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Chapter 6 - Chapter 6: Primal Fear

[Jasmine’s POV]

I bared my teeth at Simon after my warning, and a growl tore from my mouth. “Don’t ever touch her again,” I snarled and stepped in front of Mindie. 

“Jasmine, it’s okay,” Mindie said quickly, grabbing my arm tightly. “I can take a little push. Most of the men get handsy here.” Then she lowered her voice and quickly muttered. “You need this job, remember? We can’t make a scene.” 

Mindie’s reminder made me lower my arms. But I didn’t take my eyes off of Simon. “I mean it. Leave her alone!” 

“What if I don’t?” Simon scoffed and rolled his eyes. “You don’t scare me, runt. Everyone knows that you’re all bark and no bite.” 

The rest of Elliot’s friends laughed. 

“Yeah, you couldn’t take one of us on, runt,” another chimed in. “Let alone all of us. You’ll always be the weakest pup in the litter.” 

My old nickname hit me like a slap to the face. 

Runt. 

How many times had I been called that growing up? Even when Elliot and I started dating, that nickname stuck. As a kid, I was always small for my age. The weakest in training, the quiet girl who never stood up for herself. The weakling of the pack. 

Not anymore. 

I’d spent this last year in the gym, training every single day, pushing my body to the breaking point so I could build it back up again. 

And now, I was stronger than ever. 

I leaned toward Simon, my hatred for him flowing off me in waves. Something about the intense look in my eyes must have registered an instinctive alarm within him because I saw a flicker of fear on his face before he could hide it. 

My wolf howled in approval from inside my head. She hated our old nickname too. 

“If you want to fight, we can take this outside,” I growled. “Or are you scared the runt is going to kick your ass?” 

Simon’s hands clenched, and my muscles tensed. 

“Bitch,” he muttered and swung wildly. 

Easily, I dodged his large fist by moving to the side. 

“You always did have the worst aim,” I taunted. 

Then, I slammed my hand into his nose with an uppercut, hearing a satisfying crunching sound. 

Simon shrieked as his nose began to pour blood, and he attempted to stop the flow. 

One of Elliot’s other friends—Joe—leapt from his chair and barreled toward me, but I was ready for him. Ducking down, I dodged his punch. Then, I shot up again using my momentum to knee him in the groin. 

“Shit!” Joe yelled and fell to the floor, twitching in agony. 

I spun around and raised my fists, ready for the next attacker. My body felt truly alive as sweat poured down my brow from the exertion. These guys had been my bullies growing up, even when I was dating Elliot, and it felt amazing to dish it back. 

Simon, his nose still bleeding profusely, came toward me, his eyes burning with rage. 

I raised my fist, ready to deliver a blow that would knock him on his ass, when strong fingers enclosed around my wrist. 

My stomach plummeted to the ground. 

A familiar smell washed over me, and my wolf howled in need. 

I turned around and locked eyes with Elliot. He was shaking with anger, and my wrist pulsed with pain from his grip.

I ripped my hand free from him before he could leave a bruise. 

“Jasmine,” he hissed and took a deep breath like he was trying to force himself to calm down. “Stop wasting both of our time.”

I reared back. That caught me off guard. I thought he was going to yell at me for kicking his friends’ asses. 

“What the hell are you talking about?” I demanded. 

“You don’t have to be slinging drinks in this skimpy little outfit,” Elliot continued, gesturing to my uniform. “I already have your entire future laid out for you, baby. All you have to do is come back to me and I’ll take care of you.” 

My stomach stiffened as his words ran through my mind. It was awfully convenient that Elliot’s friends had been here to provoke me on my first night of work. One of his informants must have heard that I got a job here. 

My body shook with anger, and I put my finger in his face. “First of all, don’t call me baby. You’re the one who broke up with me, so you lost that privilege when you ended things. Second of all, this,” I gestured at his injured friends behind me, “was your sick idea, wasn’t it? You don’t want me to have a job and be independent.” I stalked closer to him and looked into his eyes. “The thought of me being able to survive on my own scares you…doesn’t it?” 

Elliot crossed his arms tightly. His gaze shot to my exposed collarbone, and his eyes sparked with rage. 

“What is that?” he hissed, pointing to the hickey Gareth left on me last night. He grabbed my shoulders possessively to get a better look at the mark. “Whose bed did you keep warm?” His face grew increasingly redder. “I can’t believe that you would move on from me so quickly.” His eyes traveled down my outfit with judgment. “I guess this slutty outfit suits you.” 

It would have hurt less if he had punched me in the face. Not too long ago, I thought this man loved me. 

But this wasn’t love. 

This was all about Elliot’s need to control me. 

My pain turned into rage as I realized how hypocritical he was being. 

“That’s rich coming from you,” I snarled, still trying to escape his grip, but Elliot had Alpha blood, so he was naturally strong. “You got engaged five minutes after we broke up.” 

Elliot’s expression hardened. “Who did you fuck last night, Jasmine?”

“Like I would tell you!” I shot back. “I bet it’s just driving you crazy not knowing who I was with last night…” His hands tightened painfully on my shoulders. “Let go of me!” 

“Tell me, Jasmine,” Elliot demanded. “Now.” 

I raised my chin and met his steely gaze. “Let go of me and leave me the hell alone, or I’m going to tell your future bride what kind of awful person she’s about to spend the rest of her life with. I bet that wouldn’t go over very well, would it?” 

Elliot’s jaw clenched, and he opened his mouth to respond, but his words seemed to be caught in his throat. 

The entire room went silent, even the music skidded to a stop. A powerful aura covered the club like a heavy blanket. The hair on the back of my neck stood up. 

Somehow, I knew who it was before he even stepped out of one of the VIP rooms. 

After all, there was only one man who had the power to make a whole room go silent in a second.

As soon as Gareth Laken walked out, his hypnotic gray eyes met mine. Then his gaze darkened as he spotted Elliot’s hands gripping my shoulders.

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