Chapter 3

Ryker’s POV

Eight years. We spent eight long years away in the Highlands. We trained our bodies and our minds to take back the Silverfang Pack. I expected many things when I came home. I expected a big party. I expected the Beta to give me reports. I even expected some enemies to fight us.

I did not expect a girl in a leather jacket to kick open my doors and shoot me.

I felt the silver bullet hit my shoulder. It was a sharp, hot sting. It ruined my expensive suit. I did not fall. I did not even move. I just stood in the shadows and watched the smoke come out of her gun. My blood began to boil. My inner wolf was angry. He wanted to kill whoever was brave enough to attack a King in his own house.

"You should not have come back, Anna," Ronald said next to me.

The girl, Anna, made an angry sound. She looked like a wild animal. Her red lips were pulled back, showing her teeth. Her eyes were full of rage. I stepped into the light. I was ready to kill her with my bare hands. I wanted to see her look afraid before I ended her.

Then, something strange happened.

The air in the room became very heavy. It felt like a bolt of lightning hit my heart. It made my blood feel like fire. My wolf, who wanted to kill her a second ago, became quiet. Then he started to howl with happiness.

Mate.

The word was loud in my head. It felt like the Moon Goddess was screaming it. It shook my whole soul. I looked at Ronald. He looked shocked, too. His eyes were wide. He was smelling the air. She smelled like a storm in a forest. She smelled like everything I ever needed.

I looked at my shoulder. I touched the cut from the bullet. I put my fingers to my mouth and tasted my own blood. My golden eyes looked at hers. She was shaking now. Her gun hit the floor with a loud noise.

"You have a good aim, little wolf," I said. My voice was deep and scary, like a predator.

I was not angry anymore. I was interested. This beautiful girl had tried to kill an Alpha King. She was wearing leather that showed her curves. Her smell was making me go crazy.

The big doors opened again. Derrick, our acting Beta, ran in with six guards. They had their claws out.

"Alphas! I am so sorry!" Derrick shouted. He looked pale and worried, but I knew he was faking it. "This crazy girl escaped. She has no wolf, and she is trash. Guards, grab her! Take her away to be killed!"

The guards moved toward my mate. I started to growl deep in my chest. It was so loud the windows shook. I was going to change into a wolf and kill them for touching her. But Anna moved first.

She did not look at the guards. She did not look at me. She walked straight to Ronald. My brother is a King. Nobody tells him what to do. But he just stood there like a statue. She shoved her phone into his hand.

"Record this," she told him.

I blinked. I looked at Ronald. He is the Alpha King. But he just stared at her. He held the phone and actually hit the record button. He was doing what she said.

Anna turned around to face Derrick.

"You think I am trash, Derrick?" she asked. Her voice was cold.

"You are nothing!" Derrick said. He felt brave because the guards were there. "You are just a broken orphan. I only used you. You were good in bed, but Joanna is a real wolf—"

He did not finish. Anna’s fist moved fast. She punched him hard in the groin. He flew off his feet.

Derrick made a high noise and fell over. His face turned purple. But she was not done. She grabbed his hair and pulled his head up. She slapped him so hard it sounded like a gun. He spun to the ground.

"That was for the lies," she said.

She got on her knees over him and started beating him up. She punched his face and his stomach. She was full of rage. Derrick was the man running the pack for eight years, but now he was crying like a baby.

I watched her. I did not stop her. Ronald did not stop her either. The guards were shocked. They looked at us for orders, but I held up my hand. I wanted to see what she would do. She was amazing. She had no wolf, but she was beating a Beta in front of two Kings.

"And that," Anna said, giving him one last kick, "is for the rain."

She stood up and fixed her leather jacket. She looked at Derrick like he was gross. Then she walked back to Ronald. She grabbed her phone from his hand. She did not even say thank you. Ronald just stood there with his mouth open. He looked at her like she was a goddess.

"I am done with this pack," Anna said. Her eyes were like fire. "And I am done with all of you."

She turned around and walked out. Her boots made a clicking sound on the floor. I couldn't stop staring at her. I watched her hips move as she left. The smell of her strength stayed in the room. It made my wolf happy.

Derrick was still on the floor, holding himself and crying for help. I did not even look at him. He was pathetic. He had a diamond, and he traded it for a rock.

I looked at Ronald. My brother was still staring at the door. He looked very impressed. His Alpha energy was buzzing.

I leaned back against the desk and smiled. My shoulder hurt, but I felt great.

"Well, Ronald," I said. "It looks like coming home will be very fun."

My wolf agreed. We found her. She was strong, she was violent, and she was ours.

"I like powerful girls," I whispered.