“Cael, wait.” She grabbed his arm, her eyes pleading. “He’s my brother.”
“Yeah, and he put our lives in danger. Your life in danger.”
“He also saved me. You said you wouldn’t have known to come for me if it weren’t for Vesh.”
“Don’t ever forget he was a huge part of the reason you were with that bastard to begin with.”
The stern expression on her face stopped him from pulling away. “Don’t do that,” she said quietly. “Vesh might have given the alpha—his alpha—information about us all those years ago, but don’t think for one minute that he did it gladly. I know my brother. My choices were my own, and were as much for you as they were for him.”
“Isa,” Cael sighed, caressing her bottom lip with his thumb.
Her level head and quick forgiveness brought the wind out of his sails. But he also didn’t possess the same forgiving nature when it came to his wolves disobeying a direct order. Especially when the disobedience could have gotten her or their young hurt.
“Let me handle this, okay? Trust me.”
She gave a quick nod.
Vesh banged again. “I swear to fucking hell, if you don’t open this door, I’m going to tear it off the hinges.”
Cael stalked through the cabin and kicked the chair out of the way. In less than a second, he’d thrown the lock and swung the door wide.
Vesh took a breath to speak but before he could get a word out, Cael reared back and threw a punch. Stumbling backward, holding his jaw, Vesh muttered, “Son-of-a-bitch.”
Cael pounced on him, taking him all the way to the ground, and landing a hit to his gut at the same time. “It’s alpha to you, shithead.” He jumped back to his feet. “Get up.”
Vesh actually obeyed the command, but that was when Cael realized he was completely stark nude. It was too late though. The other wolf was furious. He swung right, but only grazed Cael’s chin since he anticipated the move.
“Is it?” Vesh roared. “Or is it brother-in-law now?”
Cael clenched his fist for another blow, but something in the field caught his attention. Before he could discern it, Vesh pounced. Cael rolled with him, straddling the wolf’s waist and laying into his snarling face with his fists.
From the corner of his eye, he saw Isabesh running over. “Cael,” she cried. She knew pack dynamics, as well as he did. He couldn’t stop now. He had to put her brother in check.
Grabbing Vesh’s throat, he squeezed just enough to make him see stars. “You are in deep fucking shit, Vesh. You disobeyed me. You disregarded my authority. But most importantly, and the reason I’m a hair’s breadth away from killing you, you put the mother of my young in danger.” He bent low to get in the prick’s face. “That’s un-fucking-forgivable.”
Vesh’s bulged eyes jerked to his sister. They were screaming with sadness. The depths of which Cael would likely never understand. The guy was so fucked up.
A tortured growl came from the field.
Cael rolled off Vesh and stood to guard Isabesh. Her hand landed squarely between his shoulder blades.
“I’m sorry,” Vesh croaked. “I knew you’d keep her safe. You’re the only one I’d ever trust with her.” He lumbered to a stand, rubbing his throat. “They distracted me, Farrow and Trager, and fucking Jax got away. But I was coming for him,” he rasped. “I was going to get to him before he found you.”
In the field, Cael could make out three people. Avan, Trager, and… Farrow. The younger wolf kicked viciously at a lump lying on the ground. He screamed obscenities. Dragged his hands through his hair, yanking with all his might. Trager was doubled over, hands on his knees, while Avan stood to the side with her arms crossed under her naked breasts.
She glanced at Cael, raising a single eyebrow. Isabesh’s nails curled into his back, and if the situation hadn’t been so pressing, he would’ve taken the time to acknowledge how her possessive side turned him on.
“What the hell is going on, Vesh?”
At his words, Farrow’s head snapped in his direction. Cael recognized the murderous glimmer in the man’s eyes as he charged toward him. But before Farrow could get very close, Avan’s hand snapped out, grabbing him by the throat, and he froze.
“Let go.”
“No,” she said calmly. “If you do this, you’ll die. Then who will find Gabby? Huh? Trager? He doesn’t have the balls to pull that off and you know it.”
“Shut the fuck up, Avan,” Vesh snapped.
She shrugged. “It worked didn’t it? He stopped his suicide mission. Damn, it’s like all I have to do in life is keep you guys from fucking things up or something.”