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Knowing she was tired of it, that she was done being nothing but a piece for some human male to move around on a game-board, convinced me enough that sheneededto see me end them.

The air outside the cave carried the scent of human sweat, steel, and fear. I heard the males long before they neared—footsteps crunching over fallen leaves and branches, armor shifting, and their whispered orders and updates to one another betraying their location.

The humans still searching for her knew my mate was in this area when she disappeared last night, but they’d soon learn the grave mistake their actions had caused.

They believed they could take her from me.

The thought was downright laughable.

We hid in the shadows of the cave’s opening, with Geraldine behind me. Torchlights flickered beyond the entrance, moving closer, illuminating their forms against the night. They couldn’t see me, but I could see them clearly.

My lips curled back in a silent snarl. I flexed my claws, rolling my shoulders, and felt the coiled power within me stir, that primal beast inside more terrifying than the monster I was on the outside.

And it was even more dangerous, now that I’d mated my little human, formed that unbreakable, life-altering, and coveted bond, and she was actively being threatened.

Geraldine stiffened behind me, her breathing uneven. Fear, sharp and bitter, tainted the air around us, and I hated that she felt it at all. I turned my head and glanced down at her. “Are you certain you want to see this?” I asked low and so only she could hear.

She nodded. “They won’t stop,” she whispered, her voice trembling. “My father—he won’t stop.”

I bared my fangs, my voice a guttural promise when I said, “And neither will I, little one. This ends here and now.”

I faced forward again, seeing the males were closer now. A dark growl rumbled from my chest, deep and primal, echoing outward as a warning to all who heard it. I stepped forward and exited the cave. The air shifted with the raw aggression pouring off of me.

When the humans saw me, they hesitated. I could smell their unease. It was sour, putrid in my nose.

“As children, you were told stories of me by your parents before bed,” I reminded them, my voice dripping with savagery. “And yet, here you are.” I felt my little mate’s gaze on me like a physical touch, but she stayed hidden in the shadows. I wouldn’t let anyone close enough to even know she was here.

“The beast,” one of them whispered, his tone full of fear.

Another recoiled. “The nightmare they always whispered about… standing right before us.”

Their hushed prayers to a god who would ignore them fell from their lips.

But there was a third male… one who feigned strength and courage with his body language. He gritted his teeth, gripping his sword, but said in a voice that betrayed his fear, “The king commands his daughter be found.” He cleared his throat. “No matter what… obstacles we face.”

Heat curled in my gut at the thought of anyone taking her away from me. Their blood would paint the stones, trees, and all the flora in the forest.

The humans unease grew. The moments stretched, tension on the verge of snapping.

I bared my fangs, rolling my shoulders, and anticipated who would make the first move. This would be over far too quickly.

They would obey their king. They would try to take her. And it would be the last thing they ever did.

My claws curled and relaxed, sharp and ready. My voice was a dark, unshakable promise when I growled, “Who will be the first to die?”

I moved before they could decide to retreat, stepping from the shadows of the cave into the moonlight. Geraldine stayed, but her presence was a steady weight behind me. She did notflee despite knowing what was going to happen. Instead, she watched.

The first human barely had time to cry out before my claws tore through his throat. Blood splattered, hot and thick, painting the ground in deep crimson that looked black under the moonlight. The others stumbled back, their torches shaking.

Fools.

Their swords shook as their fear took root, but it wouldn’t save them. They lunged, but I was faster. My claws shredded through armor as if it were tissue, ripping through flesh and severing limbs. Their screams filled the night and made me hungry for more. All I could think about was them wanting my mate.

I relished their terror, fed on it, and let it accelerate my fury. They had come to take what was mine. Now, they would die for it.

I tore through them without hesitation, several more coming out from hiding behind the trees. But I’d known they were there, their breathing loud and obnoxious and giving away where they cowered.

My fangs found throats, and my claws gutted them like animals. I bathed in their blood, tipping my head back and roaring out as pure primal pleasure claimed me.