Page 82 of Wolf Targeted
“Obviously you do. You fell through that fucking stair.” He grips my biceps. “If she had been where she was supposed to be, you may not have been as badly injured.”
“Archer, don’t do this, please?” I ask, angry tears filling my eyes.
He’s going to take my only friend from me. What the hell am I going to do without Angela around?
“I have to. She failed us both. She disgraced herself and her pack when she left you alone.” Archer squeezes my arms and then turns back to the crowd.
Angela glances at me. She’s visibly shaking, but she’s not backing away from him. She’s taking every bit of abuse.
She doesn’t fucking deserve it. Rage burns in my chest. It was just a fucking accident. He doesn’t need to punish anyone over a damn accident.
“This pack has become too lax in following orders. We don’t have the option to be lax anymore.” Archer crosses his arms over his chest.
I scan the crowd, but no one will look at me. Patrick is hanging his head in shame. Will Archer punish him too?
He just needed Angela’s help with something. I don’t understand why anyone needs to be punished or treated this badly in front of the entire pack.
“It was a fucking accident,” I whisper.
Angela’s gaze meets mine, and a tear leaks from her eye and trails down her cheek. No one would have ever guessed that Archer would treat her like this.
How can he be so cruel to someone he’s known his entire life?
She isn’t just his beta but his best friend. His misguided way of trying to protect me is tearing this pack apart.
“Alex will now be the new beta of the pack. Angela is stripped of her title and banished from this pack and any protection we provide.”
“No,” I gasp. “Archer don’t.”
I lunge forward, but Alex catches me around the waist, and I cry out. Pain at the rough touch stabs in my gut.
A low rumble fills the silence as Archer stares at the spot Alex is holding.
“Shit, sorry.” Alex drops his hands to his sides. “But you have to stay out of this.”
Does he really think I’m going to listen to him on this? No fucking way. Archer is wrong.
“Archer, you can’t banish her.”
“If she can prove her loyalty without question, I will think about letting her come back.” Archer’s tone is hard and unyielding.
“She did nothing wrong. She was protecting the pack,” I argue.
“Alex, take Angela to pack her things,” Archer says and grabs my arm.
He drags me around the side of the house and slams my back into the wall.
“What are you doing, Jara?” Archer crowds me. “You’re not to talk back to me in front of the pack.”
“You’re wrong here, Alpha. She only left to protect the pack.” I glare at him.
“Those weren’t her orders. She failed at the only order I gave her, and you nearly paid the price with your life.”
“It was a freak accident that could have happened when she was here.” I shove at his chest.
What is he not understanding about this?
“It wasn’t a fucking accident, Jara.” He runs a hand over his face.
