Chapter 4

The pounding on the door woke me from a dead sleep.

"Open up!" A female voice shrieked. "I know she's in there!"

I jerked upright, disoriented. Brian's bedroom. Brian's bed. Brian's shirt.

Oh, God.

The door burst open and Veronica stormed in, her perfect face twisted with rage. Behind her, two other women followed—both beautiful, both furious.

"You little bitch," Veronica snarled. "You've been here one day. One day! And you think you can just waltz into his bed?"

"I didn't—we didn't—"

"Shut up." She grabbed my arm, yanking me out of bed. "You need to learn your place."

The other women grabbed my other arm, and together they dragged me out of the room. I tried to fight, but three against one wasn't fair, especially when they were all wolves.

"Where's Brian?" I demanded.

"Business meeting. He'll be gone all day." Veronica's smile was vicious. "Plenty of time to teach you a lesson."

They dragged me through the compound to what looked like a training room. Mats covered the floor, and weapons lined the walls. My stomach dropped.

"Strip," Veronica ordered.

"What?"

"The shirt. Take it off." When I hesitated, she nodded to the other women. "Or we'll do it for you."

I pulled off Brian's shirt, standing in just my underwear. The cool air raised goosebumps on my skin.

"Look at her," one of the women sneered. "Skinny. Weak. This is what our Alpha wants?"

"He doesn't want her," Veronica said. "He's just playing. And when he's done, she'll be nothing but a memory." She shifted partially, her nails becoming claws. "But first, she needs to learn respect."

The first slash caught me across the stomach, shallow but painful. I gasped, stumbling back.

"Fight back," Veronica taunted. "Or are you as pathetic as you look?"

The second slash caught my shoulder. The third, my thigh. They were toying with me, cutting just deep enough to hurt but not deep enough to scar.

"This is what happens to humans who think they can play with wolves," Veronica hissed.

Something inside me snapped.

Luna surged forward, and for the first time in my life, I let her take complete control. The shift was violent, bones breaking and reforming. But when it was done, I stood on four legs, my wolf form small but fierce.

Veronica's eyes widened. "You're a wolf?"

I lunged.

My teeth found her throat, not killing but warning. She shrieked, shifting as well, and then we were rolling across the mats, snarling and snapping. The other women joined in, and it became a brutal fight.

I was outnumbered but I was also furious. And Luna? Luna was done being anyone's victim.

I fought dirty, going for eyes and tendons. When one woman got too close, I took a chunk out of her leg. When another tried to pin me, I twisted and caught her ear between my teeth, tearing.

But three against one was still three against one. Eventually, they had me pinned, Veronica's teeth at my throat.

"Pathetic," she snarled through the mind link. "You're nothing. A nobody. Brian will tire of you within a week, and then—"

The door exploded open.

The temperature in the room dropped twenty degrees, and every wolf froze. Brian stood in the doorway, and the rage rolling off him was unlike anything I'd ever felt.

He didn't speak. Didn't need to. His presence alone had Veronica and the others shifting back, cowering.

"Alpha," Veronica started. "We were just—"

"Out." One word, but it carried the weight of death.

They ran, leaving me bloodied on the floor. I tried to shift back but couldn't, too exhausted and hurt.

Brian knelt beside me, his hands gentle as they ran through my fur. "I'm sorry," he murmured. "I'm so sorry, little wolf. This is my fault."

He gathered me into his arms, carrying me back to his room. I whimpered as he set me on the bed, the cuts burning.

"Shift back," he said softly. "I need to see the damage."

It took everything I had, but finally I managed it. I lay naked and bleeding on his bed, trying not to cry from the pain.

Brian's expression was murderous as he catalogued each injury. "They're dead."

"No," I gasped. "Don't."

"They attacked you. In my home. They drew your blood." His eyes were pure gold. "That's a death sentence."

"Please." I grabbed his hand. "I don't want anyone to die because of me."

"They won't die because of you. They'll die because they broke pack law." But he squeezed my hand. "I'll exile them instead. But if they ever come near you again..."

"They won't."

He retrieved a first aid kit, cleaning each cut with surprising gentleness. His fingers trembled as he worked, and I realized he was struggling for control.

"You're a wolf," he said quietly. "You never told me."

"You never asked." I winced as he cleaned a particularly deep cut. "My wolf is... new. She only emerged after my parents abandoned me. The trauma, I think."

"Luna," he said, and I startled.

"How did you know her name?"

"She told me. When you were in wolf form, she spoke to me through the link." His hands stilled. "She called me mate."

My face burned. "She's mistaken."

"Is she?" He finished bandaging the last cut, then pulled a clean shirt from his drawer. "Arms up."

I obeyed, letting him dress me like a child. The shirt smelled like him, and Luna practically purred despite our pain.

"You need to rest," he said.

"I need to go back to my room."

"No." He pulled back the covers. "You stay here. Where I can protect you."

"Brian—"

"Aggie." His voice was raw. "I just walked in to find three of my pack members attacking my—attacking you. You're hurt because I left you alone. That won't happen again."

"You can't watch me twenty-four seven."

"Watch me." He tucked the covers around me, then sat on the edge of the bed. "Sleep. I'll be here when you wake up."

