a Primal Pursuit

thirty two

The male had the audacity to flinch, spinning to stare down at me with wide eyes. I bared my teeth at him, forcing myself before my sister. Taking a threatening step forward, I poked my finger at his chest.

"I said, what the fuck do you think you are doing?" I snarled.

Asra's eyes narrowed down at me, before flickering up to my sister when she whimpered. He crossed the line when he cornered my sister. If he so much as touched her, I would kill him myself.

I pushed his chest. "Hey! You leave her alone."

The beast growled, chest vibrating so vigorously that I could feel it vibrate my own. His dark eyes snapped toward mine, baring his teeth.

"Get out of the way."

"Never." I glared.

His hand wrapped around my biceps and went to move me. I grunted, digging my fingers into his arms as he shoved me aside. Stumbling, I fought to catch myself on the footboard of the bed. My eyes cast to Arabella when Asra turned to her, and when I saw the fur growing on his skin and the slanting of his ears, I knew I was not dealing with my Asra, but the wolf.

Taking a step forward, he was about to grab her when I stepped in front. His hand latched onto my shoulder, aiming for my sister's throat. I narrowed my eyes, shoving his hand away, and he grumbled.

"Move."

"No."

"I need to speak with her."

"No." I glared.

"Ailia..."

"Asra..." I taunted.

He growled. "Out of the way, you are not involved."

"Yes. I am." I snapped my teeth. "Arabella is my sister and my responsibility. She is my ward."

He grumbled. "She is a traitor."

"She is no such thing but a child!" I snapped.

I knew Arabella hated it when I referred to her as a child, but she was barely sixteen!

"She is a teenager! She is perfectly capable of being a spy." He snapped back.

I took a threatening step forward, unfazed by his beast. He may have scared me in the past, but that was then, and I would not budge from my spot. Until the beast within him realised this, I wasn't backing down until I had Asra back. Instincts or not, he was not playing fair.

"You need to sort yourself out, you fucking arsehole!" I sneered. "Calm the fuck down!"

"She needs to be interrogated!" He shouted.

"And scaring her shitless is how?" I growled. "You will get nowhere with that, Asra!"

"Putting people on edge makes them tell the truth."

"That is fucked up and you know it." I snapped. "Scaring somebody shitless is not the way to go."

"It is the only way that works."

"Is that what you did with Caleb? Huh?" I sneered. "Where is he now? Did you scare the shit out of him, too?"

His eyes narrowed, lips pulled down into a grimace as I took another step forward.

"Well, Alpha?"

"Step away from the girl."

"Why? What are you going to do?"

"Put her in the cells."

"How charming of you." I sarcastically spat. "The beast really has come to play. You take her, you take me."