“Let me go!” She kicks out, connecting with a spot that sends agony exploding through me. I double over, releasing her instantly as her foot connects with my balls. I growl, and she darts up the stairs while I try to catch my breath.
“Vance,”I mindlink quickly, fighting through the pain.“Lock the place down. Now.”I tell him, rushing up the stairs after her.
I reach the top just in time to see Cleo darting toward the keys of my car that isn’t here. Her movements are swift, almost a blur, desperation fueling her.
“Dammit, Cleo, listen to me!” I shout, yet she’s already snatching the keys and spinning toward the exit.
“Stay away from me, Zayn!” Her voice breaks, a harrowing sound that tugs at my soul.
I chase after her, catching glimpses of her blonde hair as she maneuvers through the house with frantic energy.
“Please, Cleo,” I call out, my own voice strained with emotions too tangled to unravel. “We need to talk. Just… stop running.”
She doesn’t stop. She never does. As she reaches for the door, she rips it open wildly. I grab her from behind, trying to haul her back into the house, when she bites me viciously, drawing blood before swinging her head back. It connects with my nose, and I feel the crunch of her breaking it. I let her go and curse.
The night swallows her whole. Cleo’s fleeing form pauses, realizing my car isn’t here. Her blonde hair whips in her face as she looks for another way before she takes off down the driveway. Zarek presses against my skin, urging me to follow her. My men, hearing the commotion, come piling out of their houses, seeing me chase after her, and moving to help.
Two of my men block her off, and another grabs her; she struggles and screams like she is being murdered, the sound tearing at me, hearing how terrified she is.
“Stand down!” I roar, my command slicing through the night air as my men move to intercept her. They hesitate, confusion etched on their faces, but they obey, stepping aside.
They let her go instantly. She spins and delivers two precise blows that send Jax and Kieran to the ground with thuds that resonate within me.
“Dammit, Cleo!” I shout after her, my voice rasping with desperation.
Ignoring the pulsing pain where she bit me, I give in to the surge within, allowing my bones to shift and my skin to stretch. The world blurs, senses heighten, and my wolf takes over with a growl that rumbles from deep within.
She’s almost at the gates when he reaches her, the scent of her fear filling his nostrils. I can’t let her leave, not like this, and Zarek reluctantly hands me back control as he shifts.
“Help! Someone!” Cleo’s scream pierces the night just as she grabs the gate.
“Shhh,” I whisper fiercely, clamping a hand over her mouth. “Cleo, stop. I won’t hurt you.”
Her teeth sink into my hand, the sharp pain igniting a flare of anger in Zarek. I fight it, fight him, as she struggles in my hold. She struggles even harder, her desperation and fear palpable. I take a deep breath, trying to remain calm, and step toward her. I cup her face in my hands, pleading with her tounderstand, but she refuses to listen, refuses to see past her grief.
“Stop this, Cleo! You’re safe with me.” My words are a growl, the human part of me clinging to control by a thread. “Don’t do this.”
She ignores me and I feel Zarek’s dominance surge forward, wanting to claim her to force her to stay.
The scent of her fear and her sharp teeth are sweet with defiance and snaps the fragile leash I have on Zarek. He lunges forward, a snarl ripping from his throat as he pins Cleo against the cold metal of the gate. The primal urge to claim her, to mark her as mine, thrums through every fiber of my being.
“Zayn!” Cleo’s voice is muffled against my hand, the terror in her green eyes slices through the haze of my wolf’s instincts. “Please, don’t!”
“Vance!”I scream mentally through our mindlink, the urgency breaking through even as Zarek’s growls fill the air. I’m losing myself to him; my wolf is too strong and too desperate to keep her here. If he marks her, there won’t be any escape from me.
I hear the rapid patter of paws before I see Vance’s dark form blur into sight. His wolf, massive and bristling, barrels into Zarek with a force that sends us both tumbling away from Cleo. Teeth flash, and pain sears along my flank where Vance’s fangs sink into Zarek’s hide.
Vance’s wolf snarls, and he positions himself between Cleo and me, a protective barrier Zarek rages against.
“Mine,” Zarek growls back, but Vance’s wolf doesn’t relent.
“Control it, Zayn!”Vance’s human voice echoes in my mind, insistent and fierce.“You need to control him, Zayn!” he says, like he believes I am not trying hard enough. Zarek is in panic mode, thinking his mate is leaving him, rejecting him.
Cleo scrambles away, her breath coming in ragged sobs. She’s cornered, terrified, her gaze flickering between the two wolves locked in combat. I can feel her heart pounding, the rush of her blood calling to the very core of my wolf.
“Stand down, Zarek,” I command, fighting to infuse the order with all the authority I possess. Vance’s wolf tears into Zarek, who attacks back while I struggle to control my wolf as Kieran and Jax move to help him. I feel the change in Zarek, realizing if he attacks them while they aren’t shifted, he can seriously hurt them.
With a final, grudging retreat, Zarek backs down as I yell at him to stop fighting me. Vance doesn’t move, his body a living shield as he watches Zarek warily, ready to strike again if necessary.
