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“Blakely,” Steph growled. “That’s enough.”

“No!” Blakely reached for her waistband.

Time seemed to slow down. I knew what she was doing, and why she had really come here. She didn’t care about Steph. She cared about finishing what she hadtriedto start. She couldn’t make herself shoot me that night in the woods, but maybe now, after a week to stew in her hatred, she was ready to do it.

Behind me, Steph roared.

I immediately whirled to face him. He couldn’t shift, not now, not when he was still healing—all the work the surgeons had done would be for nothing if the transformation ripped that wound open again.

The parking lot exploded into chaos.

Hawk launched himself forward. He crashed into Blakely, and she screamed as she hit the pavement. The doors to the hospital flung open and security rushed out, the nurses right behind them. Four armed security guards raced to Blakely and Hawk. One peeled Hawk away from her, another pinned Blakely face-down on the pavement, and a third grabbed the small pistol that had skittered out of her grip and across the sidewalk.

“No!” Blakely screamed as she thrashed in the guard’s hold. “Let me go! That bitch ruined my life. She ruined my entire life! I need to kill her! I need to!”

“Jesus,” I whispered. I’d never had such hatred and vitriol directed at me. And for what?

For daring to love my mate?

Steph wrapped his arms around me from behind. He kissed my temple. “It’s okay,” he whispered. “It’s over. She’ll get the help she needs.”

“Honestly, I feel like I don’t want her to get help,” I admitted. “I just want her gone.”

Steph nodded. “Me too. I’ll make sure that happens.”

Moments later, a police car arrived, and the Lakeview police helped the security guards. Then it was a different kind of chaos:cops talking to security, nurses with a stretcher, and Blakely screaming until they sedated her. All I could do was watch as she was dealt with and Hawk spoke to the police.

Finally, an officer came over to me and Steph. “Miss Founty?” the officer said.

“Yes, that’s me.”

“I hear you were the one this woman was threatening with the gun?”

Steph’s arms tightened around me. I nodded. “Yes.”

“If you’re pressing charges, we’ll need to take a statement,” the officer said.

“Right. Yes. I’ll be pressing charges.”

“Good,” Steph said.

“Wait here,” the officer said. “I’ll be back shortly to take your statement.”

A weight lifted off my heart, and it felt like I could finally breathe again. The officers handcuffed Blakely to the stretcher and wheeled her into the hospital.

I turned around in Steph’s arms and wound my arms around his neck. There was a small frown on his face, and gold specks gleaming in his eyes. “What?” I asked. “Don’t look so upset.”

“Blakely just tried to kill you,” he growled. “Again. Of course I’m upset.”

I stood on my tiptoes and kissed him gently until I felt his frown melt away.

“And now it’s over. It’s finally, truly over. She’s gone, Steph.”

He exhaled heavily and buried his face in the crook of my neck. I loved it when he did this—when he held onto me like I was something precious, like I was the only thing that could keep him grounded. I scratched my nails over his nape fondly and felt him shiver against me.

“We can move on with our lives,” I whispered.

“Finally,” Steph sighed. “Thank you, Harley.”