Chapter 4

Rebel’s POV

The clubhouse feels different tonight.

It’s subtle at first something you’d miss if you weren’t raised inside these walls. The air is heavier, like a storm pressing down before the first crack of thunder. The familiar sounds, the clink of bottles, the low hum of engines being tuned, the murmured laughter are all still there, but they’re muted. Controlled and waiting.

I move through the main room slowly, fingers brushing over scarred wood and worn leather, grounding myself in a place that has always been home. The bar smells like whiskey and citrus cleaner. Oil and metal cling to everything, soaked so deeply into the walls it’ll never come out. Patches and colors line the walls, years of loyalty stitched into fabric.

Men and women I trust with my life sit too straight. Talk too little. Watch the doors like prey instead of predators.

Something is wrong.

Fang stands near the center of it all, arms crossed over his chest, jaw locked so tight I can see the muscle jumping beneath his beard. His wolf is close tonight, I feel it in the way the air vibrates around him, in the sharp edge of his presence.

I’ve seen him angry and I’ve seen him violent, but this is worse.

This is waiting for impact Fang.

I approach him cautiously. “You’re pacing holes in the floor.”

His gaze snaps to me, sharp and immediate, and softens just a fraction. “You shouldn’t be out here.”

That alone sends a chill through me. “This is my home.”

“It is,” he agrees quickly. “But tonight..”

A loud engine revs outside, cutting him off and every head in the room turns.

My heart stutters. “That’s not one of ours.”

“No,” Fang says quietly. “It’s not.”

The front doors open and close again, tension ratcheting tighter with every second that passes. A prospect jogs over, voice low and urgent as he murmurs something in Fang’s ear.

Fang’s expression darkens.

“What?” I ask.

He shakes his head. “Nothing you need to worry about.”

I snort softly and reply, “That’s never been true.”

His hand comes down on my shoulder, heavy and grounding. “Rebel.”

The way he says my name careful, weighted makes my stomach drop.

“Go to your room,” he says.

I stare at him. “Excuse me?”

“Now.”

Fang doesn’t give orders lightly and especially not to me.

“I’m not a kid,” I say, heat creeping into my voice. “You don’t get to just…”

“Rebel.” His voice sharpens, alpha cutting through the room. “Please.”

Please.

The word steals the fight right out of me.

“Fine,” I mutter. “But if you’re planning something stupid..”

“I always do,” he says grimly.

I turn toward the hallway, every instinct screaming as I walk away. The clubhouse seems to close in around me, shadows stretching too long, corners too dark.

Halfway down the hall, I hear it, sirens.

Not close yet, but coming.

My blood runs cold.

I spin back just as Fang barks orders. Chairs scrape. Bottles are swept aside. Members move with disciplined speed, tension snapping into action.

“Shit,” I whisper.

The sirens grow louder.

Fang strides toward me, long steps eating the distance between us. “Change of plans,” he says, grabbing my arm not rough, but urgent. “We’re going to your room.”

“What’s happening?” I demand.

He doesn’t answer.

The sound of boots outside slams into the building there is too many, too coordinated. Red and blue lights bleed through the windows, flashing violently against the walls.

Police.

Human police.

Panic slams into my chest.

“Fang,” I breathe. “What did they do?”

His jaw tightens. “They crossed a line.”

The front doors shake under a heavy knock.

“POLICE! OPEN THE DOOR!”

Chaos erupts.

Someone curses. Someone growls. I hear glass shatter somewhere to my left.

Fang pulls me down the hall, shoving open my bedroom door and slamming it shut behind us. My room is simple, a bed, dresser, a few personal things Fang let me claim over the years. It smells like me. Like safety.

For now.

“What’s going on?” I whisper, heart hammering.

He grabs my face gently but firmly, forcing me to look at him. “Listen to me, you trust me, right?”

My throat tightens. “With my life.”

“Good,” he says. “Because I need you to do exactly what I say without arguing.”

The pounding on the front doors turns violent.

“Fang.”

He moves to the wall beside my bed and presses a hidden latch. The wall shifts silently, revealing a narrow doorway I’ve only seen a handful of times.

The safe room.

My breath catches. “No.”

“Rebel.”

“No,” I repeat, panic clawing up my spine. “I’m not hiding while they take you.”

He grips my shoulders hard. “You are surviving.”

The door to the clubhouse explodes inward.

Shouts fill the air. Commands. Threats.

“Fang!” I choke. “Please..”

He cups my face, forehead resting against mine and his wolf presses close, fierce and protective. “This was always a possibility,” he murmurs. “That’s why I built this.”

“I won’t leave you,” I say, tears burning hot behind my eyes.

“You will,” he says softly. “Because you’re stronger than you think.”

Heavy boots thunder down the hallway.

Fang turns me, guiding me backward into the safe room. “Once I close this,” he says, voice tight, “you do not open it. Not for anyone. Not unless you hear my voice and the code.”

My hands shake. “What if I don’t?”

His expression hardens. “Then you live.”

A crash echoes close and my door rattles.

“FANG!” someone shouts from outside.

He shoves me inside just as hands slam against my bedroom door.

“No,” I cry, grabbing his vest.

He leans down, pressing his forehead to mine one last time. “I love you, little wolf.”

The words shatter me.

Then the wall slides shut.

Darkness swallows me whole.

The sounds come muffled but terrifying there is yelling, snarls, metal clanking, bodies hitting walls. I press my hands over my mouth to keep from screaming, curling into myself as tears streak down my face.

I can hear Fang’s voice somewhere out there. Angry. Defiant.

Then I hear the cuffs the sound is unmistakable.

My chest caves in.

I sink to the floor of the safe room, knees pulled tight to my chest, rocking silently as my world falls apart outside the walls meant to protect me.

They found us.

They took him.

And I am alone again.

But somewhere deep inside, beneath the fear and heartbreak, my wolf lifts her head.

Waiting.

Because Fang never made promises he couldn’t keep.

And I know that this isn’t over.