Page 12 of Billionaire Wolf Needs a Maid (My Grumpy Werewolf Boss #6)

DEAN

After our talk about the mate bond, I insisted that Nina take the day off to process everything. She needed time with her sister, who always seemed to ground her. Even through our new bond, I could sense her emotional exhaustion.

"Go see Max," I told her, brushing my thumb across her cheek. "Let him show you his latest superhero drawings. Clear your head."

Nina started to protest, but I silenced her with a kiss. "The penthouse will survive one day without you. Jenkins will make sure I eat."

"Indeed," Jenkins chimed in. "Though I cannot guarantee the organizational systems will remain intact in Ms. Sorenson's absence."

That earned a laugh from Nina. She left shortly after, promising to return tomorrow with a clearer perspective on everything. From the security feed, I watched her get into my car and my driver take off, all the while trying to ignore the wolf's displeasure at letting our newly marked mate out of our sight.

I threw myself into work, attempting to distract both man and wolf from Nina's absence. Everything was fine until mid-afternoon, when the security alerts flashed across my monitors, each one sending fresh waves of rage through my system.

"Jenkins, status report," I growled, trying to focus through the red haze of fury.

"Multiple breach attempts detected across all major servers, sir. The attack pattern suggests insider knowledge." Jenkins paused, his artificial voice carrying genuine concern. "Sir, you have an incoming call from Lars."

My heart dropped to my stomach. There was no reason for Nina's driver to call me unless something had happened. "Patch him through," I commanded.

"Mr. Nightfang, we have a situation," Lars said, his voice tense. "Ms. Sorenson's car was intercepted en route to her sister's. I tried to intervene, but they took her, sir."

My blood ran cold. Through our newly formed bond, I reached for Nina, seeking that warm, comforting sensation of her presence. Instead, I found fear, sharp and metallic, like blood on my tongue.

"Who took her, Lars?" I snarled, my fangs already threatening to emerge.

"It was your brother, sir. Mr. Mitchell seems to be involved as well, sir," Lars continued. "I overheard them mentioning a plan to use Ms. Sorenson to force your hand in some business matter. I'm sorry, sir."

"You did well, Lars," I managed to snarl, even as the wolf fought for control. "Get back here. We need all hands on deck."

I ended the call and turned to my monitors, pulling up the GPS tracker I'd installed in Nina's phone. "Signal lost near Mountain Creek Road," Jenkins said. A map appeared, but I could barely focus through the red haze of fury. My fangs had fully descended, cutting into my lip as I fought to maintain enough human consciousness to think. They were taking her to an old hunting cabin up in the mountains near Paradise Peaks. It was an old Nightfang family property, a place I knew all too well.

A roar of pure, murderous rage tore from my throat.

My mate. They took my mate.

The wolf was beyond reason now, clawing to get out, to hunt, to slaughter. The mahogany conference table lay split in two, papers scattered like fallen leaves across the marble floor. My computer monitors were broken and cracked on the floor. My designer chair had become a twisted heap of leather and chrome in the corner. The wolf's rage still thundered through my veins, turning every heartbeat into a war drum demanding vengeance.

"Jenkins, prepare the chopper. I'm going after her."

"Sir, your heart rate is dangerously elevated. Dr. Wu's protocols—"

"Damn the protocols!" I roared, my voice barely human. "They have my mate, Jenkins. Nothing will stop me from getting her back."

My phone buzzed, and Sean's message with the photo of Nina tied up was nearly my undoing. The screen shattered in my grip, glass shards embedding in my palm as my vision went completely red. The wolf's bloodlust merged with my own rage until there was no separation between man and beast. Only the all-consuming need to destroy everyone who had dared to harm what was mine remained.

The phone buzzed again with a new message. "Your company or your mate. Choose wisely."

My roar shook the windows. Glass cracked beneath the force of my fury as I fought to maintain human form. They would die screaming. I would paint the mountains with their blood.

I stormed to the elevator, the wolf clawing at my insides, desperate to break free. It wanted out, to hunt, to kill. But I couldn't lose control. I had to think clearly. Nina's life depended on it.

As the elevator ascended, I reached out through our bond, trying to send Nina comfort, reassurance. I'm coming, Nina. Hold on.

The helicopter was ready on the rooftop landing pad, blades already spinning. The chopper lifted off, the city skyline shrinking beneath us as we headed for the mountains.

I felt Nina's fear, her determination, and her trust in me. It fueled my resolve, pushing the chopper faster, harder. The landscape below blended into a green blur as we tore through the sky.

As we approached the cabin, I saw two SUVs parked outside. I landed the chopper a safe distance away, out of Rafe's range of hearing. I jumped out, the wolf's predatory instincts taking over as I ran towards the cabin.

I could scent them all. Rafe, Sean, and Nina. Their emotions hung heavy in the air. It was a mixture of greed, anger, and fear. My mate's fear was a razor slicing through my heart.

I crept closer. Through the trees, I caught fragments of conversation.

