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Sterling bared his teeth.He was about to lose his temper and make a mess of things.Enough was enough.I beat him to it.“Sterling has worked tirelessly to build his own legacy.One that is separate from his family’s past.He’s not defined by their actions, and to imply that he is guilty by association is a witch hunt.If you’re looking for a scandal, you’re looking in the wrong place.Now, if you’ll excuse us, we have work to do.”

A flicker of pride flashed in Sterling’s eyes.He took my hand, giving it a gentle squeeze as we pushed through the crowd.Once inside, Sterling pulled me aside.“You were amazing.”

Was I?Now that we were out of the spotlight, I could feel my heart racing.“I don’t know what came over me.”

For a moment, I thought he might kiss me right there in the crowded office lobby.His thumb traced my jawline, but before I could respond, his phone rang.My cheeks flushed with heat as the spell was broken.

“Sterling,” he barked into the phone.His expression hardened as his eyes flicked over to me before he hung up.

I frowned.“Is everything okay?”

Sterling was already guiding me to the elevator.“It’s Dean.He’s waiting for us upstairs.”

We found Dean in Sterling’s office.A cardboard box sat on the desk.“She’s making a move.This was delivered to my place an hour ago.”

I looked on curiously as Sterling tore it open.His expression darkened as he pulled out the shredded soccer jersey.It was black and green, his old team’s colors.I could barely make out the number 9 under the blood stains and the large gashes.There was something else inside the box under the jersey.I peered around Sterling and gasped.It was one of my notebooks.Rafe must have taken it when he tore apart my hotel room.Like the jersey, it was covered in dried blood and looked like it had been gnawed on by a rabid dog.

Sterling slammed the jersey into the box and threw the whole thing across the room.“Fucking bitch is threatening Ariel too.”

Dean shook his head.“It’s not just threats.Mother’s got your scent.You know how she gets once she has her jaws on something.”

My stomach twisted.

Dean’s eyes flicked from me and then to his brother.“You know what you have to do.There’s no way out unless you end this for good.”

I froze at his words.“What does that mean, Sterling?”

The muscle in his jaw ticked and he paced the room twice before stopping.“I’m not going to let her dictate this for me too.”

Dean scoffed.“You don’t have a choice, little bro.Mother won’t back down unless you make it clear that Ariel is under your protection as your mate.”

“Mate?”I whispered.

Sterling’s eyes snapped to mine.The raw emotion in his gaze knocked me back.It was feral, possessive.

I wasn’t completely sure what being the mate of a wolf involved, but at that moment, I knew that I was willing to risk it.“I’ll do it.Dean’s right.You can’t keep playing defense.The ball’s in your court now, Sterling.”

He stopped pacing.For a moment, he just stared at me with an unreadable expression.Then, just as I was going to ask him if I had toilet paper stuck to my forehead, he crossed the room in two strides.He cupped my face.“You’re impossible, you know that?”

I managed a shaky laugh.“So I’ve been told.”

His gaze dropped to my mouth.One heartbeat, and then the next, he kissed me.It was desperate.The kiss of a starving man who finally got to take in all the emotions he had been too afraid to admit to.His hands tangled in my hair as he pulled me closer and held my head in place for his mouth to plunder.It was all desperation and teeth, and weeks of pent-up restraint finally snapping.I clung to him, my fingers digging into the lapels of his shirt.All of my senses were drowning in Sterling.The fierceness of the kiss left me breathless and when we finally pulled apart, my heart was pounding and my lips were tingling.

Sterling rested his forehead against mine, his breath landing in warm puffs against my cheeks.“I’m not letting you go,” he murmured.“Not now.Not ever.”

Dean cleared his throat, breaking the moment.“As touching as this is, we’ve got a problem to solve.She’s not going to wait for you two to declare your love to the world.”

Sterling exhaled sharply.His grip on me tightened for a moment before he reluctantly stepped back.“Right.What’s our move?”

Dean’s gaze flicked between us, his expression grim but resolute.“Hit her where it hurts.Her reputation.Her power.We expose the family.”

“But how?Everybody knows about the Nightfangs, but nobody has ever been able to pin anything on them.”

A slow, calculating smile spread across Dean’s face.“I’ve been collecting evidence for years.Bank records, encrypted communications, even a few phone calls she thought were private.It’s enough to bury her if we time it right.”

Sterling’s eyes narrowed.“You’ve been planning this.”

Dean shrugged.“Call it a contingency plan.I always knew she’d come for one of us eventually.”