Page 37 of Destined Mate

“Weallneed to calm down.” Lucas moved between Theo and Bodey. “This shit isn’t helping anything.”

“Oh, I don’t know.” Jack snorted. “After a boring-ass morning, this was exactly what I needed. A little-dicked prick getting his ass beat.”

Bodey tensed again, and I squeezed his arm comfortingly, reminding him I was there. He took a step back toward me.

A gigantic form stepped up beside me, and I wasn’t surprised it was Miles. He was the quiet one, and I hadn’t heard him move. His attention was on me, a slight lift to his eyebrows.

“Little-dicked prick?” Theo rasped, his attention on Jack. “I’ll show you—” He lunged, but Bodey shoved him back.

“Oh, please do,” Jack taunted. “All of us would love to see the size of your balls.”

“Speak for yourself.” Lucas winced. “His balls are definitely not on any list of things I want to see.”

“You two idiots shut up,” Bodey snarled. “Now isn’t the time for this shit.”

Jack was ratcheting up the tension, which might have been the point. I tried to step around Bodey to get closer to Theo, but Bodey countered my move, keeping me slightly behind him.

Theo noticed. “If Callie wants to come to me, she can. There’s no need to prevent her from reaching me.”

“Fuck yeah, there is,” Bodey growled, his body quivering. “You’re irrational and volatile. If you don’t like something she says, you could attack her, just like you attackedme.”

Pearl frowned. Charles remained still as a statue, determined not to get involved.

“You don’t get to block me from my ownpack members,” Theo said, “And you don’t get to act like you’re better than me. In two weeks, I’ll have the same rank as you four.”

“Please. You may have the title, but you won’t be anything like us.” Bodey wrinkled his nose. “You’re too obsessed with your pack and your property instead of advocating for your people. You and your dad are pathetic.”

Miles flinched. “Bodey…”

Eyes glowing again, Theo bared his teeth. “We aren’t pathetic, and we’re all equals, so you better watch your mouth.”

“Man, you let your pack members and your alpha bully a girl you supposedly have feelings for. Then, when you finally decide you want to be a leader, you force them to come here to apologize when they don’t want to, putting a bigger target on her back. So either you’re clueless, or you’re vindictive. Either way, you’re an ass.” Jack shook his head. “Frankly, you need what my grandmother calls an ass whoopin’.”

Miles pinched the bridge of his nose but remained silent.

This confrontation was imploding, and it was all happening because I was here. I tried not to dwell on what-ifs, but it was damn hard in this instance.

Theo held out a finger, his hand shaking. “Me?Imade it worse? Do I appreciate you interfering and helping Callie? Yes. But you took it to a whole different level when you came to check on her the next morning. We were handling it.”

“Look, guys,please.” This time, I did step around Bodey, and I released him. “We’re repeating the same conversation. If you two would stop trying to piss each other off, my time here would go by much more quickly. The more I rest, the more my body can heal, and dealing with you isnotresting.” I turned to Theo and raised my hands. “I get it. You and Zeke don’t like that I’m here, but it’s done. Zeke was outvoted, so please let it go. I appreciate your attempt to get Charles and Pearl to apologize to me, but they don’t mean it. So just stop. You may be their future alpha, but that doesn’t mean you get to tell them how they should feel.”

Charles snorted, and Bodey glared at him.

“In two weeks—” Theo started.

“You’ll be the alpha,” Jack deadpanned. “Believe me. Weknow. You’ve told us multiple times since I’ve been standing here.” He glanced at me and asked, “Does he always repeat himself this way? Or is your pack so stupid that he has to constantly validate how strong he is?”

I often wondered the same thing. I was sick and tired of hearing about it, but I wondered if it was just me.

“You do realize you’ll have to show him respect in two weeks.” Pearl kept her gaze on the floor, despite lifting her chin. “When he is your equal.”

Leave it to her to side with Theo. She wanted to prove she was worthier than me, and for once, I hoped she did. Maybe she could take some of the attention away from me.

Bodey sneered. “Respect is earned, not given. Just because he’ll have the same title doesn’t mean we’ll have to treat him differently. But none of that matters, seeing as I was the one whohelpedyour sister. Out of anyone, you should be glad she’s here.”

“Adoptedsister.” She didn’t say anything more.

An awkward silence descended, and I wanted to run out of the room. Maybe if the source of the problem wasn’t here, everyone would calm the hell down.

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