51

51

(Tyler’s POV)

I shifted back at the edge of the clearing behind the packhouse, forcing my breathing to steady. My fur was matted with blood, not all mine, but it didn’t matter. I had to look human again, look like her mate, not the monster who’d just torn Jaxson’s wolves apart with his teeth.

I pulled on the spare pair of sweats we kept in the emergency stash outside the back porch. They stuck to the cuts along my ribs, but I ignored it. The packhouse lights glowed warm and steady, a lie against the chaos beyond these walls.

When I stepped inside, I found Kate in the dayroom where I’d left her. She was pacing, arms wrapped tight around herself, Micah hovering nearby trying to calm her down. The moment Kate saw me, she stopped cold. Her eyes flicked over me, the blood, the bruises and her breath stopped.

“Out,” I said to Micah. He hesitated, but one look at my face and he slipped past me without a word, pulling the double doors closed behind him.

Kate didn’t move. Neither did I. The only sound was her heartbeat too fast, too sharp.

“Are you hurt?” she demanded finally, her voice cracking on the words.

“Not enough to matter,” I said. I wanted to touch her but she flinched when I took a step forward. I stopped. The rejection sliced deeper than any claw or tooth tonight.

“You said you’d keep me safe. You promised,” she said, her voice shaking now, tears in her eyes that she tried to blink away. “You didn’t say I’d have to watch you kill people. You didn’t say you’d burn my house down to draw them out…”

How did she find out about the fire? “I didn’t burn your house down!” I snapped too harshly, too loud. She recoiled, and I forced my voice lower. “Kate, look at me. That was Jaxson. He’s trying to break us to scare you, make you run. He wants you alone so he can get to you. That fire wasn’t me. I would never.”

She wiped at her tears with the back of her hand, but more fell. “And that man you caught you’re going to torture him, aren’t you? That’s what you do. You fight, you kill, you tear things apart.”

I closed the space between us in two strides before she could step away. I didn’t touch her yet but I forced her to meet my eyes.

“I will do whatever it takes to protect this pack,” I said, voice low, steady. “Whatever it takes to keep you alive. If that means fighting, I’ll fight. If that means killing, I’ll kill. If that means holding some bastard in a cell until he tells me who set your house on fire? I’ll do that, too.”

Her chin trembled. “And me? Where does that leave me?”

“Right here,” I said, finally reaching out. I took her hands and she tried to pull away, but I didn’t let her. I brought them to my chest, pressing them flat over my heart so she could feel it hammering for her and her alone.

“Right here with me,” I said, softer now. “I know you didn’t choose this life, Kate. I know it’s ugly. But it’s mine. And now it’s yours, too because I can’t do any of this without you. You are the only thing that keeps me from turning into exactly what you’re afraid of.”

Her eyes searched mine, wild and lost. “I don’t know if I can do this, Tyler. I don’t know if I can be… this Luna you want me to be.”

I brushed my thumb over her knuckles, stained with dried tears. “Then don’t be a Luna tonight. Just be mine. Let me hold you. Let me breathe you in. And tomorrow, I’ll fix this. I’ll fix all of it.”

For a heartbeat, she didn’t move. Then her shoulders sagged like something inside her cracked open and she stepped forward. I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her in so tight I could feel her heartbeat matching mine, even through the fear.

“I’ve got you,” I whispered into her hair, shutting my eyes against the burning in my chest. “I’ve got you, and I’m not letting go.”

Outside, I could hear my warriors regrouping. I could hear Camerin’s mind-link pulsing at the edge of my thoughts, waiting for orders. But right now right here none of it mattered.

Right now, there was only her. And as long as I could keep her safe, there was nothing I wouldn’t do.

She softly spoke, “Before you do anything else tonight. I want to see my house. See if my cat made it out. Will you do this for me?”

“I need a moment, then I will take you,” I didn’t hesitate. She nodded and I mind-link with Camerin. I ordered him to debrief the warriors and prepare the prisoners for interrogation. I needed to take Kate to check on the house. “Whatever you need, Alpha.” was all he said. I took a hold of her hand and we walked out of the packhouse to my truck. Not a word was said.