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Sean’s frown deepened. Shit, maybe hedidthink that.

“She bested you, and now I’m taking her home. Tomyclan.” I gripped the folder and ripped it cleanly in half. Both my dragon and I were relieved—even though it was part of the plan, handing over the clan to Sean would’ve been beyond painful. Now, I had my mate back, and I hadn’t put my clan at risk.

The older goon in Rome’s headlock pushed ineffectively at the young enforcer’s arm. “You can still take Lakeview, Sean!” the guy shouted. “Challenge that asshole!”

I glowered at my brother. “Sure can. If you want Lakeview so bad, take it from me. Take it right now.”

Sean bared his teeth. His dragon flashed behind his eyes, and his fangs lengthened.

I bared my teeth right back.Challenge me.Do it.My dragon could feel his, right at the surface. Familiar, yet so unfamiliar. If he challenged me, I could end this right now, just as I’d planned.

Sean clenched his twitching hands into fists and took a small step back.

I growled at him, and Sean suddenly broke eye contact, his gaze dropping to the ground in submission.

He was afraid.

Hawk dropped the kid he had pinned, and Rome shoved the other goon back, too. “This is over,” Hawk snapped. “We’re taking Harley back to Lakeview.”

I took a step forward, rage still bubbling inside me.

Who the fuck cared that he hadn’t issued a challenge? He’d still kidnapped my mate. Threatened my clan. Threatened myson. Suddenly, I didn’t give a shit about who Sean had been before. This dragon was no longer my brother. This dragon was nothing but a threat, and if I didn’t end it now, he would keep terrorizing me. Keep terrorizingus.

My alpha hungered to protect my clan. Protect mymate.Even if that meant killing Sean right now.

“Ace.” Hawk strode to my side and squeezed my shoulder. “You know we’ve got your back, but you said you wanted to do this with honor.”

Honor.

A challenge was honorable.

Mauling my brother in front of my mate was not.

My dragon’s rage lowered to a simmer. My human senses came more to the forefront, and I remembered what Hawk had said. How afraid he’d been—how he thought challenging Sean would change me and awaken something dark inside me.

If challenging him didn’t, murdering him in cold blood definitely would.

I bared my fangs at Sean one last time. “If you really think you can take Lakeview from me—like a man, not a coward—then you know where to find me.”

I turned my back to Sean and strode back to our cars. That was a true show of disrespect. I didn’t even fear him enough to keep my eyes on him.

It wasn’t over, but for now, I had my mate and my clan. When Sean came to challenge me for the role of alpha, I’d be ready to take him down for good.

I opened the back door of my Cadillac and slid into the backseat.

Harley frowned at me and scooted back until she was pressed up against the door. She was putting space between us. I didn’t like it, but I’d respect her need for distance. She looked like she’d been through hell. Her gorgeous, wavy hair was dull and limp. Deep, dark circles ringed her eyes, and her clothes were sweat-stained and dirty. More than anything, I wanted to pull her into my arms and take away her pain.

“Are you all right?” I asked gently.

“Of course not,” she snapped. “I was kidnapped and left alone in a shitty dark room for days to be a pawn in your stupid beef with your brother.”

I didn’t deny it. How could I? “Did he hurt you?”

She sighed and pushed her hands through her hair. “No. No one touched me.”

Relief crashed through me. At least there was that. If Sean or any of his goons had laid a finger on her, I’d burn this compound to the ground, with no thought about what that would do to me or my clan.

Part of me still wanted to do that.