of Forbidden Love

“What the hell is going on?” Hunter’s voice cut through the tension as he strode up, Marcus right behind him. Their eyes swept over the scene, their expressions growing colder by the second.

“That’s what we’re trying to figure out,” Malcolm said, his frown deepening as he kept his hold on Nico. “But from what I gather, this piece of shit has been running his mouth about our women—and not in a respectful manner. Brock took offense.”

“Who exactly was he talking about?” Hunter’s voice was eerily calm, which, in Brock’s experience, was a bad fucking sign.

“So far, I’ve heard Deb and Emily’s names,” Malcolm said, his grip tightening.

“Actually…” Asher spoke up again, his tone flat, like he was dropping a grenade just to see what happened. “It’sallof your mates.”

Silence. Dead, seething silence.

Asher didn’t stop there. “The new guys made an ongoing bet,” he continued. “And Nico here? He’s got the best odds to fuck at leastoneof your mates...but he brags it will be more.”

For a split second, no one moved.

Then—

“You son of a bitch!” Nico lunged at Asher.

Asher didn’t back down, meeting him head-on, but the fight never landed where it was supposed to.

Hunter was the first to react, grabbing Nico and slamming him back against the building with a force that rattled the siding. Malcolm had Asher by the collar, yanking him out of the way to get to Nico himself.

With a mutteredfuck it,Brock jumped in, shoving between the chaos, his focus locked on breaking up what was quickly turning into a full-out shitshow. And judging by the growing crowd, they were running out of time before things got even worse.

Finally, everyone was pulled apart, though the tension still crackled like a live wire. Brock had managed to sneak in a solid shot on Nico and felt damn good about it—though, truth be told, he wanted a hell of a lot more than just one. His fists ached with the restraint it took not to finish what he started.

“You’re dead!” Nico spat blood onto the pavement, then turned, his eyes burning with fury as he pointed at Asher. “You aren’t innocent in this.”

Asher’s jaw tightened. “Dude, I’ve never once talked about any of these men’s mates,” he growled, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. “And I never would.”

“Maybe not,” Nico sneered, his bloody grin widening, “but what about that cute little girl with a kid? Afraid I would get to her first, so you threw us under the bus? You piece of shit.”

Brock frowned, his gut twisting. He hoped to fuck Nico wasn’t talking about who hethoughthe was talking about.

“You goanywherenear her, I’ll fucking kill you.” He lunged, but Dell was quicker, catching him before he could land a hit.

Nico let out a dark chuckle like he knew exactly how to get under their skin. Then he turned his attention to Brock, wiping the blood from his split lip with the back of his hand. “You think me talking about that bitch, Deb, is bad?” His voice dropped, taunting. “You should hear what I’ve got to say about yoursister.”

Everything inside Brock snapped. There was no thinking. No calculating. Just pure, unfiltered rage.

Before anyone could react, his fist collided with Nico’s face so hard it sent the bastard sprawling against the wall. The impact echoed through the street. Brock didn’t stop there. He grabbed Nico by the collar, yanked him up like he weighed nothing, andthrewhim into the middle of the road.

Nico hit the pavement with a force that sent gravel skidding in all directions.

Brock stalked forward, his voice low and deadly. “If Ieverhear you talk abouteithermy sister or Deb again, Iwillkill you.” And he fucking meant it.

Before Brock could land another hit, Dell and Garrett stepped in, blocking his path.

“That’s enough,” Garrett said, his voice low but firm, his eyes cutting past Brock to where Nico lay sprawled on the pavement. “Dell will handle it from here.”

Brock’s breathing was ragged, his fists still clenched so tightly that his knuckles, which were raw and bloody, cracked. Every muscle in his body remained coiled, ready to strike again, becausethiswasn’t over—not for him. Every instinct he had screamed to finish what he started, to make sure Nico never so much asthoughtabout his sister or Deb again.

And that was the real fucking problem, wasn’t it?

Nico hadn’ttouchedTammy—because if he had, Brock wouldn’t be standing here right now, trying to leash his rage. He’d already be dragging the bastard’s broken body out into the woods where no one would ever find him. But where Deb was concerned…

She wasn’t his Mate.

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