Chapter 0453


    Julian and I stayed out in the woods until just before dawn, when we finally made our way back toward


    the pce. Just as we broke the tree lines and came into the field on the outside of the gardens, Julian


    stilled. I stopped beside him and looked at him curiously.


    His gaze seemed to be fixed on something, so I followed the length of it to see Nichs walking toward


    us. His hands were curled into fists. His shoulders were straight, tense. His jaw was locked and his


    mouth a hard line. His golden eyes were burning with anger, visible even in the dim light.


    Sp


    Mark followed along behind Nichs, speaking to him but not touching him. Nichs didn’t


    acknowledge Mark at all.


    “Julian…” I said, half in warning, half because I wasn’t sure what else to say.


    “It will be fine,” Julian said. His gaze was fixed on his brother. His own body was beginning to tense.


    We’d been up all night. He must have been exhausted. But you would have never guessed it looking at


    him like this. His focus was intense.


    As Nichs approached, I saw the rage in him. His muscles were flexing wildly, visible even though his


    tight button–up shirt and cks. He looked to be on the verge of shifting.


    “Nick,” I began. His gaze slid to me for only a moment, yet in that moment, I could feel the heat of his


    anger. It didn’t feel like it was directed at me, however. Instead, as he looked again at Julian, that anger


    emerged as a deep, guttural growl.


    “How dare you,” Nichs growled.


    “What do you care if Piper and I were out all night?” Julian scoffed. “I heard you spent the night with


    someone on your own.”


    Nichs growl amplified. “You defiled Piper.”


    “Oh? Did I?” Julian smirked. It was sharp.


    “Nick,” I said again, more forcefully. I wasn’t defiled. We only looked at the stars.


    “Stay out of this, Piper,” Julian said, stopping me from exining. “My brother and I are


    due for a chat.” To Nichs, he said, “On with it then.”


    “Step back, Piper,” Nichs said.


    “But –”


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    “Do what he says, Piper,” Julian added in. He nced at me. “It’s alright.”


    “No, I refuse to stand by and let you two fight over –”


    Suddenly, Mark was in front of me. He slowly ushered me back away from the two brothers.


    I grabbed his arm to try to get him out of the way, but the man was an immoveable wall. Even with my


    new werewolf strength, Mark wouldn’t budge.


    “They wouldn’t want you hurt,” he said.


    “But it’s okay for them?” I asked.


    He didn’t get to answer because, behind him, Nichs shifted and pounced at Julian. Julian shifted just


    in time to meet him, and they met each other with fur and ws and teeth.


    “No!” I called and tried to lunge forward.


    Mark grabbed me around the waist to yank me back.


    “Getting between two enraged werewolves is a terrible idea, Piper,” he said. “Just let them sort it out.”


    “Like this?”


    “It’s the only way,” Mark said.


    That made very little sense to me. If Julian had just told Nichs that nothing had happened between


    him and me, then… well, Nichs probably wouldn’t believe him. Even if I said it, Nichs wouldn’t


    believe it. He was too far gone to his jealousy.


    But right did he have to be jealous, anyway?


    He had been with Bridgetst night, and though I doubted they had sex, they would someday if she


    was to be his Luna.


    A tightness wrapped around my stomach and squeezed. I tried to ignore it.


    “Why would Nichs think Julian and I had sex anyway?” I asked Mark.


    Mark gave me a t look. “You were out all night, which made Nichs worry. But then when you


    returned, you reek of Julian.”


    I still struggled to understand. Even if I smelled like Julian, Nichs usually approached these things


    with either calmness or passionate kisses.


    “I’ve never seen him jump into a fight,” I said.


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    Before us, Nichs and Julian toppled over each other, then they back off to circle around. Their strong


    wolves healed quickly, so even the ugliest of wounds didn’tst. It still hurt my heart to see blood drawn


    on either of them.


    “Nichs has been pushed to the brink the past few days,” Mark said. “His calm fa?ade is finally


    starting to crack. Even he can only take so much. I also suspect that –”


    “Nichs!” Bridget called from the gardens. Despite her loud shout, she seemed rather calm for the


    werewolf fight she walked into. She carried a cup of tea and a saucer as she casually made her way


    toward me. “Are those two fighting again?”


    Obviously. But, “Again?” I asked.


    Bridget shrugged. “They used to do this all the time when we were younger. Sibling rivalry, you know?


    Fighting helps them get it out of their system.”


    She sipped from her tea.


    I looked at Mark, urging him to continue what he was saying, but with Bridget’s presence now, he


    closed his mouth and did not open it again. I wondered if what he was going to say had anything to do


    with Bridget herself.


    It seemed likely.


    “Piper,” Bridget said, reiming my attention. “You know how protective Nichs is of


    those he cares about.”


    “I do,” I said.


    “Then you knew how your disappearance would affect him,” Bridget said. She lifted her tea cup to her


    lips but did not drink from it. “That’s in very poor taste, Piper.”


    Was I… being lectured by Bridget? What kind of bizarre world was this?


    And how did either of them even know I was missing? Last I saw either of them, they were in


    Nichs’s room together, and Nichs had told me to leave. Dawn was only just now cresting over the


    trees, so they wouldn’t have noticed my absence at breakfast yet.


    The only exnation was that if Nichs came to my room to check on me. But that seemed too far–


    fetched. After his cool dismissal, I couldn’t imagine him making his way to my room. Perhaps he sent


    an apology letter through a messenger? But then, where was the message?


    I shook my head. This was all too much, and I could barely focus as the fight continued to unfold in


    front of me.


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    Julian snapped at Nichs’s throat, but Nichs jumped out of the way at thest moment. Nichs


    was a bigger wolf, likely stronger too, but Julian was faster, leaner, with nock of his own strength.


    They were both strong killing machines.


    “I need to correct this misunderstanding,” I said.


    Mark still had his arm out, physically blocking my path like he expected me to jump into the fray at any


    moment. He did not offer the same warning to Bridget, who continued to nonchntly sip her tea.


    “If


    you want my opinion,” Bridget began.


    .


    Truthfully, her opinion was the veryst thing that I cared to know, but I kept my mouth shut: Fighting


    with Bridget didn’t mean anything to me right now. My focus was primarily on Nichs


    Julian


    Until she said, “Since Nichs and I are together now, you should just leave Nichs alone.”


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