3 - NAOMI'S POV

The whole pack hall went totally silent the exact second the word left his mouth.

I froze in place while my brain tried to process what Matteo just said to Azriel.

I stared at the broad back of the man standing right in front of me and I could not believe my eyes.

I had not seen Matteo Russo in five years because Azriel banished him from the territory.

The last time I saw him he was just a skinny teenager bleeding on the cold stone floor of the root cellar.

I used to sneak down the wooden stairs at midnight to bring him stolen bread and bottled water.

Azriel used to lock him down there for days just for speaking out of turn or defending his friends.

Now Matteo was a massive enforcer towering over everyone in the room.

His black tactical gear stretched tight across his broad shoulders and his thick chest.

He shifted his stance on the marble floor so he could keep his silver combat knife pointed directly at Azriel.

As he moved his stance his heavy arm brushed softly against my own shoulder.

Bright sparks of heat jumped right across my skin the exact second our clothing touched.

The sudden warmth rushed straight down my spine and confirmed the mate bond was absolutely real.

Azriel stared at the silver blade pointed at his chest and his face turned a dark shade of purple.

His jaw dropped open and his eyes widened in pure shock because he never expected anyone to challenge him today.

"What did you just call her?" Azriel demanded in a harsh and breathy whisper.

"You heard me," Matteo replied in a low and steady voice.

"She is my wife," Azriel shouted back at him while he pointed at my face.

"You just stripped her of her title and you took her ring," I reminded Azriel from behind Matteo.

"I took your rank away so you could learn a lesson about respect," Azriel argued loudly.

"You severed the bond in front of the elders and you gave the ring to Kailani," I pointed out the facts so the room could hear me.

Kailani squeezed Azriel's arm tight and she looked at Matteo with wide and terrified eyes.

"You cannot claim her," Kailani stuttered nervously while she tried to hide behind Azriel again.

"I do not need your permission to claim my own mate," Matteo told my sister without even looking at her face.

"This is a trick," Azriel yelled at the elders sitting at the long wooden table.

Elder Thomas stood up from his chair and he nervously rubbed the back of his neck with his hand.

"The mating laws are very clear on this matter," Thomas said quietly because he was afraid of Azriel.

"Shut up and sit down," Azriel ordered the older man without any hesitation.

Thomas immediately dropped back into his wooden chair and he kept his mouth firmly closed.

"Matteo is a rogue and a trespasser," Azriel announced to the crowded room.

"I am the lead enforcer for the Bloodhand pack," Matteo corrected him so the crowd would know the truth.

"You are standing on Crescent Moon soil with a drawn weapon," Azriel said as he tried to sound intimidating.

"I will gladly put the weapon away if you step back and leave my mate alone," Matteo offered calmly.

"I am going to kill you," Azriel threatened while his chest heaved up and down.

"You are not going to kill anyone," I told Azriel because I knew he was a coward in a real fight.

"You stay out of this," Azriel snapped at me before he turned his attention back to Matteo.

"She is involved in this because you grabbed her wrist and you bruised her skin," Matteo said while he kept the knife raised.

"I can do whatever I want to her because she lives in my house," Azriel claimed.

"She is moving out of your house tonight," Matteo answered smoothly.

"She is not leaving until she gives me the passwords to the human bank accounts," Azriel demanded.

"I already told you that you are never getting those passwords," I added from my spot behind Matteo.

Kailani stepped out from behind Azriel and she crossed her arms over her chest.

"You are being selfish," Kailani whined at me while she stomped her foot on the marble floor.

"I am protecting the money I earned for this pack," I explained to her.

"The money belongs to the Luna and I am the Luna now," Kailani declared proudly.

"You are wearing a silver ring but you do not know how to run a pack," I told my sister honestly.

Azriel pointed a shaking finger directly at Matteo's face and he ignored my argument with Kailani.

"I want him out of my hall right now," Azriel screamed at the top of his lungs.

Nobody moved to help Azriel because they were all terrified of the silver knife in Matteo's hand.

"Are you all deaf?" Azriel yelled at his own guards.

The four Crescent Moon guards looked at each other in sheer panic because they did not want to fight a Bloodhand enforcer.

"Julian," Azriel roared as he singled out the captain of the guard.

Julian flinched and he gripped his wooden baton tighter in his sweaty hands.

"Do your job or I will lock you in the cellar too," Azriel ordered the captain.

"You cannot order an execution in the main hall during a ceremony," I yelled at Azriel.

"I am the Alpha and I said execute this trespassing bastard right now," Azriel ordered his men again.

Julian swallowed hard and he raised his wooden baton high into the air so his men could see the signal.

"I am sorry," Julian whispered as he took a hesitant step forward.

"You do not have to do this, Julian," I tried to warn him because I did not want him to get hurt.

"I have orders from my Alpha and I have to follow them," Julian replied sadly.

The other three guards followed Julian and they rushed toward us across the marble floor.

They moved fast because they were terrified of disobeying Azriel and facing his punishments.

My combat training took over my mind instantly as I watched them approach.

I spent years practicing defensive maneuvers with the border patrols because Azriel always refused to hire enough guards to keep us safe.

I knew exactly how Julian fought because I wrote his training schedules myself.

I bent my knees to lower my center of gravity and I raised my fists in front of my face.

I stepped forward out of sheer habit because my first instinct was always to protect my people.

I tried to step directly in front of Matteo to shield his body from the incoming wooden batons.

I wanted to intercept Julian before he could swing his weapon at Matteo's head.

"I will handle Julian," I told Matteo quickly as I moved forward.

"Stay back," Matteo commanded me in a firm and deep voice.

He did not even look behind him to see what I was doing.

He moved with incredible speed for a man of his large size and heavy build.

Matteo dropped his silver knife to his side and he reached out with his other hand.

He wrapped his heavy arm tightly around my waist before I could step past him.

His grip was firm but he was very careful not to squeeze my ribs too hard.

He pulled me firmly backward and he tucked me safely behind his solid back.

I stumbled a little bit but I caught my balance against his tactical vest.

"Do not move from this spot," Matteo ordered me over his shoulder as the guards closed in on us.

Julian lunged forward and he swung his wooden baton aimed directly at Matteo's head.

Matteo did not dodge or back away from the incoming strike.

He simply raised his free hand and he caught Julian's wrist right in mid-air.

Julian gasped loudly as the baton stopped just inches away from Matteo's face.

Matteo twisted Julian's wrist until the wooden baton dropped harmlessly onto the stone floor.

In the exact same continuous motion Matteo reached forward with his heavy hand.

He caught the guard directly by the throat and he lifted him an inch off the ground.

"Tell your men to drop their weapons before I snap his neck," Matteo told Azriel.