KENNA

I'm not the brightest person. My stupidity is too vast to hide behind my college graduation certificate. I mean, hey, I was idiotic enough to become the Alpha's friends with benefits.

As stupid as I may be, however, I know better than to jump in between these two brawling men. They have both shifted and their black fur is so identical that I can't make out who is who.

"Stop, please!" is all I can repeat.

Patrolmen and onlookers rush to the scene. They work as a group to separate the brothers.

When the dust settles, there are two wolves growling at each other, a few pack members are scratched up, and I'm stiff with shock.

Both brothers are bleeding. My hands ache with the need to give medical care. Who would I go to first, though? Kaden started the fight, but he's my alpha.

"Kaden." I take a step forward, breaking the silence that has replaced the dust.

He snaps back to his human form. Although he leaves his fur form, he is just as feral in flesh. His gaze is sharp like an incoming bullet. I've never seen so much passion in him— even in the midst of sex with me. This is a spirit of his that everyone should be wary of.

"Go, Kenna. Now."

I don't feel comfortable leaving just yet. He's profusely bleeding from his left thigh. It will take longer than usual to heal, and he'll be in exceptional pain in the meantime.

When he sees my resistance, he snarls, "That's a command!"

I know where to draw the line. This is no time to be petty or rebellious, because this is a critical situation that has little to do with me. Whatever happened has to be settled between the brothers. If Kaden doesn't want my medical services, I can't force them on him.

I pick up my belongings, including the soiled paperwork, and walk past my vigilant pack members. My mind runs laps. I can't fathom why Kaden attacked his flesh and blood.

Could he have been jealous?

It's an egocentric conclusion, but a reasonable one. Kaden runs on the fumes of instinct. If he wants me, competition won't be taken well. Alphas don't share, and although Black wasn't flirting with me, he's the strongest, most eligible male directly after Kaden.

I arrive at the clinic late. The nurses aren't happy about it, and I don't blame them. This is my second lateness this week. I make up for it by skipping lunch to get most of the work out of the way quickly.

I'm not feeling great. I'm running low on energy, and a headache is setting in from the drama of this morning.

"Come in," I greet when my third patient of the day knocks on my door.

I expected anyone but Kaden's surly face to appear. Even seeing the Moon Goddess wouldn't have surprised me as much.

Cautiously, I set my pen down and rise from my chair. My white lab coat feels sheer, as if I'm naked before his piercing gaze.

Kaden is fully dressed, but a large patch of blood stains his dark jeans.

"Let met take a look at that," I offer.

"I didn't come here to get treated." He closes the door behind him and steps closer. "I need to know what happened between you and my brother."

I exhale. I haven't even fully processed what happened, being too busy with work, but Kaden has arrived to demand answers.

"Actually, I was hoping to ask you that. Why did you attack him? Can I not talk to other men beside you?" I sit back down in my chair, already exhausted by a conversation that hasn't even unfolded.

"What are you saying?" he narrows his eyes and walks up to my desk, palming it. His shoulders have never looked so broad as he hovers above me. He's grand; like a dark cloud hovering in the sky, threatening to bring a storm.

He doesn't scare me. Like anyone else with eyes, I appreciate how majestic he is, but I'll never be afraid.

"Did you attack him because you were jealous?"

He looks at me with a straight face. "You are a sexual partner of mine, Kenna. You are not my Luna, and therefore not entitled to my jealousy."

There is conviction in his voice. I will admit that his dismissal is insulting. He's the one with the cut on his thigh, but I am the one that feels a sting.

"I attacked him because he was trespassing my territory. Sorry to disappoint, but it had nothing to do with you. I need to know what he told you for my ongoing investigation."

This is my chance to strike back. I see the opportunity, and cling to it like a weapon.

"He commented on the papers I was carrying."

"What papers?"

I sit straighter. "My pack transfer papers. I'm leaving."

There's a change in him. The veins in his arms become starker as he presses his palms deeper into my desk. He bristles, like thunder before the rain comes.

"I don't think so." He grits out, the words barely making it past his gritted teeth.

I raise an eyebrow. "I'm no prisoner. I have the right to travel freely, including past pack borders. You need a legitimate reason to deny my request, Alpha."

"Don't use that mocking tone on me. You can't just walk away from the clinic."

Of course I wouldn't walk away. I was going to stay until a suitable doctor was found to replace me.

I scoff. "That's not your true concern. You just don't want your human fleshlight to walk away."

"So that's what this is about."

"Yes!" I stand up. "Our relationship is warped. It's dangerous. I'm trying to be mature and walk away before the pack becomes impacted by us being distracted."

He flashes his teeth, his wolf surfacing. His possessive nature doesn't like that I'm trying to take something from him; even if it's me trying to reclaim myself. There is something poetic about us werewolves. We are not quite human, but not quite beast. The strongest among us— the alpha, is also the most volatile among us.

Instinct is king.

Kaden rushes around my desk, flushing our chests together. One hand grips my hip, the other tugs my hair to reveal my neck.

"Be careful!" I hiss.

"Of what?" he snarls back.

"Your thigh. You're going to worsen the injury if you don't stop the theatrics."

He tips my head to face him, pressing our foreheads together. He's hot to the touch. A weaker woman would have passed out over the steam that he radiates.

"You want me to sign the damn papers? Fine, Kenna. But you won't leave. Like it or not, you impossible woman, you care about me."

I'm robbed of movement and speech when he stamps his lips on mine. It's over just as it begins. He steps away and releases me. My step falters, but I don't fall.

"If you have it in you, send me the paperwork."

I wipe my mouth with the back of my arm and forearm, leaving a trail of saliva. It's such an unladylike gesture that it would put my mother in the ground.

"Fuck you, Kaden!"

This is what Kaden does to me. He makes me feral, erratic; so wild that I'm a step from madness.

How did we peacefully coexisted in this pack for years without clashing?

He slams the door behind him, and Chaney rushes in moments later.

"Kenna!" she gasps when she sees how unhinged I look. My hair is loose around my tense shoulders, and my eyes promise murder.

"Did you just curse the Alpha out? Are you crazy?"

I pick up the folder on the edge of my desk that contains my transfer papers, and I stomp past my friend to chase Kaden. He's about to exit. I can practically feel him under my palms, see the shock on his face when I—

All wind is knocked from my chest when I'm slammed against a wall.

"Chill, girl." Chaney hisses, her eyes wide with alert. "You're being crazy. Calm down before you get yourself into a world of trouble."

She's right. I know she is, but I'm not done with Kaden. Not yet.

I force myself to inhale and exhale until I'm relatively calm. Chaney releases me after a minute. When a technician walks by the hall and asks if everything's alright, Chaney lies about me not feeling well.

I look at the door again. Kaden is long gone, and the folder is crumpled in my fist.