Just then, they turned the corner on the hallway and entered the front foyer of the school, where Jake MacKinnon and his friends were standing around—and, from the looks of it, just waiting for Noble and the rest of the pack to arrive on the scene.

“Well, if it isn’t Noble Brock!” Jake said, stepping out from the shadows, the two Del Zotto brothers at his sides.

“Listen, Jake,” Noble said, “I’m not in the mood for any of this today.”

Jake sucked his teeth. “Awe, poor Noble…one sip of diet cola and you’re as sick as a dog.” And the Del Zotto boys snickered.

Noble stepped forward, not wanting to confront Jake this way, but feeling he had no choice. “After all this time, you still haven’t come up with anything better than dog?”

Jake smiled. “No need to. Dog says it all.”

Noble took yet another step forward, closing the distance between Jake and himself by half. He knew this was wrong, but he couldn’t back down in front of all these people. He was the leader of the pack, after all.

“Don’t do it,” Argus whispered in Noble’s ear. “He’s not worth it, not here, not now.”

“You step back, wolf-man,” Jake told Argus. “All I want is a fair fight with one of you Brock freaks.” He looked at Harlan. “No more fights in the dark, or behind closed doors. I want a fight out in the open and in front of witnesses.”

Argus just gritted his teeth and showed Jake a sneer, but Noble knew he wanted to tear him apart!

Noble was sick and tired of Jake MacKinnon too. This guy had tried to kill him, poison him with silver. And he was getting away with it. Noble was itching to pound him, teach him a lesson, make him pay.

“A fair fight?” he said. “Just between me and you?”

“That’s right. Your brothers stay out of it.”

The anger Noble was feeling was affecting his judgment, preventing him from thinking clearly. Noble nodded. “You got it!”

“Now you’re talking,” Jake said. Noble took off his jacket—

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Harlan said.

—then rolled up his sleeves in preparation for a fight.

“Are you crazy?” Argus chimed in, grabbing Noble by the arm. “You can’t fight him.”

Noble shook off Argus and put his hands up like a boxer. He knew this was wrong, but he didn’t care. One punch. That’s all he wanted. One punch, in the eye, in the nose, on the chin…he didn’t care where he hit Jake, just as long as it hurt him.

“This is going to be fun,” Jake said, moving from side to side and ready to fight.

But Tora had arrived on the scene in time to step between them. “No, Noble. You can’t fight him this way. It’s too risky.”