INICIAR SESIÓNLaura’s POV "The council does not dictate who I protect," Ryder rasped, his voice dropping into a deadly frequency that vibrated straight through the stone floorboards.Before anyone could move, his hand shot to his belt, drawing his heavy silver blade and slamming it deep into the center of the council map…splintering the oak table clean down the middle."Laura stays under my roof," he growled, leaning over the cracked wood, his dark Alpha aura flaring so violently that even the torches along the walls seemed to flicker and dim. "Anyone who has an issue with that can step out into the courtyard with me right now and try to take my head. Otherwise, shut your damn mouths."Beta Vance remained silent, choking back his words as he adjusted his crumpled leather collar. The rest of the elders stood completely frozen, paralyzed by the sheer threat radiating from their Alpha. Not a single man dared to reach for his sword.Up in the dark gallery, I squeezed my eyes shut, pressing my back fla
Laura’s POV "Oh please, just stop already. I am definitely going to leave this room, and why would you even think that?" I said, slowly taking off Ryder's clothes I had worn earlier while I walked into the bath.She stood right behind me, scrubbing my shoulders slowly and helping me wash my hair while I waited for a response from her."Mira, I am still waiting.""I don't know, it's just there. It's obvious. And besides, I really wanted to also know what exactly he's talking about with the council members so I could even tell you about it. But he's being really secretive about this. He doesn't want any maids around, and it seems like he's trying to maybe bring down the council members, and he doesn't want any servant to see that happen," she said.I stood up immediately, not caring that I was naked. "Oh please, I have to be fast. Even if none of you guys can get near there, I have to….I have to know what he's planning. I can't be kept in the dark anymore."I was expecting her to rejec
Laura’s POV With that, he walked right past me, keeping me in a puzzled state.I stood glued to the cold stone floor, his words echoing over and over in my head like a relentless drumbeat. Ryder never actually does anything for any lady unless he's in love with her. My chest heaved as I stared down the empty hallway where Vance had vanished. It sounded ridiculous, completely insane given how brutal and unyielding Ryder was….and yet, every time he touched me, every time he bled for me, it defied everything I knew about him.I slowly backed into his chambers and shut the heavy oak door behind me. Before I could even cross the room toward the fireplace, the side door connecting to his washroom swung open.Ryder stood in the doorway, his broad, bare chest slick with water, a white towel low on his hips, and his wet dark hair sticking to his forehead. His gray eyes pinned me to the spot with lethal intensity."You're still standing," he growled, his voice a low, raspy rumble that made my
Laura’s POV The wet towel stopped dead against my skin. Ryder's hand locked around my raw wrist, his thumb resting directly over my racing pulse point, burning hot, unyielding, and heavy enough to keep me anchored right where I sat on his heavy oak bench. He didn't look up immediately. He just stared at the angry, inflamed rope burns circling my skin, his chest heaving with a slow, dangerous rhythm that filled the quiet bedroom. "I don't give speeches for an audience, Laura," he rasped, his dark voice dropping as low. It felt like a physical weight settling over my chest. Slowly, he tilted his head up. Those lethal gray eyes locked onto mine with an intensity that made the air in my lungs evaporate instantly. The firelight flickered across the hard planes of his jaw, highlighting the fresh smell of rain and mud still drying against his cheek. "When I mark a boundary," he added, his thumb rubbing a slow hypnotic cycle over my pulse, "I mean every single word that leaves my mouth."
Laura’s POV“You called me your woman,” I repeated, my voice cutting cleanly through the steady patter of the rain.Ryder froze. His large hand remained locked around my waist, his gray eyes darkening until…they looked like stormy skies. For three long seconds, he just stood there staring down at me, his jaw clenching so hard a muscle ticked sharply in his cheek.“Don’t overthink things, Laura,” he growled low, his raspy voice dropping. “I said what I needed to say to send those bastards running back to Ryan.”“Is that all it was?” I challenged, stepping half an inch closer despite the thick mud sucking at my boot. I wasn’t ready to just accept this light response. I had noticed one thing about Ryder, and that was the fact that he always avoided answers to important questions. “Just a tactic? Because it didn’t look like you were playing a game back there, Ryder. Answer me.”His lips parted, his dark brow furrowing as if he were actually searching for the words or fighting the instinct
Laura’s POVA sickening crunch echoed through the stormy night as Ryder's massive, shadow-black wolf slammed the captor into the mud. His razor-sharp jaws snapped shut around the man's throat before he could even squeeze out a scream. Blood sprayed across the wet leaves, mixing with the pouring rain. The two remaining men shrieked, scrambling backward in sheer terror as the gigantic beast let out a low, earth-shaking growl that vibrated straight through my chest.I sat there in the mud, my hands finally breaking free of the loosened rope, my heart thumping wildly against my ribs. I couldn't hold back the breathless, ragged laugh that bubbled up in my throat. I had told them. I had warned them.Slowly, right before my eyes, the colossal form shifted back. His werewolf form shifted back, his bones snapping and muscles realigning with terrifying, fluid speed until Ryder stood tall in the downpour. He was unbothered by the freezing rain, his scar-covered chest heaving with murderous adren







