Alpha Jason’s POVThe night air was still heavy with the stench of violence. My knuckles throbbed faintly, though I ignored the sting. Pain was nothing new—what lingered was the weight of fury that had driven me to strike again and again, until Gunner lay sprawled like broken glass on my floor.I stood in the middle of the hall, my chest rising and falling with deliberate calm, while my men waited in silence. The heavy doors had only just been slammed shut, cutting off the faint echoes of Gunner’s groans as he was hurled into the darkness.“Listen carefully,” I said at last, my voice low but sharp enough to command every ear. My gaze swept across the guards lined against the walls. “That man does not set foot into this house again. Not tonight, not tomorrow, not ever. If he dares approach, if he so much as breathes on this land again, you drive him back. With whatever force necessary.”A chorus of firm acknowledgments followed, each one a vow sealed in the silence that came after.I e
Anna’s POVI sat quietly at the edge of my bed, my hands pressed gently against my stomach, feeling the faintest movement of life stirring within me. My breathing had steadied, though a strange heaviness weighed on my chest. I had been trying to ignore it all evening, pretending the air wasn’t as tense as it felt, but it clung stubbornly, refusing to let me rest.The room was silent, save for the occasional creak of the walls or the distant whisper of the night breeze. My window was cracked open, allowing the silver glow of the moon to slip through and scatter across the polished floor. The light was cold but comforting, a reminder that the world outside kept moving, even when my heart wrestled with uncertainty.And then I heard it.At first it was faint—muffled sounds rising from downstairs. A dull thud, a sharp crash, followed by the unmistakable growl of male voices locked in confrontation. My spine stiffened immediately.“What is happening…?” I whispered under my breath, straining
Gunner’s POVEverything happened too fast for my mind to fully register.One moment I was standing in that suffocating living room, the air heavy with Alpha Jason’s presence, and the next my fists were swinging, my teeth bared, my wolf urging me to tear him apart.The sound of flesh colliding echoed like thunder, my knuckles driving toward his jaw. But before I even felt the satisfaction of impact, his hand shot up, impossibly quick, and caught my fist mid-air.The sheer force of his grip froze me. My eyes widened. He didn’t even flinch. His expression remained calm, almost bored, as though stopping my full-force strike was no more than swatting away a child’s toy.A sharp crack followed—my wrist twisting as he shoved it back. Pain shot up my arm, and I staggered, my balance slipping. Instinct screamed at me to lash out again, and I obeyed. My other hand came swinging forward, claws halfway unsheathed.But again, he was faster.Jason moved like a storm contained in a single man, preci
Alpha Jason’s POVI leaned back against the cushioned chair, watching the scene unfold before me with a patience I did not feel. Gunner’s face was crimson, his eyes wild with unrestrained fury, his hands trembling as if they itched to tear something, anything, apart. And yet, to me, it was entertaining. Too entertaining.A corner of my lips tugged upward. This is the man who dares claim Anna? I thought to myself. Unrefined, impulsive, wholly at the mercy of his rage. A wolf who has no command over his emotions is nothing but a danger to himself.But still… it amused me to see how far he would go, how much he would expose of himself, all for the girl resting quietly upstairs.My guards had already sensed the shift in tension, their boots grinding against the marble floor as they moved. With each forward step they took, Gunner mirrored it, closing the space between us as though the entire room belonged to his temper. The sight of it only sharpened my smirk.“Careful,” I muttered under m
Matteo’s POVI swallowed hard at the response given. My throat felt dry, as though I had swallowed a handful of gravel, and yet there was nothing I could do to stop the feeling that crawled up my chest.In that very moment, I could already see it—my dead corpse lying on the polished floor of this house.I knew Gunner’s limits. Or rather, his lack of them. He was quick to ignite, reckless when provoked, and he hardly ever thought twice when his temper took over. This time was no different. He had snapped, almost forgetting entirely that this wasn’t his territory, not his home, not his grounds to dictate or demand. He acted as though he were still the one in control, but we both knew he wasn’t.My eyes darted sideways, studying Jason, watching him with caution.He didn’t react. Not a flinch, not even the tightening of his jaw. His expression remained calm, composed, almost relaxed—as though Gunner’s rash behavior was nothing more than a passing breeze. And yet, my senses screamed otherw
Alpha Jason’s POVI had them seated in the living room, the glow of the chandelier dim but still bright enough to cast long shadows against the walls. I had ordered one of the maidens to bring wine and food, not because I felt they deserved it, but because it was the manner of a gentleman—and I was no less.They had accepted, albeit stiffly, neither of them showing the slightest interest in the fine glasses set before them. Their bodies were here, but their minds were restless, perhaps trapped in the storm of reasons that had brought them to my doorstep.I folded my hands together and leaned back slightly. “To what do I owe this unexpected visit?” I asked, tone calm, measured, and void of any visible hostility. “Surely all is well?”Matteo shifted, his shoulders rolling back awkwardly as though trying to straighten a spine that had long lost its strength. A groan slipped out of him, faint but audible. He nodded once, curt and unsure. My eyes did not miss it, nor did I miss what came a