Chapter 14 - Jack

Bars are supposed to be a place to unwind, to drown out the noise of the day with a couple of beers and the mindless chatter of strangers. But as I push through the door of Lucky’s, the atmosphere doesn’t do a damn thing to quiet the frustration simmering inside me. I shouldn’t have left the house like I did—storming out without saying a word to Sonya, leaving things between us more tangled than ever. But right now, I need space, and I need a drink.

Reiner claps me on the shoulder and steers me toward a corner booth where it’s quieter. “Hey, man, relax. You’re wound up tighter than I’ve ever seen you.”

“Yeah, well, it’s been one of those weeks,” I mutter, sliding into the booth. I drum my fingers on the sticky tabletop, trying to shake off the lingering tension from the argument with Sonya. Everything about it feels wrong—how I left her standing there, the way she looked at me like I was breaking her heart, and the fact that I’m the one who put that look on her face.

Reiner flags down the waitress and orders us a couple of beers. I’m grateful for the distraction, something to focus on other than the mess I left behind. But as I lean back in my seat, trying to find a comfortable position, my eyes land on Tanner at the bar. Of course. Of all the nights, he’s here, too, sitting there like he owns the damn place. Normally, I’d be hanging out right there with him, but tonight, I have no interest in so much as speaking to him. Not after that shit he pulled with Sonya.

Reiner follows my gaze and lets out a low whistle. “Think it’s worth it?” he asks, raising an eyebrow.

I shrug, trying to play it off. “I’m not looking for trouble. Just want to forget about today, you know?”

Reiner nods, though there’s a skeptical glint in his eye. “Right. And Tanner’s not gonna be a problem?”

I grit my teeth, resisting the urge to glare in Tanner’s direction. “Not unless he makes it one.”

But as if the universe has a twisted sense of humor, Tanner spots us and makes his way over. His grin is as smug as ever. “Well, if it isn’t Jack Thomas,” he drawls, leaning against the booth like he’s already forgotten the shitstorm he stirred up earlier. “Not at home playing house with the nanny tonight?”

“Not now, Tanner,” I warn, keeping my voice level. “I’m not in the mood.”

Tanner’s grin only widens, like he’s thrilled to have gotten a rise out of me. “Oh, come on. You know I was just messing with you back there. No harm, no foul, right?”

“Depends on your definition of harm,” I shoot back, my patience thinning with every word he says.

Reiner clears his throat. “Hey, Tanner, we’re just here for a drink. No need to stir the pot.”

Tanner waves him off. “Relax, Reiner. I’m just saying, no one really believes Jack’s gonna sleep with Sonya. I mean, come on. You wouldn’t even touch her if she were naked in front of you, right? Hell, I doubt anyone would.”

For a split second, everything goes quiet in my head. I don’t hear the music or the chatter of the bar. All I can hear is Tanner’s voice, the disgust in his tone as he dismisses Sonya like she’s nothing. Like she’s less than nothing.

Before I know it, I’m on my feet. The table jerks to the side as I shove it away, and Reiner’s voice is a distant blur in my ears. Tanner’s still smirking, and it’s that smirk that sends me over the edge. I lunge, grabbing him by the collar and slamming him against the bar. Glasses clatter and shatter around us, and Tanner’s surprise is quickly replaced by anger as he shoves back.

“Jack, stop!” Reiner’s voice cuts through the haze, but I’m too far gone to listen.

Tanner tries to swing at me, but I’m faster. My fist connects with his jaw, and the impact reverberates up my arm, sending a flash of pain through my knuckles that only fuels the fire burning in my chest.

Tanner staggers back, clutching his jaw, but the satisfaction of the hit is short-lived. He comes at me again, and suddenly, we’re both throwing hands, each of us too stubborn to back down.

I barely register the shouts of the bartender or the fact that half the bar is watching. All I can think about is Tanner’s sneer and the way he talked about Sonya like she wasn’t worth a damn.

Reiner’s pulling at my arm, trying to wedge himself between us, but Tanner’s still swinging, still talking, still pushing every button he can find. I land another punch, this one to his gut, and he doubles over, gasping for breath.

“Jack, enough!” Reiner’s voice finally breaks through, and I feel his grip tighten as he drags me back. “You’re gonna get yourself arrested, man. This isn’t worth it.”