"Don't you have meetings?"

"Cancelled them." He pulled out his phone, typing rapidly. "Marcus is handling everything."

"You can't just—"

He silenced me with a look. "You're bleeding in my bed because I failed to protect you. Yes, I can just."

I wanted to argue, but the blood loss and exhaustion were pulling me under. "This doesn't change anything. I still don't trust you."

"I know." He brushed hair from my face. "But you will."

"Arrogant."

"Confident." He stood, moving to the couch. "Sleep, little wolf. You're safe."

But as I drifted off, I heard him on the phone, his voice deadly quiet. "Find Veronica and the others. I want them at the border in an hour. And Marcus? Make sure the entire pack knows what happens to those who harm what's mine."

I should have been appalled by his violence, his possessiveness. Instead, Luna curled up contentedly, finally feeling protected.

When I woke hours later, the room was dark except for the fireplace. Brian was at his desk, laptop open, working. He looked up immediately when I stirred.

"Hungry?"

I nodded, and he picked up a phone, ordering enough food for ten people. It arrived within minutes—soup, bread, fruit, chocolate. Comfort food.

"Eat," he commanded, joining me on the bed.

We ate in silence for a while before I found the courage to ask, "What happened to them?"

"Exiled. Their assets frozen, their pack bonds severed. They're rogues now."

"That's harsh."

"That's merciful. The law says I should have executed them." He studied me. "You defended yourself well for someone with a new wolf."

"I had good teachers."

"Who?"

I hesitated, then decided on honesty. "My parents. Before I knew they were hunters, they taught me to fight. Said it was for self-defense."

"They were preparing you to kill wolves."

"Maybe. Or maybe they just wanted me safe." I pushed the tray away. "I don't know what to believe anymore."

"Believe this," Brian said, capturing my face in his hands. "Whatever your parents' sins, they're not yours. You're not responsible for their choices."

"But you're still using me to get to them."

"Yes." Always honest, even when it hurt. "But that's not all you are to me. Not anymore."

"What am I then?"

His thumb traced my bottom lip. "Everything."

The word hung between us, heavy with meaning. I wanted to run from it, from him, from the intensity of whatever this was. But I also wanted to lean into it, to let him protect me, to stop fighting so hard.

"I can't be your everything," I whispered. "I don't even know who I am anymore."

"Then we'll figure it out together." He released me, standing. "There's something you need to see."

He led me to his office—not the one where I'd signed the contract, but a private one attached to his bedroom. He pulled up something on his computer, then turned the screen toward me.

It was my parents. Alive. Sitting in what looked like a motel room, planning something over a map.

"This was taken yesterday," Brian said. "They're two states away, gathering hunters."

"For what?"

"To rescue you." His expression was grim. "They're planning to attack the compound next week."

My blood ran cold. "They'll die. Your pack will slaughter them."

"Yes."

"You have to stop them. Warn them. Something."

"I could. If you give me something in return."

I knew what was coming. "What?"

"Accept the bond. Become my mate. Let me mark you." His eyes bored into mine. "Once you're marked, you're no longer viable bait. They'll know you're mine forever. The hunt ends."

"That's blackmail."

"That's negotiation." He leaned against the desk. "I'm offering you a solution. Your parents live. The bloodshed stops. All you have to do is accept what you already feel."

"And if I say no?"

"Then I defend my pack. And your parents die as hunters should." His voice was emotionless, but I saw the tension in his jaw. He didn't want that. But he would do it.

"I need time to think."

"You have three days. After that, I increase security and prepare for war." He moved to the door. "I'll have your things moved here. You're staying in my room until this is resolved."

"Brian—"

"Non-negotiable." He paused at the door. "I know you hate me right now. But I'm trying to save lives—yours, your parents', my pack's. The only way everyone survives is if you trust me."

He left, and I collapsed on his bed, my mind racing. Three days to decide my entire future. Three days to choose between my parents and my freedom.

Luna was oddly quiet, but I could feel her opinion. She wanted Brian. Had wanted him from the moment we saw him. The mate bond was real for her, even if I was still fighting it.

My phone buzzed with a text from an unknown number.

"Don't trust Abbot. We're coming for you, sweetheart. Hold on. - Mom"

I stared at the message, tears burning my eyes. My mother. After all these years, my mother was alive and coming for me.

Coming to die.

Unless I bound myself forever to the monster holding me captive.

Or was he a monster? He'd been gentle with my wounds. He'd exiled instead of executed. He was offering me a way to save everyone.

But at what cost?

Another text: "PS - Your wolf is beautiful. Just like I always knew she would be. We'll explain everything when we see you."

They'd been watching. Somehow, they'd seen my shift. Which meant they had people inside the compound.

Which meant Brian's pack was already compromised.

Which meant war was coming whether I accepted the bond or not.

I deleted the messages and made a decision. If war was inevitable, I needed to be on the winning side. And that meant getting closer to Brian, learning his weaknesses, his plans.

It meant pretending to consider his offer.

It meant becoming the very thing my parents had trained me to be—a hunter. Just not the kind they'd expected.

Luna stirred, disapproving. "You're going to get us killed."

"Maybe," I admitted. "But at least we'll go down fighting."