All Chapters of The Wolf behind the desk : Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

The rage was a secondary sense. I felt the physical recoil of Rian’s muscles swelling, the coat ripping, and the terrible, beautiful power of the Abyss tearing its way to the surface. But because I was bonded, I felt the rage first—a blinding, hot necessity to destroy anything that threatened me.I held my hand flat against his sweat-slicked, hardening back. The silver-gray tracing of the new bond flared black beneath my palm. I was the switch. I was the throttle.“Hold the line, Mate! We fight our way out!” Rian’s voice was a distorted echo, half-snarl, half-command.He was magnificent and terrifying. A creature of raw power caught halfway between man and beast. The first wolf he crushed dropped instantly, its life extinguished by a single blow. The third wolf, seeing the fate of the first, hesitated.Marcus Blackwood, now fully alert and furious, roared a command. “Zev! Kill the mongrel! Take the female!”Zev, flanked by the red-haired woman and another Alpha, lunged forward.My foc

The woods were a jagged, screaming maze of shadow and sound.I ran purely on adrenaline and the cold, unfeeling clarity provided by Zev's suppressant. The drug had stolen my panic, but it had left me weak and acutely aware of the danger.Behind me, the savage sounds of the fight—Zev's roars and the snarls of the Iron Lotus wolves—faded quickly.I ran toward the smaller, black wolf that had saved me. It was Zara, Zev's twin sister, Rian's loyalist, and now my highly suspect protector.She led me deep into the tangled underbrush. She didn't look back to ensure I was following; she expected it. Her movements were silent, fast, and economical—pure efficiency.After five minutes, she stopped abruptly beneath a massive, ancient oak tree. She shifted, the familiar, sickening sound of cracking bone and tearing clothes muted by the thick forest floor.Zara stood before me. She was younger than Zev, with the same dark, intense eyes, but her features were softer, less severe. She was wearing on

The hand searched closer. It wore a platinum ring.Rian’s voice was agony. “I am bleeding. I cannot hold the control!”The bond screamed fear. My mind fought the paralyzing fear. I had to choose. The bond warned of danger. Rian was the danger.I chose the warning.I pulled the knife back. I drove the point into the metal support beam inches from Rian's searching hand.Clang. The sound was sharp. It echoed under the rusted deck.Rian instantly withdrew his hand. A guttural sound replaced his whisper. It was not human. It was a stifled snarl."Elara! What are you doing!" His voice was ragged. He was fighting the shift."Don't move," I hissed. My voice was low. It was desperate. "The bond warns me. You are compromised."I heard frantic movement above us. The mercenaries stopped setting the explosives."Did you hear that?" a man shouted. "Sounded like metal."Rian knew I had alerted the enemy. His terror for my safety overrode the shift."Mercenaries," he stated. His voice was now straine

I shook Rian hard. "Wake up! The wound is poisoned!"Rian did not stir. He was completely out.I was alone. The cursed station was silent. I looked at my arm. The black line of the bond pulsed violently. It fought the toxin. It was losing. His blood was turning black.I had less than two hours.I had to move. I moved quickly.I lit a cigarette lighter. The small flame illuminated the rotting room. I needed supplies.I searched the perimeter. The station was abandoned. It was mostly junk and rust.I found a stack of old fishing gear. I pulled out thick, unused nylon twine. I found a rusted fishing knife. It was sharp. I needed a needle. I found a large, curved needle used for net repair.I returned to Rian. He was heavy. He was burning with fever. The black fluid oozed faster from the wound.I needed to extract the poison. I could not use the bond. The bond was fighting. It was failing.I needed to cut the wound. I needed to let the toxin drain.I needed something sterile. There was

We slammed into the thick trees. The impact was brutal. We tumbled down the rough, rocky embankment.Rian rolled over me. He shielded my body with his own. His weight was massive. It pressed the air from my lungs.The station collapsed behind us. The sound was a final, deafening crash. It sent a plume of dust and pulverized concrete into the morning air.We were alive. We were concealed.Rian’s arms tightened around me. He was panting. He was bleeding from new cuts on his face. He pulled back slightly. He scanned my body for injuries."That was not a human ability," Rian gasped. "You stabilized the structure. You controlled the matter through the bond.""What does it mean?" I asked. My voice was a shaky whisper. I felt drained.Rian's eyes were fixed on the smoke rising above the cliff edge. He saw the shadow of Blackwood approaching the ruins."It means," Rian whispered, his voice dark with absolute necessity, "you are a weapon. And you are dangerous to yourself."He pulled me up. He