“You will stay away from her,” I growled, my voice more wolf than man. That any of the words could be actually discerned was something of a miracle.

    Chase looked up at me with his own anger, but it was somewhat diminished now, just like his cockiness.

    How could he remain confident when he was on the ground after one punch, and I was unharmed?

    “Julian!” Olivia called and rushed over to me. “What’s going on? Are you alright?” She must have heard themotion. We were drawing something of a crowd, with some of the other guests looking out the window.

    I didn’t think we had been speaking all that loudly, but perhaps they had felt my menace. When an Alpha felt anger as intense as mine had been, I emitted something of an aura. It was useful on the battlefield, sharing my rage with others. In more civilian settings, it could be somewhat troublesome.

    Like now, drawing all this attention.

    Olivia reached for my arm, but I shucked her away. Turning, I started toward the hotel itself, leaving Chase behind.

    “Julian!” Olivia said again, following along behind me. “Julian, we should talk about this.”

    “There’s nothing to say,” I said as I reached my door. I undid the lock, ready to storm inside. I hadn’t anticipated Olivia would snake her way in before me. When she reached the bed, she turned and gave me a

    serious look.

    “This wasn’t like you, and I’m worried,” she said.

    “I don’t want to talk about this,” I insisted, though still I stepped inside. I’d already given the other hotel guests too much of a show. This one, at least, could be held privately.

    “It’s Amber,” Olivia said. “It has to be. Julian, when will you see that she’s caused you much more trouble

    than she’s worth?”

    I stopped just inside the open door and moved to the side.

    “Get out,” I said, my anger refueling.

    “But Julian –”

    “Out!” I snapped, with my full Alpha dominance behind the word.

    She froze, startled, but then started moving,pelled to obey my harshmand.

    I hated using that influence, but if she stayed, my rage would only grow. I needed to be alone to deal with myself.

    When she stepped through the door, I closed it behind her, locking myself away.

    Amber’s POV

    After Julian canceled our dinner, I decided that I was focusing too much on him and not enough on Alice or my work.

    So I worked hard in the morning, so much so that I didn’t realize it was time for Chase’s appointment until I was already five minuteste and Ca tracked me down.

    “Sorry,” I said, stepping into the examination room where Chase waited. Then I looked at him. And I froze.

    He had an ugly bruise at the corner of his right eye and cheekbone. The white of his right eye was mostly red.

    “What happened?” I asked,ing closer. Immediately, I went to the cab and grabbed the supplies I

    would need to treat such a wound.

    “Oh, this?” heughed, until he lifted his fingers to the edge of the bruise. Touching it, he winced. “I rar into a fist.”

    “Someone hurt you?” I asked. Did he shower flirtations on the wrong person? Or was this something else. I tried to think of anyone I knew in this small town who might have done something like this to him. Even on their worst days, no one I knew here was quick to anger like this.

    This almost seemed like the work of a raging Alpha.

    At that thought, my stomach dropped.

    “Yeah,” Chase said, giving me somewhat of a sheepish smile. “Alpha Julian and I happened to meet in the parking lot of the hotelst night. He must have thought my face was too pretty, because he decided to punch me. Knocked me straight to the ground.”

    I tried to imagine Julian doing such a thing. “Why would he have done that?”

    “Oh, that’s simple,” Chase replied. “He saw me flirting with you yesterday.”