19: Welcome to My World

The wolf is the size of a small car and it’s standing between me and Rhys and my brain is trying to process the fact that there’s a fucking wolf in the penthouse that just came through the window like it’s a goddamn action movie except this is real and I can even smell the thing,.

Rhys moves and he’s so fast I don’t even see him leave my side, one second he’s there and the next he’s slamming into the gray wolf with enough force that they both go crashing through the coffee table and glass explodes everywhere.

Two more wolves are climbing through the shattered window and I’m backing up and my hands hit the floor and there’s glass everywhere, I feel it slice into my palms but the pain is distant because one of the wolves is looking directly at me with eyes that glow yellow and its lips pull back showing teeth that are way too long.

I hear fabric ripping and bones cracking and when I look back at Rhys he’s got the first wolf pinned and his hand is around its throat except his hand isn’t a hand anymore, there are claws where his fingers should be and his eyes are pure gold and he squeezes and I hear the snap.

The wolf drops and Rhys is already turning toward me and the second wolf that’s stalking closer and I watch his back muscles ripple under his shirt and then his shirt tears completely as his spine arches and oh god he’s shifting right here right now and I can’t look away.

His body convulses and I hear more bones breaking and reshaping and his skin splits and golden fur erupts across his shoulders and back and his face elongates and his teeth grow and his hands and feet change and where my boss was standing there’s now a wolf the size of a fucking horse.

The golden wolf’s fur catches the light from the city outside and it’s beautiful in the most terrifying way possible and those eyes are still gold, still somehow Rhys even though everything else about him is pure predator.

The second wolf lunges at me and I grab a shard of glass off the floor like that’s going to do anything but the golden wolf intercepts mid-air and they collide.

The third wolf circles around trying to get to me while the golden wolf is occupied. I’m scrambling backward and my back hits the wall next to the hallway and I’ve got nowhere else to go.

The golden wolf’s jaws close around the second wolf’s throat and there’s so much blood, it sprays across the white walls and the hardwood floor and coats the golden wolf’s muzzle and chest. The wolf drops and doesn’t get back up.

The third wolf sees this and tries to run back toward the broken window but the golden wolf is already moving and it catches the gray wolf by the back leg and I hear the snap from across the room.

The gray wolf yelps and tries to crawl away with its broken leg dragging and the golden wolf follows at a walk like it has all the time in the world and I should close my eyes but I can’t because I need to see this, I need to understand what I’m dealing with.

The first wolf, the one with the crushed throat, suddenly lurches back to its feet and lunges at the golden wolf from behind and the golden wolf spins and its paw connects with the gray wolf’s head with enough force that I hear the skull crack and the wolf flies sideways into the entertainment center and the whole thing comes down on top of it in a crash.

The third wolf with the broken leg makes it to the window and gets halfway through before the golden wolf grabs it by the scruff and drags it back inside and I watch as those massive jaws close around the back of its neck and twist.

The golden wolf drops the body and stands there in the middle of the carnage breathing hard with blood dripping from its muzzle and coating its front legs and chest and the entire penthouse smells like copper and something else, something wild that makes my hindbrain light up with fear.

Then those gold eyes lock on me and I stop breathing because what if he doesn’t recognize me, what if that thing looking at me right now is all wolf and no Rhys.

The golden wolf takes a step toward me and I press harder against the wall even though there’s nowhere to go and another step and I can see blood on its teeth and another step and it’s close enough now that I can feel the heat radiating off its body.

“Rhys?” My voice comes out as barely a whisper and I’m shaking so hard my teeth are chattering.

The wolf’s ears flatten against its head and it leans forward and presses its massive head against my stomach and I feel that same electric shock shoot through me.

I reach out with a trembling hand and touch the fur on top of its head. It’s softer than I expected and still warm. The wolf makes a sound that’s almost like a whine before it pulls back.

I watch as the golden fur recedes and the massive body shrinks and when it’s over Rhys is on his hands and knees naked and covered in blood that’s not his.

He’s breathing hard and his whole body is shaking and there’s blood coating his hands and chest and face and dripping onto the floor beneath him.

