Total pages in book: 126
Estimated words: 120031 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 600(@200wpm)___ 480(@250wpm)___ 400(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 120031 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 600(@200wpm)___ 480(@250wpm)___ 400(@300wpm)
Still, it wasn’t until the whistle sounded, signaling the end of the game, that Casey stopped chewing on her finger. “Fuck me, we won,” she whispered, so stunned that it took a moment for elation to settle in.
Eli hugged her tight. “Congrats, baby, you and your team fucking did it. Get out there, celebrate with them.”
So she did. There were hugs, high fives, and butt pats. Some of the Seals shook hands with them, but most shot glares at any Hound that came too close.
Laughing with Emma, Casey headed back to the benches where Eli waited for her. She was sore. Tired. Sweaty. Hungry. Just wanted to get washed and dressed so she could go home and let him cook her a meal and fuss over her the way he liked. But that wouldn’t happen yet because—
Her instincts screamed at her. Casey sharply moved sideways, evading Sherryl as the bitch leaped at her. “The fuck?”
Planting her feet, Sherryl pointed at the ground, her eyes blazing. “You. Me. Right now.”
Emma gaped at Sherryl. “You’re really gonna throw down here? Seriously?”
“Hmm, someone’s a little bitter that they lost, huh?” muttered Kristin.
Sherryl ignored them; her attention was firmly on Casey. “Well, Frost?”
“Not here,” Casey told her. “Outside the headquarters.”
“Here,” Sherryl hissed.
“You really want the entire stadium to watch me smack the shit out of you?” It was an appealing thought, but the turf was sacred to her team; Casey wouldn’t sully it with this shit.
“No. I want them to watch while I rip you apart.” Sherryl stepped forward, her fists clenched. Her eyes slid to something over Casey’s shoulder, and her mouth set into a bitter twist. “Oh, look, your wolf is here. Touching. Just make sure his wolf-friends don’t get any ideas like jumping in to save you.”
One of the Seals reached out to touch her arm. “Sherryl, you—”
“Back off!” Sherryl snarled at the female. Her gaze sliced back to Casey. “Do you accept the challenge?”
“Oh, it’s accepted,” said Casey, conscious that Eli now stood behind her. “But I won’t do this on the field.”
Sherryl’s upper lip curled back. “Bitch—”
“Outside,” declared Adrian, entering the circle. “You’ll do it outside the headquarters.”
Sherryl whirled on him. “I want—”
“Outside,” the Alpha growled, baring his teeth at the female. “Don’t expect me to care what the fuck you want.”
Eyes flickering, Sherryl turned away from him. “Let’s do this, Casey.” She pivoted on her heel and then stormed off the field and into the building with her teammates hot on her heels.
Casey walked at a slower pace with Eli at her side, wanting to give the pain from her healed injuries a chance to fade away. Certain spots on her body still burned and throbbed, and pain streaked up the back of her leg each time she put weight on it. Worse, her arm still ached as if it were broken, but she’d fought in the past while in worse agony than this.
No one spoke as she and Eli stalked through the headquarters with Adrian, Clare, Donahue, and the Hounds close behind them. Stepping outside, Casey saw that the Seals had formed a circle around Sherryl. Eli’s pack mates and allies were also there, and they all looked ready to commit murder.
As Casey and Eli reached the edge of the circle, he turned to her and said, “You’re not going to take her down fast, are you?”
Hell, no. “I warned her that I’d shit fury all over her ass.”
Approval flashed in his eyes. “Then go do exactly that.”
Madisyn sidled up to her. “Don’t worry about the Seals jumping to her defense—we’ll make sure they stay out of it.”
“If they don’t, my teammates will jump in, so you’ll have company.”
“Hey, Frost, we gonna do this or what?” Sherryl called out, cocky and eager.
“Wow,” said Madisyn. “The bitch really thinks she stands a chance of winning, doesn’t she?”
“Sherryl hasn’t been thinking clearly for a while.” Casey gave Eli a too-quick smile. “See you soon.” She strode into the circle, adrenaline pulsing through her body, and met Sherryl’s glare head-on.
Sherryl stood tall with her chest thrust out, clenching and unclenching her hands, looking mighty confident. “About time you joined me. I was beginning to think you’d changed your mind.”
Casey didn’t respond. She just stood solidly with her shoulders back and her expression neutral. Her sore muscles threatened to tighten from the tension, but she kept them loose and relaxed, even as her very spirit seemed coiled to strike.
Her mink stood very still, bracing herself to shift and pounce if needed. The animal didn’t like being surrounded by so many, but she wasn’t worried. No, she was confident that Casey could take their opponent down.
Sherryl grinned. “Shame Miles couldn’t be here for this.”
Oh, Casey was so gonna enjoy smacking the shit out of this heifer. It wasn’t just about the injury Sherryl had caused her on the field. This bitch had stabbed her in the back countless times. She’d tried to kiss Eli and play dumb games with him, hoping to drive a wedge between him and Casey. She’d hurt Casey’s cousin and, in doing so, almost wrecked Mallory’s relationship with Preston just because she could. Worse, she’d hurt Miles so badly he’d literally unraveled.