Arrow Inferno
Chapter 97: Jeremy Stanton vs. Ryan Hicks ~ Feral attraction in the midst of hatred… Reuniting with the beta!

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Eventually, Ryan composed himself long enough to finish the story. The look on Jeremy's face was priceless. He looked so shocked he couldn't utter a word after Ryan told him how Reynard's life had ended. He then finally told him what he'd

done when their bond got broken by the warlock.

"I would appreciate it if you don't rip into Paige or anything like that when you see her," Ryan said shakily. "Much as her method was dangerous, it worked. So please..."

"Shhh..." Jeremy folded Ryan into his arms again. "She's not the one I want to kill right now. How the fuck did Phillip even think it was okay to expose you to all that violence?"

"I insisted, Jeremy," Ryan said hoarsely. "You know how difficult it is to try to talk me out of something once my mind is made up. If I hadn't gone, you wouldn't have had anyone to come back to." "That doesn't make it alright," Jeremy growled stubbornly. "Fuck, I'm so sorry for everything."

Ryan nodded. "I'm sorry I made out..."

"You really should have known, Ryan," Jeremy said, combing his fingers through Ryan's hair. "We're werewolves. Deloris is not a werewolf so I'm not surprised that idiot was able to fool her. But you..."

"I'm sorry." He groaned pitifully. "I shouldn't have gotten drunk in the first place. If I hadn't I would have been more alert."

"What?" Jeremy asked sharply. "What do you mean you shouldn't have gotten..."

"I was totally drunk, thanks to Paige." Ryan sighed. "The plan was to get shit-faced. I did but she didn't. Said it took a lot for her to get drunk. But I was just..."

"That bitch." Jeremy growled. "She plied you with booze so that you would lose your inhibitions. Your senses were dulled. That's why you couldn't smell him. Fuck!"

"Really?" Ryan's eyes widened. "That's probably why she remained sober..."

"That doesn't make it o-fucking-k." Jeremy growled.

"Hey, you promise..."

"I never promised anything." Jeremy snapped angrily. "She promised to look after you. And what did she do? Gave you to the enemy on a silver platter."

"Jeremy, she was right there." Ryan defended heatedly. "She never left my side even once. Hell, I heard her tell that warlock not to kiss me when I demanded it but it came from so far away I thought it was all part of the dream. She was with me every step of the way, Jer." He said softly. "She made sure I would be okay."

"But you were clearly not," Jeremy growled angrily.

"And that wasn't her fault, baby." Ryan cupped Jeremy's cheeks. "Her only mistake was that she made a deal with the devil. Shit happens. Calm down."

"I could have lost you." Jeremy groaned, burying his face against Ryan's neck.

"But you didn't." Ryan didn't want to point out to his angry mate that if he'd died, he would have died too anyway. "Are you okay?"

"No, I'm not." Jeremy's words were muffled against Ryan but he heard him perfectly. "I just wish..." He trailed off when the doorbell rang, signaling the presence of a visitor.

"Ryan looked up at the projected clock on the wall. It was only five fifty-four a. m. "Who would..."

"I called Phillip," Jeremy informed him in a hoarse voice, showing just how hard he was trying to keep it together.

"Oh god, Jeremy listen to me." Ryan gasped as he turned within Jeremy's arms to straddle him. He knew how angry his mate was. He could feel it. He had to somehow calm him down before Phillip walked through that door. "Everything worked out just fine."

"I left the most precious thing in the world to me, in his care Ryan." Jeremy's voice was cold. Deadly cold. "And he didn't hesitate to expose you to danger."

"It wasn't up to him, Jeremy." Ryan hissed as Jeremy got off the couch with him still wrapped around him as if he weighed nothing.

"He was the alpha. He was in charge. His word was final." Jeremy tried to get Ryan to unwrap himself from around him but since his stubborn mate didn't want to because he was hell-bent on convincing him not to be angry at Phillip, Jeremy began to move towards the door with Ryan's legs still locked around his waist. "I wouldn't have done that to him if he'd left his mate in my care."

And just like that, Ryan knew what to say. "Fine." He unlocked his legs from around Jeremy but didn't move away from the door. "Just go right ahead and do whatever you want to do," Ryan said quietly. "Just know this. That was a very important battle. We all fought gallantly for the pack and came out victorious. Don't rubbish everyone's effort by whining about your mate's involvement. If I hadn't insisted on going, they wouldn't have taken me. And if I hadn't been part, everyone would have perished. Deloris risked the life of her daughter. And Phillip found his mate but selflessly let him go in order to concentrate on the battle, to save your mate." Ryan moved away from the door. "Think about that as you unleash hell on your friend." With that final shot, Ryan turned to go.

"Did...His mate... Lip really found his mate?" Jeremy stuttered, his eyes on his mate's retreating back.

"That's what I just said." Ryan threw over his shoulder and disappeared into the bathroom.

"Did you say him?" Jeremy shouted but Ryan didn't respond. "Fuck!" Jeremy stared at where Ryan had just disappeared and thanked his stars for sensible mates. He'd almost fucked up. Taking a deep breath, he opened the door and drew an alarmed Phillip into his arms.

To say Phillip was stunned at Jeremy's behaviour wouldn't be accurate. He'd felt his friend's anger in that command. He definitely didn't think Jeremy summoned him just to give him a hug. He could tell when Jeremy was angry. And much as everyone knew Jeremy had much to be angry about, Phillip didn't know which one had resulted in his summons. But the fact that his friend was angry didn't stop him from hugging him back fiercely. "Fuck, I missed you." Phillip groaned, feeling Jeremy trembling against him.

Jeremy couldn't speak. He realized that having his friend in his arms actually gave him strength and some peace. He couldn't believe he'd actually been angry at Phillip just seconds earlier. If anything he owed his friend his gratitude. "You have no idea how much I missed you. Will I sound terrible if I admit that the one person I wanted with me in that godforsaken place was you? I knew that having you with me would make everything more bearable." He groaned. "You've always been my rock Lip. And I'm so grateful to you." Jeremy knew that he hadn't meant anything more.

"I'm gonna box your ears if you make me cry," Phillip growled shakily even as he tightened his hold on Jeremy. After a while, both men stepped back from each other. "I had a feeling you wanted to kill me earlier." Phillip drawled. "I did." Jeremy chuckled, heading towards the living area. "But someone told me how stupid I was being." He flopped into the couch whilst Phillip sat in another.

"What the fuck happened here?" Phillip asked when he saw the shattered glass.

"I happened," Jeremy growled. "Wait till your mate tells you he kissed someone else."

"Shit, Jeremy tell me you didn't..." Phillip shot to his feet with eyes filled with panic.

"Relax cowboy." Jeremy drawled, waving Phillip back into the couch. "Ryan is fine." He shook his head in amusement. "As if I could actually harm my mate." He drawled, then promptly winced, making Phillip burst into laughter. "Fuck you, Lip." Phillip sobered, his eyes growing serious. "No one in their right mind would harm their mate. Always remember that." Phillip said softly.