I’m breathing hard, my vision still clouded with rage, but Reiner’s words start to sink in. The bar is a mess, and Tanner’s slumped against the bar, wiping at the blood on his lip with a look that tells me this isn’t over. The bartender’s yelling about calling the cops, and Reiner’s pulling me toward the door.

“Let’s go,” Reiner orders. “Now.”

I let him pull me outside, and the cool night air hits my face like a slap. My knuckles are throbbing, and there’s a coppery taste in my mouth that might be my own blood, but I don’t care. All I can think about is Tanner’s words, the way he looked at me like I was just as worthless as he claimed Sonya was.

Reiner stops a few steps away from the bar, letting go of my arm as he turns to face me. “What the hell was that?” he demands. “You can’t just go around throwing punches like that, Jack. Tanner’s an ass, but you gotta keep it together.”

I press a hand to my forehead, trying to make sense of the anger still boiling under my skin. “He deserved it.”

“Maybe, but you’re better than this. Don’t let him drag you down to his level.”

I nod, though it feels more like a reflex than a conscious decision. My mind’s still spinning, still caught in the whirlwind of everything that went down. Tanner’s words, Sonya’s hurt expression, the way everything seems to be slipping out of my control.

Reiner claps me on the shoulder, his touch a grounding force in the chaos of my thoughts. “Let’s just get you home,” he says quietly. “Figure the rest out later.”

I nod again, and my gaze drifts back to the bar where Tanner’s still inside, licking his wounds. This isn’t over, not by a long shot. But for now, all I can do is follow Reiner to the car, trying to hold onto the frayed edges of my temper as I replay Tanner’s words over and over in my head.

This fight was about more than just Tanner running his mouth. It was about standing up for Sonya, for every cruel, thoughtless word people have thrown her way. But as the adrenaline starts to fade, I’m left with the uneasy realization that no matter how many punches I throw, it’s not going to fix the mess I’ve made with her.

Reiner and I step up to the car, and I can still feel the anger still thrumming in my veins like a live wire. My knuckles ache, and there’s a dull throb in my jaw where Tanner managed to get a hit in, but none of that matters. What matters is the restless energy inside my body, the need to burn it off before it eats me alive.

Reiner catches my eye, and without a word, we both know what comes next. We head toward the tree line at the edge of the parking lot, stripping off our clothes and stashing them in the hollow of a familiar oak. We’ll come back for them and the car later. The shift is already clawing at my insides, the urge to let go of my human skin and give in to the animal that’s been pacing inside me since the bar.

I close my eyes and focus, letting the change come over me. It starts in my bones like a deep, twisting ache that spreads through every muscle, every tendon. My spine lengthens as vertebrae pop and realign with a crackle that’s both painful and liberating. Fur sprouts along my skin, dark and bristling, as my senses sharpen, pulling in the crisp scent of pine and earth. My hands curl as my fingers stretch into claws, and my vision sharpens to pick up every detail of the forest around me.

It’s like shedding a too-tight skin, like finally breaking free of all the constraints that have been holding me back. The wolf in me roars to life, eager and untamed, and when I open my eyes, the world is brighter, sharper, every detail crystal-clear.

Reiner’s already shifted beside me, his wolf form blending into the shadows of the trees. He gives a low growl that’s almost a challenge. Without waiting, I lunge forward, and my paws hit the ground with a thud that vibrates up through my legs. The forest blurs around us as we run, and the wind slices through my fur and carries away the last vestiges of anger clinging to my human thoughts.

The ground is soft and forgiving under my paws, leaves crunching and twigs snapping in a rhythm that matches the pounding of my heart. Every stride is a release, a way to purge the tension that’s been building since I left the house. The forest welcomes me, the cool air filling my lungs as I push harder, faster, until all I am is motion and instinct.

Reiner keeps pace beside me, a steady presence in the periphery of my vision, and for a while, we’re just two wolves, two shapes moving through the dark, letting the run strip away everything that’s been weighing us down. There’s no Tanner, no Sonya, no tangled mess of feelings and regrets. Just the simple, primal joy of running, of feeling the earth beneath us and the sky above.

By the time we circle back to where we started, my mind is clearer and the adrenaline has faded into a dull hum that settles into my bones. We shift back, and I grab my clothes from the tree before I pull them on.

