"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..."


    But she does, and I feel Zarek''s dominance surges forward, wanting to im her to force her stay


    The scent of her fear and her sharp teeth are sweet with defiance, 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 im her, to mark her as mine, thrums through every fiber of my being


    "Zayn!" Cleo''s voice is muffled against my hand,


    but the terror in her green eyes slices through the haze of my wolf''s instincts. "Please, don''t!"


    "Vance!" I scream mentally through our pack link, 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 and him marking 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 sh, and pain sears along my nk where Vance''s fangs sink into Zarek''s hide


    Vance''s wolf snarls, and he positions himself between Cleo and me, a protective barrier that 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, but Zarek is in panic mode, thinking his mate 1s leaving him, rejecting him Cleo scrambles away, her breathing in ragged sobs. She''s cornered, terrified, her gaze flickering between the two wolves locked inbat. I can feel her heart pounding, the rush of her blood calling to the very core of my wolfExclusive content ? by N?(v)el/Dr/ama.Org.


    "Stand down, Zarek," Imand, 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, but they don''t shift. 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


    "Give him control, Zarek. Before you lose her for good," Vance urges through the link, his words ashing reminder of what''s at stake


    Shifting back is agony-bones realigning, flesh knitting together as I force the shift back while Zarek tries to stop me. I stand naked and vulnerable in the chill night air, silver eyes fixed on Cleo''s trembling form


    "Cleo," I rasp, my voice hoarse with the


    remnants of Zarek''s fury. "I would never hurt you."


    But the words hang heavy, tainted by the shadow of what has just unfolded. The distance between us feels like a chasm, one forged by fear and mistrust, and I''m uncertain if it can ever be bridged again


    "You killed him," she chokes


    "Tt was justified; even Alpha Greyson agreed," I tell her, but she shakes her head


    "You lied, and said you had no idea when Lydia and I asked. Fuck''s sake, you even helped me fucking look for him!" she screams. I move toward her, but she scrambles to her feet, ready


    to run, but Vance''s wolf cuts her off, and Jax and Kieran nk her


    She panics, spinning toward me. "Please, you need to listen," I tell her as I grab her. She thrashes, hitting and kicking me, but she stands no chance against me without her wolf; she knows it, and I know it. But still, she tries


    "You''re a liar, you''re a fucking liar. I hate you!"


    "T have proof," I tell her, crushing her to me, my chest pressing against her back as I lock her wrists together at her chest with my hands


    "You''d say anything, wouldn''t you? How can I believe a single thing you fucking say now?" she screams, struggling harder. My canines slip out, and my anger gets the better of me as I squeeze her with my teeth going to her neck


    "He was trying to rape my mate!" I snarl at her, and she freezes. "I wasn''t going to let him hurt you," I murmur. She shakes her head, not


    wanting to believe me, not wanting to believe my words


    "I can prove it. I have video footage from the club," I tell her, knowing Vance is smart enough to have kept a copy in case we ever needed it


    Her entire body trembles in my arms, and I can feel her shock, though I am not sure what is shocking her most, learning I am her mate or that her ex tried to rape her. She stares at me in disbelief, her eyes wide. I take her face in my hands and look into her eyes, my heart aching for her pain. I know I need to tell her the truth; I have no choice now. I just hope she believes me