16. Best Behavior (Clay POV)

A cataclysm of emotions swirled violently in my mind, each thought like a sharpened blade, cutting through the fabric of my composure. My wolf was on high alert, bristling with a primitive urge to protect what was ours. Lexi. The idea of just crossing the hall and putting an end to all this—to Luke—felt like an easy solution, a direct path to quelling the turmoil inside me.

But there she was, right in my arms, her body softly pressed against mine, her breath warm and sweet. She was trying to calm the storm inside me, oblivious to the fact that she was its epicenter. The irony was almost unbearable. I loved the feeling of her against me, the way she tried to comfort me, even as I grappled with the unspoken reality that my emotional tempest had her at its eye.

Hearing her confess, even a fleeting interest in Luke had pierced through me. Each word was a claw that snatched at my heart, making it difficult to breathe, like her voice had metamorphosed into a noose that tightened around my n