CHAPTER FIVE

HUNTER'S POV.

Rage burned through my veins as I shoved him off me and climbed to my feet.

My rage was hot, wild, and uncontrollable.

He got up as well, completely disregarding my presence, and turned back to Hope. “Hope, listen to me, please. Look at me, Hope—”

Rage blinded me.

How dare he touch her again?

The moment Derek leaned toward Hope again, intent on claiming what he had already lost, something inside me snapped. I did not think. I did not hesitate. My body moved on its own.

One second he was reaching for her.

The next, my hand was around his throat, tighter this time.

I slammed him against the wall of the morgue over and over again, so hard that the paint cracked behind him.

“I said, get away from her!” I growled. "What part of the word 'No' don't you understand?!"

His claws dug into my wrist, but I did not loosen my grip. He was strong. I could feel it. He was an Alpha. But his strength meant nothing to me in that moment.

Hope stepped back, her eyes wide.

“Hunter,” she whispered.

But Derek’s pride was louder than her voice.

He shoved against me and broke free, his eyes glowing with anger. Before I could react, he lunged at me again, shoving hard.

This time we crashed through the hallway doors.

I could hear people shouting around us.

Nurses screaming.

But I barely acknowledged them.

All I heard was my wolf roaring inside my head.

“Mine.”

All I cared about was protecting her.

Derek’s fist slammed into my jaw. I tasted blood. I hit him back twice as hard. He staggered but did not fall.

We fought down the hallway, knocking over chairs and tables. He shifted partially, claws extending. I felt my own claws push through my fingers.

Power surged through me, hotter than fire.

We burst through the hospital doors and into the open pack grounds. Wolves gathered around us. Gasps filled the air.

“Alpha Derek!”

"What is going on?!"

“Someone, stop them, they're going to kill each other!”

But no one dared step between us.

Each punch carried grief. Anger. Pride. Loss.

He had lost his mate.

He had lost his child.

But that did not give him the right to touch Hope, especially when she had already made it clear that she did not want him touching her.

He came at me again. I blocked him, twisted his arm, and threw him hard onto the ground. The earth cracked beneath him.

My wolf roared louder.

And then it happened.

A sudden surge exploded inside my body, out of nowhere.

Heat rushed through my veins like fire. My vision blurred. For a second, the world around me disappeared.

Instead, I saw flashes.

A throne.

Dark stone walls.

A crown.

Chains.

My chains.

My heart pounded violently.

What was that? Where did those images come from? What did they mean?

Was I remembering?

Who am I?

The power almost overwhelmed me.

Then—

“STOP!”

Her voice cut through everything—both the chaos and the strange vision.

Hope.

I turned my head to look at her.

She was standing there, her face pale, her eyes filled with horror as she looked at me.

Blood covered my shirt. My lip was split. My knuckles were torn.

She looked scared.

Not of Derek.

Of me.

That hurt more than his punch. For some reason, the mere thought of her being afraid of me scared me more than anything else. I did not want her afraid of me—not for any reason in the world.

For a moment, Hope and I stared at each other in silence, and I held my breath, tense and worried.

Then she did something that shocked and surprised me—something I did not expect.

She stepped in front of me.

Protectively.

Like I was the one who needed saving.

Warmth spread through my chest, and I slowly let out the breath I had been holding.

“Enough!” she snapped.

Derek stood slowly, breathing hard. His eyes were wild, but he did not move forward.

Hope turned to him.

“I didn’t come here for this, Derek,” she said clearly. “I came for the burial, and after that, I’m leaving immediately.”

The words felt like victory. I could not help the satisfaction that spread through me as they left her mouth.

She was choosing to leave him.

Again.

Derek’s jaw tightened. “You don’t mean that,” he growled. “You can’t be serious, Hope. You can’t leave me again—not when I just got you back. I won’t let you. I’ll make you change your mind.”

A deep growl rumbled from my chest.

If she had not been standing there, I would have snapped his neck and been done with it.

I meant it. I did not care if he was an Alpha or the Moon God. If it were not for my fear of scaring Hope all over again, I would have ripped his throat to shreds and faced the consequences later.

Hope did not even look at him. That gave me a little comfort.

She reached back and took my hand.

Her fingers slid between mine like it was the most natural thing in the world, and the contact sent electricity up my arm.

“Come,” she said softly. “Let’s go.”

And I followed her.

I did not hesitate. I did not ask where. Wherever she wanted me, I would go—no questions asked.

I would follow her anywhere.