Basically, I Hate You

FORTY-TWO

I expected that between the warriors dawdling in the living room after the meeting earlier and Lochland and Drue Wren would be intercepted way before he ever got within spitting distance of Kohl. Especially keeping in mind the high-tech security system that operates the elevators and the partially hidden staircase. But, what I didn't evaluate was how irate Wren would be after my revelation and how, when his anger was unequivocally in control, he was absolutely relentless. I'm unsure whether it was that, pure luck, or karma that caused them to cross paths in the pack house family room, but Wren rushed in to find Kohl already walking in, just exiting from the elevators.

I burst through the doors of the packhouse, hot on Wren's tail-with Rhett hot on mine-to find a scene I could never have truly predicted.

There, in the middle of the living room, a shirtless Wren was on top of Kohl absolutely pounding the shit out of him. All I could see from where I stood was Kohl's large figure, still in the white button down shirt and slacks I'd seen him in earlier, laid out beneath Wren as his fists came one after the other, diving into Kohl's face and torso in a cacophony of absolutely lethal force. Kohl could barely move or get a hit in before Wren's fists would pound into his face or body twice more. It was both thrilling and absolutely shocking to the core. I felt like for a moment time stood still and I couldn't breathe, see, hear or think. I had absolutely no clue what to do.

"Help, Wren." Aurora stated firmly, her words echoing loudly in my head.

Her tone left no room for discussion and before I knew I was running straight towards their rumbling bodies without a desire to think about the consequences, in fear that it would cause me to hesitate. Because, I couldn't wait. What Wren had just done could set into motion devastating events that could kill not only him but all of us from Montana who were now smack dab in the middle of Blood Moon's territory. Attacking their Alpha in broad daylight in front of the warriors and their leaders? I didn't need a 'Princess Lesson' to know that it was basically suicide.

"WREN! GET OFF OF HIM NOW!!!" I screamed when I was almost to where they were fighting on the floor, in the middle of the large room. With so much furniture and glass around I knew this fight needed to end sooner rather than later.

Still, my screams were for nothing because Wren didn't stop wailing on him. It had gotten to the point that I was worried that before the shock faded from the room and anyone could react, Kohl would already be dead. And my brother would've been the one to kill him. I had to consider Kohl's words for the first time ever as more than a sarcastic jibe or a hurtful sentiment. Was it possible that I really was a curse of some kind? Nature's reckoning for Kohl's murderous rampage? It felt too easy, as if it was just an out to take, instead of owning the fact that I had been spiraling since I'd gotten to Blood Moon and once again I'd place someone I loved squarely in harm's way.

Once I was standing right behind Wren I employed everything I'd learned from growing up with brothers grabbing him under his shoulders and yanking him backwards off of Kohl in one rough jerking motion. Without a second in between, I thrust him to the floor using the weight of his own body, discarding him in a heap beside my feet. I could remember my parents doing the same when my brothers would fight growing up. Although, I could never have pulled it off without Aurora's added strength and the toning that had happened since I'd turned eighteen.

"WHAT THE FUCK?" I shouted at Wren's heaving form as he began to right himself until he was sitting on the floor with his legs bent, trying to catch his breath.

The room was silent apart from Kohl's coughing and sputtering. I looked at him as he lay on the ground on his back, his white button down shirt was ripped in the front and hanging, exposing his chest as if it had been a pull away shirt not fully torn. Blood was spilling from his mouth heavily. As he wiped his nose and the blood that had dribbled down his chin as he coughed, I noticed that even Kohl's forearms bore witness to the beating he'd just endured at Wren's hands. I wasn't sure whether Wren had been able to beat him so badly because of the element of surprise, or because he was a stronger wolf than Kohl. Either way, it was shocking to see Wren act that way. Even though my mom and I had named his outbursts, none of them had ever been this bad.