"Your brother's gotten soft," Sean said. "All that technology, all that power, and he falls for a human maid?"

"The mighty Dean Nightfang, brought low by a pretty face." Rafe's laugh held no warmth. "Though I have to admit, she is delectable."

Fury built in my chest as I crept closer. Nina sat exactly as she had in Sean's photo, but her expression wasn't one of defeat. Even bound and surrounded by enemies, she held herself with quiet dignity. Her eyes scanned the cabin, taking in details, looking for weaknesses. My clever, brave mate.

"He'll come for me," she said, her voice steady despite her racing heart. "And when he does, you'll regret this."

"Oh, we're counting on it, sweetheart." Rafe dragged a claw down her cheek, drawing a thin line of blood.

The scent of Nina's blood shattered the last threads of my control. Sean's next words froze me in place.

"The moment he shows up, the virus I planted will activate. Everything he's built will crumble. His precious technology will become a weapon against the very people he swore to protect." Sean's smile was cruel. "And it's all thanks to your security clearance, my dear. Amazing what access a maid has these days."

Nina's eyes widened in horror. "No."

"Yes," Rafe purred. "Big brother's fatal flaw, caring too much. About his company, about protecting humans." He grabbed Nina's chin roughly. "About you."

The building pressure in my chest reached critical mass. My humanity warred with the wolf, each second of forced control an agony.

Nina's voice cut through my turmoil, clear and strong despite her fear: "You're wrong about him. Caring isn't weakness. It's what makes him stronger than either of you will ever be."

Pride and love surged through me, strengthening rather than weakening my resolve. She believed in me. Not just the wolf, not just the billionaire, but all of me. And I would not let her down.

The emotions coursed through our bond like liquid fire, burning away doubt. My mate truly saw me, not as separate halves but as one being worthy of her trust. The wolf, usually so intent on violence, purred at her acceptance. So many of our kind had spent centuries viewing our dual nature as a curse, yet she made it feel like a gift.

I stopped into view. "Let. Her. Go."

"Right on schedule," Sean smirked, pulling out his phone. "One message, and everything you've built burns."

"Did you really think I'd leave my systems vulnerable?" I took another step forward, feeling the change ripple beneath my skin. I held my thumb on my phone screen, activating it. "Jenkins, execute Protocol Phoenix."

Through our bond, I felt Nina's confusion shift to understanding. She'd spent months organizing my files - she knew what Protocol Phoenix meant. Everything backed up, everything locked down, everything Sean thought he could access reduced to ashes and reborn somewhere secure.

"You think you can win this?" Sean's voice wavered slightly. "One woman's life against your entire empire?"

"You never understood, Sean," I replied, letting my fangs show. "Everything I built, every system and safeguard, it was always to protect people like her. Without that purpose, the empire means nothing."

"No!" Sean's phone sparked and died in his hand.

"You're not the only one who can plant a virus." My smile was all fangs. "The moment you accessed our systems, you gave us access to yours. Everything you own, everything you've stolen, it's already being transferred to federal authorities."

"Always the hero, aren't you, brother? Always thinking you're better than us?" Rafe snarled as he shifted into his wolf form. The words came out slurred and garbled as his mouth changed. His fur was darker than mine, but he was smaller. Weaker.

"Not better." My voice distorted as bones began to crack and reform. "Just done letting you hurt the people I love."

The rage erupted from my core like molten steel, my spine cracking and elongating as the change ripped through me. Tendons snapped and reformed, muscle fibers tearing apart to restructure around a new skeletal frame. My jaw dislocated with a wet pop, teeth pushing through bleeding gums as they elongated into deadly fangs.

Claws burst from my fingertips, my hands contorting and crushing inward as paw pads emerged from splintering bones. My ribcage expanded with sickening cracks, lungs reforming as my internal organs shifted and realigned. Fur pushed through my skin like thousands of needles, each hair burning as it erupted in waves across my transforming body. The pain was excruciating, yet welcomed. Each broken bone and torn muscle brought me closer to the form I needed to protect my mate. My shoulders split and reformed, front legs twisting as my spine curved.

When the transformation was completed, I stood, towering over Rafe, silver fur bristling along my massive frame. My jaws, powerful enough to crush bone, dripped saliva as I fixed my amber eyes on my brother's throat. Time to end this.

Through red-tinted vision, I saw Nina's eyes widen, not in fear, but in awe. Even now, facing my most primal form, she didn't look away. Through our connection, I felt not revulsion at my changing form, but a fierce pride and determination. Her fear remained, yet it wasn't for herself. She feared for me, for what my brother's betrayal must be doing to my heart.

"My God," she whispered. Wonder colored her voice. "You're magnificent."

Sean sneered. "Don't be impressed, sweetheart. He's still the same weak loser." He held a gun up to her temple.

Nina's glare could have cut him to pieces. "The only weak one here is the coward who had to kidnap someone because of his shady business dealings."

With a roar that shook the cabin's walls, I lunged for my brother's throat.