Chapter 307 Book 2 ~ Chapter 72

Chapter 307 Book 2 ~ Chapter 72
Leo’s POV

The growl hits me like a punch to the chest, and every muscle in my body locks. Poppy stiffens beside me, and it takes every ounce of self-control to hold my wolf back.

Protect.

Defend.

I move without thinking, stepping directly in front of her. Jake pulls her against his side so quickly it would almost be impressive if I wasn’t busy trying to figure out why this idiot just growled at my mate.

Of course it’s the Mountain Ridge twins. The same twins who spent the entire journey back here asking suspicious questions and staring at me as if they were trying to solve a puzzle.

Alaric is fixated on Poppy as if the rest of us don’t exist. Not looking, staring, as if he’s possessed or obsessed. Like he’s… mate-struck.

“Who the fuck marked my mate!” he grows, his hands clenched at his sides and the veins in his neck bulging. 

A cold dread settles in my stomach. Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me.

“No.”

The word leaves my mouth before I can stop it.

Alaric blinks, and then his pale blue eyes shift to me. “What?”

“I said no.”

His eyebrows pull together.

“What do you mean, no?”

“I mean no.”

His expression somehow becomes even more confused, as if nobody has ever told him no before. Which only irritates me more.

Beside him, Bastian closes his eyes briefly. The look on his face says he’s already exhausted by whatever is about to happen. Unfortunately for him, it’s happening anyway.

“Leo…” Jake warns quietly.

Alaric points at me. “You don’t get to say no.”

“The hell I don’t,” I snap. “She’s my mate.”

Alaric may be an alpha, but he’s not my alpha, and Poppy is my mate. I’ll die protecting her if that’s what it takes to protect her. 

The growl that rumbles from his chest is answered immediately by my own.

Around us, pack members close in from every direction. Enforcers who should have kept the twins away, curious spectators drawn in by the noise, then Callen and Ryder, who didn’t think to warn me. 

Great, an audience. That’s exactly what this situation needs.

“Okay!”

Callen pushes between us with both hands raised. Nobody asked him to. Yet here he is.

“Good news.”

Nobody responds.

Callen nods slowly. “Right. Tough crowd.”

“Just stay out of this,” Alaric growls.

“See, that’s exactly the sort of attitude that concerns me.”

“Callen,” Ryder warns.

“What? I’m helping,” he defends.

“You’re making it worse.”

Callen ignores him and points a finger at Alaric and Bastian.

“You two,” then he points at me. “And you,” then he points at Jake. “You too. All of you stop this now.”

“I’m not doing anything,” Jake points out.

“I know, but I’m pretty sure somebody’s about to punch someone, and I want everyone included.” 

A strange sound escapes Poppy, and my head snaps towards her instantly. At first, I think she’s laughing, but then I really look at her.

Her smile is wrong; it’s too forced, not quite reaching her eyes. It’s the kind of smile people wear when they’re one inconvenience away from a complete breakdown.

Cold fear twists in my chest because Poppy’s version of a breakdown isn’t likely to be tears and screaming. It could be dangerous, especially with all these people around. 

“Poppy?”

She doesn’t answer. Her eyes dart far too quickly between me, Jake, the twins, Callen, and Ryder. As if she’s struggling to keep up with the conversation. Or maybe the situation.

The sour scent of anxiety suddenly spikes, sharp and overwhelming.

“Poppy,” Jake says softly.

She still doesn’t answer; instead, another laugh slips out. It’s quieter this time. More brittle. The sound makes every hair on the back of my neck stand up. Because that’s not amusement. It’s panic. 

A sharp crack splits the air, making several wolves flinch. Then a nearby tree groans as a large branch snaps clean off and crashes into the undergrowth.

Static brushes over my skin as the light around the clearing dims so suddenly that it feels as though a cloud has passed overhead. Except when I glance up, the sky is still clear. Uneasy whispers spread through the gathered pack.

My wolf presses harder against my skin, but not because of the twins this time.

Alaric takes a step towards her before Bastian grabs his arm. Neither of them looks angry anymore. They look worried, and somehow, that terrifies me more.

“Damn it, where’s Parker when we need him?” Callen mutters under his breath.

Ryder steps forward. “Enough.” 

The single word cuts through the tension like a knife, and every wolf present falls silent.

“Anyone who is not directly involved in this needs to back off, now.” 

I wrap my arms around Poppy, keeping her shielded between me and Jake as leaves crunch and twigs snap under feet as our audience backs away.                                                                              

“Poppy, what do you need right now?” Ryder asks, his tone the soft one usually reserved for Paige.

She doesn’t answer him, but her shoulders relax slightly, and her hands come up to grip my T-shirt. 

“Calm,” Jake answers for her.                                                                       

“Nobody is fighting anyone, Pops. I’ll make sure of it,” Ryder offers.

I want to tell him she isn’t scared of a fight. Poppy has faced worse than this without backing down. What she’s scared of is far worse. She’s afraid of herself.

She’s overwhelmed, and I can feel her desperately trying to keep whatever is happening inside of her under control. The trembling in her hands isn't fear. It’s restraint. She’s terrified that she will become the reason someone gets hurt. 

Alaric and Bastian are silent, but I sense them still here, watching. Good, I hope the guilt is eating at them, even if they don’t fully understand what is happening. 

Alaric takes a step forward, and every muscle in my body tightens.

“Don’t,” I warn before I can stop myself. 

To my surprise, he actually stops, his eyes never leaving Poppy. His jaw clenches, but the fury that had been burning in his gaze moments ago is gone. Now he only looks concerned.

“She’s shaking,” he says quietly. 

I nod, looking down at her fingers trembling where they fist my shirt. 

“Just give her a minute,” Jake says softly. “She’ll be okay.” 

His hands rub gently up and down her upper arms, doing his best to soothe her. 

My gaze drifts to Bastian, who has remained as quiet as usual. His head tilts as he studies Poppy, then his eyes flick to the tree that had lost its branch, to the sky, then back to Poppy. I don’t think we have long before the questions start. 

The small clearing is unnaturally silent, everyone now understanding that this is something bigger than a simple freak out.

Another branch cracks somewhere deeper in the forest, and Poppy flinches. Bastian’s eyes narrow, and understanding slowly dawns across his face. 

"I've been trying, and it's not helping," Poppy snaps, drawing everyone's attention. 

Shit. 

Callen slowly looks around us, then behind himself, then back to Poppy. 

“Okay, either we’re missing somebody very important from this conversation, or things just got significantly more interesting.”

Alaric goes completely still as recognition flashes across his face. 

“Crazy coffee girl,” he whispers. 

Poppy flinches again, but this time nothing breaks apart from the tension in her. 

“What?” I demand. 

Poppy groans, but it’s not pained; it’s more like an embarrassed sound. Then she snorts a small laugh. 

“Coffee girl?” Jake asks, clearly feeling the shift in Poppy at the words. 

“Is everyone here talking to someone I can’t see?” Callen asks, throwing his arms up. “Because not a single person is making sense right now.”

Poppy almost laughs again, her hands loosening their grip on my shirt. 

That’s it.

“We need to make her laugh, it’s working,” I say to Jake, Rye and Callen through the mind link. 

“Oh, I was so born for this moment!” Callen says out loud. 

Ryder groans. “That’s what worries me.”