Page 27 of Bad Moon Rising (Dark-Hunter 17)
CHAPTER EIGHT
Fang was nauseated as reality came crashing down and crushed him. His stupid fight had cost his sister the life of her mate and it would take her from them as soon as her litter was born.
How could he have been such an idiot?
"Fang, you can't blame yourself."
He heard Aimee's words, but he knew the truth. "They wouldn't have even known we were here had I not attacked them." For you. He didn't say that last bit out loud, but it burned in his mind like a fiery coal.
What have I done?
"Fang-"
He pushed her hand away. "Please go. Every time you get near me, something bad happens."
Aimee recoiled as if she'd been slapped. And those words stung as much as a physical blow. She tried to tell herself that it was his pain that made him lash out. But it didn't matter. It still hurt.
"I'll go, but if you need a-"
The look he turned on her was harsh, biting, and condemning. "I don't need shit from you or anyone else."
Her throat tightened instantly. Nodding, she took herself home, back to her bed where she sat stunned by his rejection. It shouldn't hurt at all.
So why did it? And it wasn't just a little ache. Her heart felt battered and stomped on.
He's just a stupid, angry wolf.
True, and she needed to put it behind her. She needed to put him behind her. There was nothing she could do for him. She needed to focus on her own future and finding herself a mate who was appropriate for her station. One her family would not only accept, but be proud to bring into their ranks. That was her duty to the ones she loved.
Tomorrow she'd find her a bear and there would be no more thoughts of Fang or any other wolf.
Fang felt like crap. He shouldn't have yelled at Aimee and he knew it. It wasn't her fault. He'd been the one to jump into the fray without thinking. Blaming her was pointless. It was his anger at himself that he couldn't really cope with. Blaming her was easier than blaming him.
But in the end, he knew the truth.
He was the sole reason Anya would die. His temper and need to fight had caused this. The wolf in him wanted vengeance over that. He wanted to bathe in the blood of his enemies. To wash away his anger and guilt with their deaths.
If only it were that easy.
But his human side knew that no amount of violence would undo what had been done. Anya would die and it would be all his fault for trying to save a bear he shouldn't even care about.
So why did he?
Unable to cope with it all, he returned to his wolf form to lie on the damp ground while thoughts chased themselves through his head.
In the end, he kept coming back to a single reality-how could one chance meeting with one person on a crappy afternoon alter his life so much? How was it possible that a bear had somehow wormed her way into his heart and have ruined his entire life?
* * *
Eli walked the floor of his dark, immaculate study as he imagined skinning his own son. Yes, the boy was still young, but how could he be so imbecilic? So reckless . . .
Now the Katagaria wolves knew they knew of their existence and they'd be hunting for them. The element of surprise had been lost.
Damn you, Stone.
"You summoned me?"
Eli paused to find Varyk standing in front of his black wood ro-coco desk, watching him. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end. That man had the creepiest ability to travel completely undetected. He'd never seen anyone more accomplished at hiding their scent or presence.
"We have another mess."
Varyk took the news with complete stoicism. Then again, he took everything that way. "Stone?"
Eli winced. "Of course." There was no need to deny what Varyk could easily verify. "Stone's tessera went after a Katagaria patrol and slaughtered some of their members. I'm sure they're now gunning for us."
