His Trouble Maker

“Jess.”

“Jess.”

My eyes snapped open. What the fuck was that? Did | just-? Did | just dream getting face -fucked by Gray in my

sleep? A high-pitched, dying-animal noise strangled out of me. | lunged for my pillow-found it halfway across the

room, grabbed it, and screamed into it so hard my throat burned.

No. No.

This was Logan's fault. Logan and his big stupid mouth, always talking, always putting things in my head, and

now, | am going to kill him!

| was imagining ways to murder him when | realized | am not alone in the room. | turned toward the door and my

soul fucking left my body because Gray is standing there, watchinglike | was the most insane thing he had

ever seen.

“Aaaah!” | grab the nearest pillow, and the next thing | know | was throwing it at his f face.

He caught it. Mid-air. Arms tight, eyes locked onlike he couldn't believe | just did that.

“Jessica...”

I am so dead.

My chest rises and falls, like I'm gasping for air, praying for skind of mercy.

Please, moon goddess, save me.

Gray's got a short fuse-hell, he’s made people cry just by looking at them the wrong way. I blinked hard, shut my

eyes, bracing for whatever cnext.

The shout. The explosion. The anger.

But it didn't come.

“Look at me.”

I can’t.

“Jessica. Open your damn eyes and look at me.”

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My hands shake, my breath ragged as | crack my eyes open. There he is. Gray is now standing beside my bed,

towering

over me. He's so tall.

| gulped, heart hammering in my chest. “I-I’'m sorry.” | blurted it out, half-heartedly because first, it’s his fault.

Why is he here? “This is my room.” | regretted the words as soon as they left my mouth. Shit.

“Do you know what tis it?”

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What the hell does he mean? My brows furrowed, and without thinking, | shot my arms out, pointing at the clock

beside

my bed. Don’t tellhe can’t afford a damn clock. | lazily flicked my hand, showing him the tlike it was

obvious. “It's 6 o'clock in the morning, Alpha Gray.”

He licked his lips. “Yes. And do you know what that means?”

Training?

No.

“It's Sunday,” | shot back, matter-of-fact. Warriors don’t train on Sundays.

He sighed again. And my mind... it drifts. That damn dream. Shit. If he keeps looking atlike that, | might-

What, Jessica? You might what?

My gaze trails down without even realizing it, landing on the bulge in his pants.

There are rumors about him being huge. | mean, I've heard it before, from the other warriors. They say he’s like

a monster, and he feels so damn good. They also say he wants it sloppy-

| barely catch myself before my mind wanders too far, but I hear him clear his throat, and it snapsback.

I quickly look up, punishing myself for those thoughts.

“Can you be ready in ten minutes?”

“In ten minutes, Alpha?”

He nodded, but his gaze wasn’t on me. It was on the picture of Logan andon the bed, like it personally

offended him.

“Where are we going?”

Gray's eyes flicked to mine. “I'm going to take you out.”

T-Takeout?

My jaw dropped, and he caught it, quickly realizing it before he let out a vicious chuckle. “It’s not a date.”

Uhm. Okay, it’s not like | want to go on a date with him.

| furiously glare at him, shoving the damn blanket off my body and jerking myself upright. Stupid. Who even

wants a date with him? He’s not even that good looking

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Chapter 5

| didn’t even realize how hard | yanked the blanket until it nearly flew off the bed.

“Is everything okay?” Gray's voice cuts through the air, cool and steady.

He's looking at me, like he’s hiding a smile behind that damn serious face of his.

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20

| gave him a tight smile of my own, nodding. “Of course. Can you wait outside, Alpha? | know you're my brother's

best friend, but this is awkward.”

| didn’t wait for his answer. Instead, | walked straight to the bathroom, slamming the door behindso hard the

walls rattled-shocking me. “I'm not angry!” | shouted at the door, like that would somehow make it better. | am

not, right? | stood there for a second, my forehead banging against the door, hard enough to make my eyes

sting.

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“Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.”

Now, that man will think | am probably angry at him correcting that this is not a date.

After a few minutes, | finally threw on the first thing | found-a full jacket over my pajama shorts-and stomped

downstairs. Why do | even care what I look like? This isn’t a date. It’s not even remotely close to a date. He's

probably draggingsomewhere miserable, like training grounds or a graveyard or straight into hell.

Gray and Pierce sat at the kitchen counter, coffee mugs in hand, looking obnoxiously relaxed for two grown men

ruining my morning. Pierce noticedfirst. He’s my older brother. Technically, he is also Gray's future Beta if he

becomes alpha.

“Wow, sis,” he said, leaning back in his chair, eyes dragging down my outfit with exaggerated judgment. “That

short could use more fabric.”

| rolled my eyes so hard | nearly saw the back of my skull. “And your mouth could use less talking, but here we

are.”

Then, from the corner of my eye, | saw it-Gray, mid-sip, almost spilling his coffee. | don’t know if he’s laughing or

angry, but either way, he slowly set the cup down, fixingwith a sharp, unreadable stare.

“Change your dress.”

Excuse me?

i am still sleepy, and it's Sunday, and | am not about to start taking fashion advice from Alpha Killjoy over here.

Gray's stare burned into the side of my face as | grabbed an apple from the basket and took a massive,

exaggerated bite, just to be difficult.

“No.”

Pierce snorted. “You're playing with fire, Jess.”

Gray's eye twitched. “You look inappropriate.”

Inappropriate?

| looked at myself-jacket, shorts, looking like half the damn town. My nose flared. Gray always hated me. Always

had something to say about me. Something bad.

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“Jessica.” He pinched the bridge of his nose like | was a problem he couldn't shake. “Go. Change.”

I narrowed my eyes, glaring at him like he just announced the end of the world. “Make me.”

Gray blinked once. Twice. His jaw clenched, nostrils flaring.

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And then, with a sharp, terrifyingly neutral expression, he said, “You have two minutes to change before | throw

you over my shoulder and drag you out.”

My eyes widened. “You wouldn't dare.”

Before | could even react, he put his coffee down. Fast. Like it was an afterthought. He took a single step toward