Reiner claps me on the shoulder once we’re dressed. “Feel better?”

“Yeah,” I grunt, though the tightness in my chest hasn’t entirely gone away. “Thanks.”

“Anytime, man. You know that.”

We get into the car and head back toward the house, but as we approach, I can feel the heaviness creeping back in. The glow from the windows spills out onto the lawn, but it feels like a barrier more than a beacon. Like the weight of everything I’ve been trying to outrun is waiting for me just inside those walls.

Reiner gives me a quick nod, sensing my hesitation. “Go on. I’m gonna head home. Call me if you need anything.”

I nod and watch him disappear into the night before I take a breath and push open the door. The house is quiet, thankfully. I just want to get to my room, to crash and maybe sleep off whatever this is that’s been going on with me since the fight, but as I turn toward the hallway, I see Sonya.

She’s sitting at the kitchen table, flipping through a magazine with a mug of tea in her hand. Her head snaps up when she hears me, and the concern in her eyes is immediate. “Jack, what happened?”

“It’s nothing,” I insist, waving it off as I try to edge past her, but she’s already on her feet, crossing the room with a frown.

“Your knuckles are bleeding,” she points out. Her voice is edged with something I can’t quite place—worry, maybe, or frustration. She reaches for my hand, and her fingers are gentle as they skim over the raw skin. Still, I have to bite back a wince at the sting.

“It’s just a scratch,” I mutter, but she’s not buying it. She pulls me toward the sink, flipping on the faucet and grabbing a washcloth from the counter.

“Sit,” she states, and it’s not a suggestion.

I slump into the chair, too tired to argue, and watch as she wets the cloth. She kneels in front of me, keeping her touch careful as she dabs at the dried blood on my knuckles. The cool water is a relief, but it’s the tenderness in her touch that makes my breath catch in my throat.

She’s so close, I can see the tiny flecks of gold in her soft grey eyes. The soft sound of water and the rustle of her movements are the only sounds in the room, but it feels like the most intimate thing in the world, like we’re sharing something neither of us knows how to name.

“You should be more careful,” she murmurs. “You’re gonna hurt yourself one of these days, and then what?”

I don’t know how to answer that, so I just watch her, the way her hair falls over her shoulder, the gentle curve of her neck. I reach out without thinking, brushing a stray lock of hair behind her ear. She freezes, her gaze snapping to mine.

The air between us shifts, charged and electric, and I can’t seem to look away. Her lips part, and for a second, I forget every reason this is a bad idea. I forget Tanner’s jabs, forget the fight, forget the way I promised myself I wouldn’t make things worse.

I lean in, just a fraction, and Sonya doesn’t pull back. Her breath hitches, and then her fingers tighten around mine, grounding me even as everything else feels like it’s spinning out of control.

“Jack…” she whispers, and this time, it’s the sound of my name on her lips that does it. That final push I didn’t know I needed.

I kiss her, and it’s like coming home. Her mouth is soft and warm, and she tastes like peppermint tea and something sweeter, something that’s purely Sonya. She kisses me back, tentatively at first, then with a fierceness that makes my heart race. Her hands slide up to cup my face, pulling me closer, and I can’t get enough of her, can’t believe how right this feels when everything else has been so wrong.

For a moment, there’s nothing but us—the feel of her against me, the way her fingers tangle in my hair, the soft, breathless sounds she makes as I deepen the kiss. It’s perfect and terrifying all at once, and I’m so lost in her that I almost forget why this can’t happen.

Almost.

I pull back, resting my forehead against hers as I try to catch my breath. Her eyes are closed, her cheeks flushed, and when she opens them again, she looks at me like I’m the only thing keeping her tethered to this moment. It would be so easy to let this continue, to keep kissing her, to forget about all the reasons why I shouldn’t.

“What started the fight?” she asks, and it’s like a splash of cold water in my face.

I swallow hard. I don’t know how to tell her, don’t know how to explain why I reacted the way I did to Tanner’s taunts. And I sure as hell don’t want to admit that the fight was about proving him wrong.

I look away, and my hand slips from hers as the weight of what I have to say presses down on my chest. “Sonya…” I start, but the words stick in my throat. The truth feels too heavy, too sharp, and I don’t know if I can bear the way she’ll look at me when she knows.