Pecan's pov
The moment Paul showed up, his commanding voice slicing through the chaos like a whip, my blood boiled hotter. His presence, his scent, the way his dark, assessing eyes zeroed in on me, it all made my wolf snarl with frustration. How dare he come here, looking every bit the Alpha he was, acting as though he cared about stopping this fight?
He didn't care. Not really.
And even if he did, what was the point? He wasn't mine. He was someone I earned, someone fate had promised to me and then cruelly taken away.
My grip on Stella's neck tightened instinctively, her gasping protests barely registering. I didn't care about her. Not her shrill voice. Not the claws she'd raked across my arm moments before. Not even the fact that Noah was just behind Paul, shouting my name and trying to make me stop.
All I could focus on was Paul.
"Pecan, let her go!" Paul's voice thundered, his Alpha tone cutting through my rage.
But I couldn't. My wolf had other ideas. She wanted to prove something, prove I wasn't weak, prove that I could fight, prove that Stella's pathetic little jabs meant nothing to me.
Or maybe it wasn't about Stella at all. Maybe it was about him. About Paul standing there, watching me as though he didn't know what to do with me, as though he was barely restraining himself from stepping closer.
"Pecan," he warned again, his voice lower this time, more personal.
Something in his tone made my grip falter, just slightly. But then Stella gasped, "You're pathetic. No wonder he doesn't want you."
A red haze clouded my vision.
With a feral growl, I pushed harder, squeezing Stella's neck until her eyes bulged. I barely heard the gasps of the crowd around us, barely felt Noah trying to pull me away. All I could think about was silencing her, proving her wrong, erasing the sting of her words.
"Enough!" Paul's hand shot out, gripping my arm with surprising force.
The contact jolted me like a lightning strike, sending a crackle of energy up my arm and straight to my core. My wolf froze, caught somewhere between fury and something far more dangerous. Heat.
"Let her go, now," he growled, his face inches from mine. His eyes burned with something I couldn't name, something that made my wolf whimper and my stomach churn.
For a moment, I didn't move. Couldn't.
But then Stella coughed violently, and the sound broke through my haze. I let her go, shoving her backward as if she were nothing more than an annoying insect. She stumbled into Noah's arms, gasping for air and glaring at me with tears in her eyes.
Paul's hand lingered on my arm, his grip firm but not painful. His touch was like fire, burning through the fabric of my sleeve and straight into my skin. I looked up at him, and for a brief, dangerous second, our eyes locked.
The air between us felt thick, heavy with tension and unspoken words. His jaw tightened, his nostrils flaring as if he were fighting some internal battle.
I was fighting one too. My wolf wanted to lean closer, to press against him, to take in more of his scent. But I forced her back, swallowing hard and stepping away from his touch.
"Are you insane?" Noah's voice cut through the silence, his frustration palpable.
I turned to see him glaring at me, his arm protectively around Stella. "What were you thinking, Pecan? You could've killed her!"
"She deserved it," I snapped, my voice cold and unyielding.
"Enough," Paul said sharply, his tone making both of us fall silent. "This ends now. Both of you..." He glanced between me and Stella, his expression hard. "...are to clean up the party area after the celebration. I don't want to hear another word about this fight. Am I clear?"
Stella whimpered something that sounded like agreement. I just nodded, avoiding Paul's gaze.
Without another word, he turned and walked away, his shoulders stiff, his movements tense. I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding, my body still buzzing from his touch.
Noah gave me one last glare before leading Stella away, leaving me alone in the hallway.
The cleanup was torture.
I avoided Stella as much as possible, keeping to the opposite side of the room as I helped Reia with the decorations and dishes. Reia, bless her heart, tried to lighten the mood with cheerful chatter, but I could barely focus on her words. My mind was elsewhere, replaying the fight, Paul's touch, the look in his eyes.
I hated how he made me feel. Hated the pull I felt toward him, the way my wolf responded to his presence as if he were the only thing that mattered.
"Pecan, could you grab another box of glasses from the storage room?" Reia asked, interrupting my thoughts.
"Sure," I muttered, grateful for the excuse to escape.
The storage room was dimly lit and cramped, filled with stacks of boxes and unused decorations. I found the box of glasses easily enough, but as I turned to leave, I froze.
Paul was standing in the doorway.
His expression was unreadable, his hands shoved into his pockets as he looked at me. The tension in the air was immediate, suffocating, and I felt my wolf stir restlessly.
"What do you want?" I asked, my voice sharper than I intended.
He didn't answer right away. Instead, he stepped closer, his eyes searching mine. "Are you okay?" he asked finally, his tone softer than I expected.
"Why do you care?" I shot back, lifting the box as if it were a shield between us.
His jaw tightened, and for a moment, I thought he might turn and leave. But he didn't. "Because you're my responsibility," he said quietly.
His words hit me like a punch to the gut. Responsibility. That's all I was to him. A duty. A burden.
"Well, I don't need your concern," I snapped, brushing past him and heading for the door.
But as I moved to pass, he caught my arm again, his touch sending that familiar jolt through me. I looked up at him, my breath catching at the intensity in his eyes.
"Pecan," he said, his voice low, almost pleading. "You can't keep doing this. You're better than this."
His words cut deeper than I expected, and for a moment, I didn't know how to respond. But then the anger bubbled up again, drowning out everything else.
"Maybe I'm not," I said bitterly, pulling my arm free. "And maybe you should stop pretending to care."
I didn't wait for his reply. I pushed past him and walked out, my heart pounding and my wolf growling in frustration.
I didn't care if I hurt him. Not anymore.
His hand shot out and held my arm firmly