Page 118 of Shadow City: Silver Wolf

"Are you fucking serious?" She dropped her hand and sneered. Unlike her dad, she didn’t have a good poker face—but maybe that would improve the longer she practiced. "She’s an outsider who screwed your best friend, and you want her instead of me?"

"He not only wants me…hechoseme." I was going to make this crystal clear. If I had to pee on Griffin’s leg, so be it. I pointed at the faint teeth-mark scar on my neck. "The decision has been made, and Killian has given his blessing, so why don’t you leave like Carter asked, and maybe don’t bother coming back."

Her mouth dropped open, and her breathing increased. "Tell me this is some kind of joke." She looked at Griffin. "This can’t be real."

"It is real, and you need to get it through your head that you and I will never be together." Griffin walked behind the counter and wrapped an arm around my waist. "I never wanted you, andyou knew it. The only reason I became your friend in the first place and tolerated your grand delusions was because of your father; I didn’t want tension between him and me. But I was being a coward."

"That’s not true." She huffed, not noticing the trickle of people entering the coffee shop now that we were open.

Carter groaned as if realizing that, once again, I was causing a scene. In a way, he should have been thankful. I’d bet that my employment here was helping business because people wanted to come by in case something else happened. I probably should get a raise.

"We kissed that one—" she started, and a low threatening growl escaped me.

The fact that his lips had been on hers rattled not only me, but my wolf as well.You kissed her?I didn’t have a right to be angry. The instance obviously occurred before we committed to each other—but the thought of his lips on anyone else’s made me see red.

She smirked, thrilled with my reaction.

"Don’t change the story," he snarled.It wasn’t like that, at all.His fingers dug into my waist a little as his anger increased. "You got me drunk and kissed me, trying to do more. Even in my drunken state, I pushed you off me."

"That’s not true." But the sulfuric smell of a lie wafted around us.

A few of the shifters who had walked in coughed at the rancid smell.

Her body stiffened, and she glanced over her shoulder, seeming to realize that we had an audience. She must have been so caught up in her anger that she hadn’t noticed when they’d entered.

"Look, it’s obvious that he’s never been into you." I was so tired of people not telling the truth; people needed to be direct.Like Rosemary. The angels had that right. It was something we shifters should embrace too. "Ever. It’s not my fault, even if you can’t see it that way."

"He’s confused." Luna spread her arms out. "That’s all. It makes better sense for him to be with me. I’m going to be part of the council in the future—taking over my father’s spot. I know how things work in the city. I decided to come to college to get the best education so I can be valuable in the future."

I’m going to follow your lead.Griffin waved his hand in front of his chest. "Maybe that’s all true. But you didn’t make those plans until I decided to come here."

Okay, he had laid it out there for her. Sugarcoating only got you so far.

"Griffin..." She stomped a foot, reminding me of a child. "Don’t do this. We’re good for each other."

"Listen, I’m not sure how much clearer I can make this for you." Surely if I ticked off everything on the list, the truth would finally click. Something had to work or Griffin and I might hurt her. And even though I didn’t like Dick, we had to be strategic—hurting his daughter was not part of a good strategy.

I lifted one finger. "He’s claimed me." With each point, I lifted another one. "I’ve moved in with him. He’s never been interested in you, and you’re coming off pretty pathetic right now."

"You’re such a bitch." She leaned across the counter, getting into my face. The corruption emanating from inside her seemed to darken to nearly the same shade as her father’s. "You will learn your place sooner or later."

"Or maybe you’ll be the one who actually figures it out." One of the first alpha lessons Dad had taught me was when I started elementary school. Another shifter there didn’t like me immediately; some boy who was the alpha heir of his father’s pack. He could sense my strong wolf, and because of our animalnature, he tried to assert his dominance. Dad told me that standing down from a bully, especially a supernatural one, only encouraged future mistreatment. I hadn’t believed Dad at first, but each day, the bullying grew worse until I finally made the boy submit to me. He didn’t return to school the next day.

This was the same situation—but instead of a boy, it was a girl vying for her sexist father’s approval. There was no telling how she’d grown up, and judging by the way Dick had acted at the house yesterday, he was probably the reason that Luna was so desperate to be with Griffin.

But Dick was never going to change, and she probably didn’t want to see that. Maybe at one time, I could have felt bad for her, but not now. Not anymore. She was old enough to make her own decisions, and her soul was darkening on her own accord.

"You don’t want to mess with me," she threatened, her face turning slightly red from her anger. "You have no clue what I’m capable of."

But that wasn’t true. I did. It wafted from her and slammed into me, making me feel gross. "And you don’t know anything about me. You may not like me—hell, the feeling is mutual—but I’m Griffin’s mate, and I’m not going anywhere." I leaned over, getting even more in her face; she had to realize that I would not be intimidated by her or anyone else.

"I want to add," Griffin rasped, "this is the last time you get a reprieve from talking to my mate like that. If you so much as look at her in a hateful manner, we’ll become enemies. I don’t give a flying fuck if Dick is your dad. Do I make myself clear?"

Her bottom lip quivered, and she stood up straight. "This isn’t over."

"Oh, but it is." I lifted my chin and laid my head on Griffin’s shoulder. We had presented a united front, and there wasn’t a damn thing she could do about it.

Her irises turned navy before she spun on her heel and marched past the growing line of people and out the door.

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