Chapter 58

Phoenix

While I play pool with Jamie, who just so happened to be here tonight, Selene and Makayla go to the bathroom together, like girls usually do. I actually appreciate the system...it keeps both of them safe.

I lean over the table, aiming for a good angle on a purple striped ball, I suddenly feel a hot body press against me, ample breasts pushing against my back. One arm wrapped around my waist, her hand boldly slides down to give my crotch a firm squeeze.

I don't even need to look to know who it is—her scent gives her away immediately.

Kate. One of my previous fuck buddies.

"Hey, Phoenix, it's been a while," she whispers, her words slurred with drunkenness.

My entire body recoils at the unwanted touch, a surge of disgust washing over me. I turn around, shoving her away as gently as I can manage without hurting her.

"What the fuck are you doing?" I snap, glaring at her, my eyes burning with anger.

Kate twirls a strand of her unnaturally blonde hair, her tongue swiping seductively across her lips. "Don't be like that, baby. I know you miss this," she purrs.

"No, the hell I don't. Don't ever fucking touch me again, I'm not interested," I tell her, my voice dripping with disdain.

She might not know that I'm with Selene, but it has been at least six months since I messed around with her. Why the hell is she coming back around now?

Kate's face flushes, her expression darkening. "What's wrong with you?" she shouts, her voice loud enough to turn the heads of half the fucking club. "You'd rather fuck your sister than a real woman?"

Fury rushes through my veins, and I see red. I clench my fists so hard, I feel the pool stick splinter in my grip. "Get fucking lost, Kate. Before you get banned from here," I growl, feeling my wolf stir inside me dangerously from the insult.

No one speaks about Selene like that.

"You can't just throw me away like this, Phoenix. I won't let you!" Kate screams, her voice shrill and desperate.

I just stare at her, wondering if she's also doing drugs. What the hell is going on?

One of my security guards step in to drag her out, but I'm not paying any attention to her. My eyes lock with Selene's across the room. Her eyes are filled with unshed tears, her cheeks colored with embarrassment. She quickly looks down, averting my gaze, but I can feel the storm of emotions whirling inside her through our bond—rage, pain, betrayal.

Fuck.

Makayla and Sam appear at her side, frowning as they lead her away. Loki follows closely behind them, his expression unreadable as always, doing his job as their protector.

"Selene," I start to call out, wanting to follow her, to explain, but Jamie grabs my arm. I snap my head in his direction, a snarl of protest rumbling in my chest.

I need to comfort her. I need to make this right.

I don't know what she thinks she saw, but she's probably got the wrong idea. I would never cheat on her, I would never purposely hurt her. Kate is nothing to me—she was never anything but a meaningless fuck.

"She has her friends, she'll be okay," Jamie says, his voice firm. "And you really need to calm down before you end up shifting."

I can feel it, the animal inside me clawing at the surface, threatening to break free. My entire body vibrates with fury, my muscles tensing painfully like I'm a volcano about to blow.

Fuck Kate.

"Sit down man," Jamie continues, his voice cutting through the fog clouding my mind.

Knowing that he's right, I watch helplessly as Selene leaves the club with her friends. I collapse in a chair, burying my face in my hands, the weight of everything crashing down on me at once.

At this point, I'm starting to wonder if we're fucking cursed or something. Why does something bad happen every damn five minutes?

Luke approaches me, putting a comforting hand on my shoulder. "Are you okay?" he asks, his voice soft with concern. When I glance up, his expression mirrors the worry in his tone.

"No," I grit out, the word heavy with frustration. "Who knows what's going through her head right now. I don't even know what the fuck that was."

Did somebody pay Kate to come in here and do that? All I know is that she will be banned, and I never want to see her fucking face again.

I know I have to both Selene and me some time to calm down before I try talking to her. As long as Loki is with them, I know she'll be safe. Now emotionally? She's no way okay right now. I can tell she's put back up her mental block so I can't feel her emotions, but I put mine up so she can think clearly.

I just hope she can forgive me for this. I'll promise to do whatever to earn her forgiveness.

Again.

Luke suddenly stiffens beside me, his unease almost palpable. "Wait, how did she know Selene is your sister?"

The question hangs in the air, a cold realization settling in. How the hell did Kate know that? She isn't from my pack, and unless she did some kind of research or asked around, she shouldn't know about Selene.

Kate stopped coming here after I broke things off with her, and that was before I met my stepsister. Has she been stalking me? Or someone has to be running their fucking mouths.

I feel a new wave of anger rising inside me, but this time it's laced with something different—fear. Not for myself, but for Selene. For us.

Someone is targeting us, trying to tear us apart from the inside out. And that's a threat I can't ignore.

It looks like I may need to pay Kate a little visit later. Find out who told me, and show them the full extent of my wrath.