Chapter 13 - Leah

The bass from the music pulses through the floor, reverberating in my chest as I make my way through the crowd in search of Fisher. Everyone”s laughing, drinking, and celebrating the birthday of the town”s alpha. As far as parties go, it”s certainly not the type of affair I”d normally attend. It”s rowdy, loud, and definitely not the type of place I normally feel comfortable in. But tonight, I”m going to do my best to put aside my reservations and try to have fun.

The music pulses in my veins as I make my way through the crowd of people in the entryway. Everyone seems to be in a great mood, and I find myself smiling back at them, and not just out of courtesy. I”m starting to fit in here, and it”s a nice feeling.

As I weave through the crowd, I suddenly see my husband standing across the room, deep in conversation with another woman. She”s all up in his face, smiling, her lips pouting. I inch closer, my steps slow and deliberate, drawn like a moth to a flame. My eyes catch Fisher”s, but they”re not looking at me. They”re fixed on a woman I don”t recognize, her eyes sparkling with mischief.

”I mean it,” she insists, her voice dripping with suggestion. ”If you need to blow off some steam. It”s not natural for a man to go this long without getting laid. Especially a man as masculine as you are.”

She places her hand on his arm, and I feel a pang of jealousy deep in my gut. Fisher shifts slightly, his gaze dropping to her chest. I notice her blouse is cut low, giving a generous view of her cleavage.

”I”ll be fine,” he insists, pushing her hand away. ”But thank you.”

”Fisher, I”ve known you for years. I know you better than that. You”re not fine.”

I don”t hear anything else. A ringing starts in my ears as a flash of anger rips through my body. The blood rushes from my head. I want to scream at the top of my lungs. I want to tell her to take her hands off my man, but my body is frozen in place, my eyes glued to them.

She smells human, which means I could rip her to shreds. But I can”t seem to move, to do anything. I”m still staring at them as they continue their conversation. Jessa leans in, pressing herself against him, and I see him swallow hard. I can see the way his nostrils flare. I can see the way his pupils dilate.

Fisher wants her. He wants to fuck her. He”s already decided she”s going to be his next lay, and I”m standing here, doing nothing to stop it.

I”m tempted to march over there, to interrupt them, to claim what”s mine. But I stop myself. I don”t have the right. I pushed him away, kept him at arm”s length, and now I”m reaping what I”ve sown.

My chest feels tight as the jealousy bubbles up inside me. I feel like I”m going to be sick. I want to tell him he”s mine. I want to pull him away, to scream in his face and remind him we”re married. But I don”t have that right. My legs feel like they”re going to collapse from beneath me. I”m so afraid that I”m shaking like a leaf, and my heart is racing, pounding in my ears.

I need to make a decision. Do I confront him? Do I let him know how I feel? Or do I continue to keep my distance, let this thing fester, and do my best to pretend it didn”t happen?

For now, I choose to retreat. I step back, distancing myself from Fisher and the unknown woman, for my own sanity if nothing else. I turn away, desperate to put some distance between Fisher and me. My heels click against the hardwood floor as I navigate through the partygoers, aiming for the back door. The fresh air outside calls to me, promising a brief reprieve from the suffocating tension inside.

As I step onto the patio, the cool night air hits me, soothing the heat of my anger and jealousy. I make my way toward the roaring bonfire at the edge of the yard, where I find several pack members gathered around the flames. There”s a group of laughing men by the fire, but I stand off the side, feeling just as out of place as when I arrived here.

”Hey, Liz!” Holly, Ram”s wife, calls out, waving me over. She”s holding a tray filled with drinks, her face illuminated by the firelight. Her smile is warm and welcoming, a stark contrast to the turmoil I felt moments ago.

”Come join us by the fire!” another she-wolf from the pack chimes in.

”This is Tala,” Holly explains. ”She”s in our pack as well.”

Feeling a bit out of sorts but grateful for the distraction, I approach them. ”Hey, Holly. Hey, Tala,” I greet, forcing a smile onto my face.

”You look like you could use a drink,” Holly says, extending the tray toward me. ”What”ll it be? We”ve got some great options here.”

“You”re fantastic at reading the room.” I glance at the drinks on the tray, spotting a few familiar options. “I”ll take a glass of red wine, please.”

Holly pours a generous serving of red wine into a glass and hands it to me. ”Here you go. Enjoy!”

”Thanks, Holly.” I take a sip, savoring the rich flavor as it fills my mouth. The wine”s warmth spreads through me, helping to ease the tightness in my chest.

Tala nudges me playfully, her eyes twinkling with mischief. ”So, Liz, how are you enjoying the party so far? It”s quite the spectacle, isn”t it?”

I chuckle, feeling more at ease now. ”It”s definitely... lively. Not exactly my usual scene, but I”m trying to make the most of it.”

Holly laughs, her eyes crinkling at the corners. ”You”ll get used to it. These parties can be a lot, but they”re also a great way to bond with the pack.”