I kneel down next to him and glass cuts into my knees through my skirt but I don’t care and I reach for his shoulder.

“Don’t touch me.” His voice is rough like he’s been screaming. “Not while I’m covered in their blood.”

“I don’t care about the blood—”

“You should.” He finally looks up at me and his eyes are gray again but there’s something feral still lurking behind them. “You should be running out that door right now and never looking back.”

“Well I’m not.” I keep my hand on his shoulder and feel the electric spark even though his skin is slick with blood. “So you’re stuck with me.”

He stares at me like he can’t figure out if I’m brave or just stupid and honestly I’m not sure either.

“Are you hurt?” I’m looking him over trying to see if any of the blood is his.

“No.” He pushes himself up to standing and I try so hard to ignore the fact that he is naked. I forced my gaze to stay on his face. “They are not strong enough to hurt me.”

There’s no arrogance in the statement, just fact, and something about the cold certainty in his voice makes my breath catch.

The door bursts open and Kade runs in with four other men I’ve never seen before and they all stop short when they see the carnage.

“Fuck,” Kade breathes and he’s staring at the three dead wolves and the destroyed penthouse. “Viktor’s?”

“Check them.” Rhys is already walking toward the bedroom and I watch the muscles in his back flex as he moves.

Kade crouches next to the nearest wolf and pulls back its front leg and I see a symbol carved into its chest, three parallel lines that look like claw marks.

“That’s Viktor’s mark.” Kade stands and looks at Rhys who’s emerged from the bedroom wearing sweatpants slung low on his hips, still covered in blood.

“Of course.” Rhys’s voice is flat and cold. “He’s declaring war.”

“If he knows about her then this is just the beginning.” Kade glances at me and there’s something like pity in his expression. “He’s going to keep coming.”

“Let him come.” Rhys’s eyes flash gold for just a second. “I’ll kill every wolf he sends until he gets the message.”

“Or until he sends enough that you can’t kill them all.” One of the other men speaks up, he’s got dark hair and a scar running down his left cheek. “Viktor’s pack is hundreds strong, you can’t fight them all.”

“Watch me.” Rhys looks at the man and even I can feel the Alpha power radiating off him. “I’ve done it before, Zach, I’ll do it again.”

“That was different,” Zach says but his voice is quieter now, more careful. “You didn’t have a human mate to protect back then.”

The words hang in the air and Rhys’s hands clench into fists at his sides and I watch the tendons in his forearms stand out.

“Get them out of here.” Rhys gestures to the dead wolves. “I want them dumped on Viktor’s border with a message”

“What message?” Kade asks.

“Tell him—” Rhys pauses and looks directly at me and there’s something dark and possessive in his expression that makes my pulse race. “Tell him if he ever try to touch what’s mine again I’ll burn his entire territory to the ground.”

The temperature in the room seems to drop and the other men all shift uncomfortably and I realize this is what an Alpha looks like when someone threatens their mate, this is the real Rhys Blackwood and he’s absolutely terrifying.

“Kade, take her away while we clean this up.” Rhys still won’t look away from me. “She doesn’t need to see this part.”

“What? No—” I stand up too fast and nearly slip in blood. “I’m not leaving you—”

“You’re leaving right now.” He still won’t look at me. “Kade, take her somewhere safe.”

“Rhys—” I try to move toward him but Kade steps between us.

“Come on,” Kade says gently and his hand is on my elbow trying to guide me toward the door.

“Let him handle this.”

“I’m not going anywhere—”

“NOW, Kade.” Rhys’s voice has that Alpha command in it that makes my knees want to buckle.

“Let go—”

Kade’s grip on my elbow tightens and he’s stronger than he looks because he’s pulling me toward the door and I’m trying to fight him but it’s useless.

“Sorry,” Kade says and he actually sounds apologetic. “But when he gives me a direct order I have to follow it.”

We’re at the elevator and I’m still trying to pull away from him when Rhys calls out “Kade.”

We both turn and Rhys is standing in the middle of his room covered in blood and he really looks at me for the first time since he shifted back and

there’s something final in his expression.

“Take her to the mansion,” he says. “It’s time the pack met their future Luna.“​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​