Page 93 of Unforgivable

Thjis steps forward, the rumble in his chest growing to a steady growl. "He's one of them," he snarls.

I don't hear the gasps of astonishment that ring out in the bakery. I just see those eyes, leering at me from only feet away, calling me a whore without saying anything at all.

"Hi, Lyri," Todd smirks at me.

Thjis' reaction is so fast I barely register movement before Todd hits the floor, bleeding from the mouth.

"Don't you fucking speak to her, you piece of shit," Thjis growls.

Todd jumps to his feet, surging forward to attack Thjis, but Ezra is there to meet him with a sucker punch to the gut. It's two-on-one, with no help coming from Alpha Jax, who can't afford to take his attention away from Rhet.

Wolves come flying in. Who knows from where? We all seem to have a sixth sense of violence and a love for a good fistfight.

That's all this is. Everyone is keeping their claws sheathed. Just punches and some kicks, which, while painful, aren't a big deal in a wolf pack.

I step back as Rhet maneuvers me behind him. Avoiding the crush of wolves, six are now fighting, I end up behind a table. A few wolves are standing in front of me, making it difficult to see.

I try to climb up on a chair to see over the heads of the other wolves. I hate being so damn short. I put one foot up and start to rise when hands grab my waist and place me back on solid ground. I squeak at the contact, not wanting anyone's hands on me unless they're pre-approved family. I glance around frantically, but all I see are the backs of heads.

I creep closer. The sounds of snarling, gnashing, grunting wolves hitting each other, flesh against flesh, bone grinding against bone, make it clear that the fight isn't fizzling out yet.

I peek through a gap between two wolves. Four wolves are facing off. Thjis and Ezra, versus a couple of enforcers. Ezra is grinning madly, a black eye already forming. Thjis is grim, my Bear, with the two enforcers dodging blows that would fell a tree. They can't avoid them all, and by the moaning and groaning, I think they'll be feeling my Bear's fists for weeks.

Todd is nothing but a crumpled heap on the floor. No one can get too close to resuscitate him because his body lies between Rhet and Alpha Jax.

"Rhet?" I call out, nervous for the male who is facing down an alpha. They are two rocks in the stream, fighting all around them, but the alphas are locked into stillness. Canines flashing, claws held at their sides. Shoulders back, spines rigid, eyes flashing with wolves who give no quarter to each other.

"Stay there, Angel. You're still recovering."

The fight finally breaks off as soon as Rhet says that. He takes the first step back, not dropping his eyes but no longer posturing to the Alpha. Alpha Jax follows suit a heartbeat later, walking over and grabbing his coffee and pie without another word spoken.

Wolves drift away, some of them leaving the bakery altogether. I see an older male grab the bleeding, unconscious Todd, and haul him out of the door into the muddy mess outside.

Wolves are locked into a wall in front of me for another minute. Anne, and her mate, Greg. Their son, Hilt, is also milling around in my corner of the room.

When it's clear that the fighting is over, the wolves walk away without ever looking at me. I'm a ghost.

Alpha Jax sits at a table in the corner, facing outward with the wall at his back. He ignores Rhet, and Rhet ignores him. I feel like every eye is on us, but no one is staring at me when I look around.

"Four pies, Anne," Rhet asks her as if he wasn't just in the middle of a stand-off with an alpha.

"Make one cherry," Thjis wipes off some blood dripping down his chin from a cut on his lip.

Anne resumes her defeated posture. I blink at Rhet. He just started up this argument again, with Alpha Jax in the corner? Godde-, whoever, spare me from idiots.

"Here, Lyri," a little voice pulls my attention downward. "You can have mine. It's strawberry." Gina Howard gives me a gap-toothed grin. In her hands is a fresh-baked pie.

The bakery is quiet. I haven't moved a muscle in minutes, but slowly I force my frozen limbs to move. Reaching out slowly, I take the pie from Gina. Only when my fingers touch it, do I realize that I could be risking a six-year-old pup to Alpha Jax's wrath.

"No, Gina, thank you, but it's yours," I say softly. I pull my hands away from the pie. My words feel like they echo across the room.

"But I don't really like strawberry."

"Umm... I can't take it, sweetheart."

"You 'llergic? Olive's 'llergic. Her cheeks and lips swells up in a fish face," Gina says matter-of-factly.

I feel the ghost of a smile cross my face. "I'm just not hungry for pie."

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