”Yeah?” I raise an eyebrow, intrigued. ”Any tips for surviving the night?”

Tala grins, leaning in conspiratorially. ”Accept the drinks, loosen up, and let go. It”s the only way to make it through these things.”

Holly nods, grinning as well. ”Trust us, it”s a lot easier when you just go with the flow.”

Taking their advice to heart, I let myself relax, allowing their infectious energy to wash over me. We chat and laugh, sharing stories and jokes, and before I know it, I find myself genuinely enjoying their company. The weight of the earlier confrontation with Fisher begins to lift, and as the evening goes on, I feel a warmth in my chest that I”ve never felt before. I can see why the people in this pack are so close-knit and why the bonds between them are so strong. It”s almost like I’ve known these two women all my life.

After a while, a familiar face approaches us from the edge of the bonfire”s glow. Justin, the guy who works at the shelter with me. He”s always been friendly but quiet, keeping to himself a lot. He has a commanding, almost intimidating presence about him, but I guess that”s what makes him such a good dog trainer. I have noticed that he tends to joke around when he gets nervous, which I”ll admit is kind of cute.

He offers me a shy smile. ”Hey, Liz! Didn”t expect to see you here,” he says, sitting down beside me on the log. His eyes dart to my wine glass. ”Is that my cue to grab a drink and join the party?”

”Hey, Justin! Fancy seeing you here, too.” I flash him a smile. ”Yes, Holly”s the drink fairy tonight. She”s got the good stuff.”

Justin laughs, taking Holly”s offer and grabbing a beer from her tray. ”You ladies mind if I crash your party here for a bit?”

”Of course not!” Holly exclaims. ”The more, the merrier!”

”You two seem like you”re having a great time,” Justin remarks, glancing between Holly and Tala. ”I don”t think I”ve ever seen you smile like that before, Liz.”

”I don”t think I”ve ever really had the chance to talk to you, Justin,” I reply. “You know, just to get to know each other a little better. I”ve been so focused on my work at the shelter that I”ve barely taken the time to get to know the people I work with.”

”I”m an open book. Ask away.”

I give him a mischievous grin as I lean forward. ”You work with the tough cases, right? The dogs who have a hard time getting adopted?”

Justin”s eyes sparkle in the firelight as he nods. ”Yeah, I work with the dogs that are having the hardest time getting adopted. You know, those dogs who seem too stubborn or aggressive. They just need some love and a lot of training.”

”So, your mission is to train the untamable? That”s amazing. I can”t imagine what it must be like.”

He shrugs. ”It can be tough sometimes. But I think it”s rewarding in the end. Just seeing these dogs come out of their shells and learn to trust people... it”s so rewarding. I love it.”

”What made you decide to work with dogs, anyway? If you don”t mind me asking.”

He shrugs. ”It just kind of happened. I’ve always liked animals, especially dogs. When I went into the army, I sort of fell into the role. They needed behaviorists to train the military dogs, and it just... clicked. It felt right. So, here I am.” He pauses, grinning as he looks down at me. ”What about you? What brings you to this neck of the woods?”

”Oh, that”s a long story for another night.” I wave away his question with a laugh, sipping on my wine. ”I”m not going to bore you with that stuff tonight.”

”Come on, I want to hear it. I”m curious now.” He leans forward and places his hand on my knee. ”Come on, Liz, don”t be shy. What”s the big story?”

I glance at him out of the corner of my eye. I like the way he looks at me. The way he looks at my lips makes it obvious exactly what’s on his mind, and it isn”t the story he”s asking me to tell him.

“I”ll tell you what,” I say. “Why don”t we make a bet?”

He grins. ”A bet? What do you have in mind?”

I turn to face him, my legs crossed on the log, but before I can get another word out, a shadow falls over us. We both turn our heads toward the figure blocking the firelight. I see a pair of broad shoulders silhouetted against the bonfire, and I”d recognize that frame anywhere.

”Fisher?” I say.

Without a word, he grabs Justin by the arm, pulling him up from the log with a force that”s almost violent.

”Hey, Fisher, what”s the rush?” Justin protests, clearly taken aback.

Fisher doesn”t answer. Instead, he glares at Justin, his jaw clenched. I can see the tension in his muscles, the anger simmering just beneath the surface.

”Let go of me, man!” Justin snaps, attempting to free himself from Fisher”s grip. ”What”s your problem?”

But Fisher doesn”t let go. Instead, he shoves Justin, and before I can even process what”s happening, they”re exchanging blows. The sounds of flying fists, angry grunts, and sickening thuds of impact fill the air.

My heart leaps into my throat. ”Stop it!” I scream, rushing forward, trying to pull them apart. ”Both of you, stop it!”

Holly and Tala are on their feet in an instant, trying to intervene, but the two men are locked in a heated brawl. The fight escalates to a point I”ve never seen before. This isn”t a typical fight that happens on occasion between friends, especially male shifters. They”re trying to hurt each other, to bring the other to the ground, and there”s no mistaking it—it”s a fight to the death.