Page 65 of False Catch

Eli's between them before Gray can cock his fist back, wedging himself into the space and shoving Gray backwards with all his strength. Gray steps back up to him chest-to-chest, looking down his nose at him, but Eli doesn’t back down. It’s the closest thing to a challenge I’ve ever seen from one of the guys.

"Back off, Gray."

"Move, Stone."

"No."

That's when Gray sees it - the mark on Eli's neck. Not a claiming bite, but deep enough to bruise, to mark him as taken. Gray's eyes go even wider, looking between the three of them like he's seeing something impossible.

"What the fuck is happening here?"

"What's happening," Eli says, still pressed between him and Jackson, "is none of your goddamn business."

"None of my—" Gray's voice rises to a roar. "He claimed her! Without discussing it with the team, without thinking about the consequences, without—"

"Without your permission?" Jackson cuts in, his voice sharp. "Sorry, Captain. Didn't realize I needed your approval to follow my instincts."

Gray lunges forward again, but I catch his arm this time, using my size to hold him back. "Gray, stop."

"Stop? He just destroyed everything! Our season, our futures, everything we've worked for—"

"STOP!"

Reese's voice cracks through the kitchen like a whip. We all freeze, turning to look at her. She's standing now, hands clenched at her sides, and there's something different about her. Something that makes my Alpha brain sit up and pay attention despite everything.

"Just... stop," she says again, quieter but no less firm. "Please."

The front door opens, and I hear voices - Zane and Beckett coming back from wherever they were. They stop dead in the hallway, probably hit by the same scent bomb I walked into.

"What the—" Beckett starts.

"Holy shit," Zane breathes.

Cameron appears from the back deck where he's been smoking, drawn by the shouting. His eyes take in the scene - Gray still straining against my hold, Jackson pressed against the fridge with Eli shielding him, Reese standing there with a claiming bite visible on her neck.

"Well," Cameron says quietly. "This changes things."

"Changes things?" Gray wrenches free from my grip, spinning to face the room. "This destroys things! Do you have any idea what you've done?"

"What needed to happen," Jackson says simply.

"What needed—" Gray looks like he might actually have a stroke. "Torres is watching us. The administration is looking for any excuse to shut us down. And you just gave them the biggest violation possible!"

"It wasn't planned," Reese says softly. "It just... happened."

"Claiming bites don't just happen!" Gray roars. "They're a choice! A commitment! A—"

"Something you wanted to do yourself?" Jackson cuts in, and the room goes silent.

Gray's jaw clenches so hard I worry he'll crack teeth. "That's not—"

"Isn't it?" Jackson steps forward, Eli moving by his side like they're attached by invisible string. "You've been circling her since day one. We all have. The only difference is I actually did something about it."

"You did something selfish," Gray spits. "Something that affects all of us without—"

"Without committee approval?" Jackson laughs, but there's no humor in it. "Sorry I didn't fill out the proper paperwork before claiming the woman I—" He cuts himself off, jaw tightening.

"The woman you what?" Gray challenges.