Page 87 of Big Bad Bully
Except…I can’t. This is the Alpha King of Monaco. We’re in his territory.
This is another example of how much Aubrey disturbs my ability to function. Fuck.
Nickel notices my tension and signs the equivalent of “Easy, tiger.” I signal back, “Fuck off.” I’m not going to lose control of my wolf in the middle of a foreign country.
I smile at the king, showing my canines. “Our pack treats humans like equals. We share their world, after all. And I don’t know about other packs’ practices, but we don’t fuck our pets.” I hide my sneer, but I don’t need to. My derision comes through.
The king hears it loud and clear. His eyes flare amber–the same color as Brick’s–and then he gets his wolf under control. “You misunderstand me. I was merely curious why the alpha of such a strong pack would stoop to mating a weak human. He will dilute his bloodline. His pups will be duds.”
That’s it.
I know he’s just saying out loud what many older wolves in our own pack think. But this insult cannot stand.
“Our luna is not weak,” I say loud enough that everyone on the deck can hear me. “She provides strength to our pack.”
Luka’s lip curls, but he seems to realize he’s crossed a line. “I mean nothing by this, of course. I am just curious.”
“See that your curiosity doesn’t make you less courteous,” I say. His eyes flash–I’ve just given the king of this territory an order. On his own yacht, no less.
Nickel must sense danger because he heads our way to intercede. “Luka, I’m glad to meet you, at last. I believe our families are connected by marriage. Our cousins in Gibraltar?”
Luka ignores Nickel. His gaze locks on mine. I tense, expecting a challenge.
Instead, he laughs and downs his drink. “Indulge me one more curiosity. Your human?” He gestures towards Aubrey, who’s laughing and leaning into the wind on the upper deck. She lifts her braids away from her neck, and a fresh bloom of scent hits the breeze. “What does she provide? Other than a few holes to please you–”
I don’t think, I just act. The king usually stands with both feet planted, like a ship captain used to stormy seas. But he’s made the mistake of leaning back on the railing to point Aubrey out.
I drop and grab his leg then heave. He isn’t expecting an attack, certainly not one that involves me dropping to my knees in front of him. In a split second, I get him off balance, and gravity does the rest.
The king’s mouth opens wide, and then he falls backwards. Not to the lower deck–we’re on the lowest part of the ship.
No, he spills right over the edge. I watch in slow motion as he roars–the sound splits the night–and falls into the dark water with a splash.
What have I done?
I just threw the king of the Monaco pack over the side of his own boat.
His two bodyguards are already moving towards me, shouting. They’re going to grab me, lock me down.
I don’t let them. I feint and dodge and weave, getting behind them, and then use their own momentum against them. One of them trips, and I make myself the fulcrum to send him flying. The other slams into me. I twist, deflect, and kick him over the side, too.
Now there are three wolves in the water far below. Which is fine–I’m sure they all can swim. The king’s bodyguards can protect him from sharks.
I have bigger problems. There’s more bellowing above me, as the king’s pack rushes to get to this deck to take me out.
Someone sidles up beside me, and I almost drop kick him, when I realize it’s Nickel. He smells like gin, and his perfect polo shirt is soaked with the juniper-scented liquid. He’s breathing hard, and I realize he moved to trip one of my attackers. He’s taking his place to fight beside me.
A howl, and Jake lands on the deck beside me. He’s shirtless, his abs gleaming wet from the pool. His eyes are bright, his wolf’s come out to play. He skids to my side, opposite Nickel. I signal for them to fall into a rugby formation, facing the King’s enraged wolves.
“The humans,” I mutter. I glance up, but I can’t see Aubrey or Madi anymore.
“Brick’s on it. He, Sully, and Vance will get them to safety, if they have to commandeer a boat to do it.”
That makes me feel better. I’ve already fucked up, starting a fight with our hosts. I’ll have to explain to everyone later. “We better give them a distraction then.”
Jake whoops. His fangs flash with his grin. “Let’s kick some shifter ass.”
“So what really happened?” Brick demands. We’re in his penthouse suite, debriefing just the two of us. On the boat back from the super yacht, I explained to the group that Luka got drunk and rude, and things escalated to a brawl. Fortunately, everyone was flush with adrenaline and still in a party mood. Aubrey and Madi started singing, “You’re so vain” again, and Jake and Vance even joined in. Our escape from the super yacht was just another bit of fun.
