His Trouble Maker

Chapter 98

GRAYSON

She doesn’t mean it.

That’s what I tell myself while her voice rips through me like claws through flesh. But that doesn’t make the words hurt any less.

You’re a coward.

She spit it at me like it was a truth she’d been sharpening for months, and maybe it was. Maybe she meant every syllable. Maybe I earned it.

I am a fucking coward when it comes to her. Maybe being Alpha isn’t enough if I can’t even keep her safe. Maybe I’m so stubborn–so godsdamn obsessed with wanting her in this lifetime–that I’ve ruined everything.

But what can I do?

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What the fuck can I do when I am so in love with her?

“Let me go!” she screamed it again, rage curdled into something half–broken, half–feral. I shoved the door open with my shoulder and kicked it closed behind us, one arm locked around her ribs, the other fending off the hits she didn’t even realize she was landing.

“You’re not going out there,” I growled, breath ragged, forehead pressed to hers for a second too long. “Not like this.”

Her hands shoved at my chest. “You don’t get to tell me what to do.”

“I do when you’re bleeding and ready to kill someone and you can’t fucking stand.”

“I’ll crawl.”

“You’ll fucking die.”

“I don’t care!”

That did it. I grabbed her by the shoulders and shoved her backward, her legs buckling as she hit the floor. I was on her in seconds, my hands pinning her arms down, my weight trapping her.

“You don’t fucking care?” ! spat, voice guttural, my breath harsh against her cheek. “You don’t fucking care if you die?”

She thrashed against me–hips jerking, teeth bared, trying to tear free–and I pressed harder, shoved my thigh between hers to trap her legs from kicking again.

“Yes!”

“Yes, I’d rather fucking die than stay here locked up like your broken little pet!”

She bucked again–hard–and I caught her with my body, my hand fisting in her hair, yanking her head back so I could see her, bare her throat, force her to face what she was saying.

“You don’t get to say that.” My voice broke low, sayage, ragged at the edges like I was choking on all the things I couldn’t fix. “You don’t get to look me in the eye and tell me death’s better than me.”

“I’ve almost killed Riot! We could’ve won and-

“And you could’ve died!” I roared, the sound/ripping out of me like it had claws. “You would’ve! You were seconds from bleeding out and you didn’t even

know it!”

“I didn’t care!” she screamed back, kicking at my thigh. “Do you know what he’s done to me?”

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Chapter 98

I froze.

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“Jessica-”

shoved me back with both hands, but I didn’t move. Couldn’t. Not with the

a sob, wild and strangled. “He locked the door. He laughed

My heart stopped.

fists curled, eyes rimmed in red like she’d

him to stop,” she whispered,

been so godsdamn furious she ran out and risked everything. But that? That wasn’t fury anymore. That was shame. That was horror. That was my spine turning to ice as her words wrapped around

and she

scared for the first

violently, like if she didn’t, she’d fall apart completely. “You don’t get

wasn’t–but I wasn’t there

whispered again, like she needed me to understand it wasn’t just

And then she dropped.

like she couldn’t find air, hair falling in her face. She clawed at

in front of her, palms out, chest cracking open. “Look at me. Please. Just look at

hands over her ears, rocking. “I should’ve killed him. I

reaching, grabbing her wrists too hard but I didn’t/care–she was unraveling and I couldn’t let her, “You didn’t do anything

did.”

jerked back, sobbing now, shaking like an earthquake had started in her bones. “I let him! I froze! I

Firm. Fingers spread across her jaw, holding her there, anchoring her. “You

finally met mine–and they were so red, so wet, like they’d been bleeding

yourself for staying alive,” I whispered, forehead falling to hers. “Don’t do that.

my throat burning with every apology I didn’t know how to say. My

hinges. I should’ve gutted him before he ever laid a finger on her. I should’ve smelled the fear on her skin, and heard her screaming through the stone.

But I didn’t.

her blame herself–watching her sob like she hated herself for surviving–was the

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Chapter 98

her pain a thousand times over just to stop the sound she made when she whispered, “I’m sorry. I’m sorry

I broke.

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Violently. From the inside

never supposed to be strong enough to survive that

supposed to have

fucking failed

let go and tucked her in the bed. It’s more painful to see her hating herself than hating

He’s reading some shit,

against the wall, hood up, cigarette glowing at the edge of his fingers.

drama?” he muttered without looking

snapped, jaw grinding. “You got another

over, took one look at me and tossed the cigarette pack without a word. I lit one with shaking fingers but never really put

Pierce, under the bleachers, both of us coughing our lungs out

seventeen and free.

again, arms crossed, watching me through the smoke. “Don’t tell me you don’t know how to smoke?” he

no one. “Do you

The shift was instant.

He fucking knew.

exactly,” he said carefully. “Enough to want the bastard dead. But not

I swallowed hard.

“You saved me first.”

answer right away. Just looked at me–really looked at me like he knew exactly

exhaled and pushed off the wall, dragging a hand through his hair. “Pierce wanted