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Chapter Twenty-One

L ina

The scent of the male shifter who held me now filled my awareness: a grounding and heady mix of spice and earthiness, conjuring memories of warmth and want. My heart thundered in recognition.

Stephen.

Heart-stopping relief flooded me as I realized he’d come through for me.

Even though I’d told him I didn’t need him, even though I’d refused to tell him anything about my plan, he’d come.

For a moment, I remembered Stephen telling me, “I want revenge, Darlin’, but for a long time now, I’ve wanted you even more.

” And without realizing it, I stilled in my struggle against him, the wash of his scent settling into my lungs and deep into my bones.

“What are you doing here?” Magnus bellowed, his voice tight with rage that echoed off the concrete walls, reverberating through my bones.

“We chased off the Boden lot and secured the warehouse, Alpha,” Stephen answered coolly, his deep voice steady and resolute as it flowed over me.

His grip on my wrists was firm—a mixture of protection and restraint that sent tremors of both comfort and fear through me.

I could feel his heartbeat, steady and strong—a stark contrast to the panic igniting my veins.

“I saw Lina’s tracker on the move and followed her here. ”

Had he seen Betty and my mom? They were in the shadows of the room beyond, their forms barely moving, with Betty tucked tightly into my mom’s chest. My mom’s silvery, bowed head caught the light. He’d seen them, right? He knew the stakes were higher than just our own lives, right?

The longing to tell him that Betty was here washed through me like a tide, but saying anything would break his cover. And that was the only lifeline we had right now. Each beat of my heart quickened as the tension in the air built like a storm, heavy with foreboding.

Magnus’s calculating gaze raked over me. Then, it moved upward, scrutinizing Stephen with a predatory intensity that made me shiver. I felt exposed beneath Magnus’s brown stare, yet even with Stephen’s grip tightening, the mate bond in my chest sang that I was safe.

“Your timing is perfect,” Magnus said, a thin smile curling his lips, dark and chilling. “We’ve caught the culprit behind the Boden attack. Lina Silvermoon is the mastermind behind it all. She’s the owner of Luna Remedies and the one who has cost our company millions.”

Stephen’s fingers bit into my wrists as he pulled me tighter against him, and a cry escaped my lips.

I could sense his handsome face twisted with wrath, the muscle ticking dangerously in his jaw.

Yet, even as I screamed in pain, I knew he was doing what he must to maintain his cover, to give us both a fighting chance of survival.

I struggled to bite back my cry, knowing the conflict raging within him would be excruciating.

“I want you to execute her, Stephen,” Magnus announced, the words chilling as they settled in the air—a sentence that constricted around my chest like a vice.

Deep, visceral fear seized me. I knew Stephen wouldn’t, but his cold voice sounded close to my ear.

“Yes, Alpha,” he answered, the flatness of his voice brimming with suppressed rage.

The hairs on the back of my arms stood on end, sensing the ominous shift in the atmosphere—the air heavy with impending violence.

Before I could process what was happening, Stephen’s grip loosened just enough for me to feel the devastating weight of the frightful choice he was making.

In an instant, he shoved me with violent force to the floor.

I crashed against the cold, hard ground, pain exploding in my arm, elbow, and knee as the breath was knocked out of me.

Stephen was shifting, and a fresh wave of panic clawed up my throat as I scrambled onto my hands and knees, my eyes stinging with pain and confusion, trying to blink back the sting of painful tears.

“Lina!” My mom shouted.

“Mommy!” My heart splintered at the sounds of Betty’s sharp and desperate cry, cutting through the chaos, too. The rawness and terror in my daughter’s voice pierced my heart. I wanted to tell her to look away, to keep her safe from this horrible nightmare.

But I had no time. My gaze snapped toward the claws that belonged to Stephen’s massive grey wolf, leaping through the air on powerful limbs toward me.

My heart flew into my throat, instincts screaming that this ferocious beast was about to kill me.

But just as he reached me, Stephen pivoted. With a primal growl reverberating through the air, he lunged for Magnus.

In that instant, the Alpha shifted. Magnus’s bones cracked, flesh morphing into fur as his own wolf leaped to meet Stephen—the clash of alpha against his heir.

Magnus’s age was evident in the silver streaks of his coat, yet his form betrayed the power that came with his long-held title—every muscle rippling with raw authority and fury.

The rest of the room erupted into violence simultaneously.

Carson, stationed just outside the door where my mother and daughter were held hostage, transformed into his wolf, eyes burning with a fierce intent to protect his alpha.

A savage growl rolled from his jaws as he charged toward Stephen, too.

But suddenly, the Blackthorns weren’t the only wolves in the space.

My breath hitched as wolves poured in through the garage door, their totem marks gleaming across their spines, a tribal banner of resistance against Magnus’s rule. Hope surged back through my veins, swelling and warming me from within. Stephen had brought reinforcements—his rogue wolves.

They streamed through the open space of the facility, zeroing in on the Blackthorn wolves circling the edge of the room.

I caught glimpses of their fierce, determined faces amid the chaos, the sight igniting a fervor I had not anticipated.

The blend of ferocity and loyalty was intoxicating, dissipating the darkness Magnus had cast over us for too long.

My heart raced as my gaze shot toward Betty and my mother, still visible through the door. Betty struggled to untie her grandmother’s bound hands, her small face etched with determination and fear.

My protective instincts ignited—heavy and fierce.

I have to get to them.

As I edged around the fighting wolves, I stole fleeting glances at Stephen, who stood his ground against Magnus’s hulking form, teeth snapping dangerously close to his son’s flank. Each rush of their jaws and rake of their claws threatened to distract me.

Yet, in the midst of my panic, I couldn’t help but admire Stephen’s formidable strength.

His wolf was a majestic embodiment of the power he wielded.

His grey coat shimmered in the fading light, muscles rippling beneath the surface as he moved with assured confidence.

Every move exuded a powerful resolve, a clear declaration of his commitment to protect our daughter and me, alongside an unwavering intent to take Magnus down.

In that moment, confidence surged through me.

I knew he’d come through for us. That certainty in him allowed me to focus on my mother and daughter.

Darting toward the edge of the room, I dodged rippling muscle and fur, weaving between Magnus’s guards, who erupted from the shadows, snarling at the rogues. My heart raced as danger pulsed around me, but my focus thrummed with necessity—I needed to reach my family.

With one final push, I reached the door that separated me from my mother and daughter.

“Lina!” My mom gasped with relief.

“Mommy!” Betty’s voice lifted like a prayer amidst the chaos swirling around us, hope etched on her face.

“Keep her safe, Mom!” I shouted, determination surging through me.

I dashed at the door, shoving it closed.

The memory of my mother’s fierce protectiveness during my mate ceremony all those years ago, closing the hall’s door on me, shielding me from our enemies, echoed through me now.

It was my turn to protect her and my daughter.

A strange sense of comfort enveloped me, making me feel as if fate were on my side.

With that thought and all the fierceness of a mother’s love, I shed my white bridal dress and transformed into my wolf—bones cracking, muscles reforming under the weight of instinct.

Clarity enveloped my senses, honing my resolve to guard my pup and my mom with every ounce of strength and breath in my body.

As my consciousness melded with my wolf, I felt her ferocity course through me. A massive Blackthorn wolf—a muscular brute with a dark grey coat and savage, hungry eyes—lunged for me, his claws glinting menacingly.

I barely dodged his attack, rolling to the side as he crashed into the door I’d just closed. The rush of adrenaline spiked through my system, transforming my fear into raw power and igniting my instinct to banish him away from my family.

When I sprang to my feet, I met the Blackthorn wolf head-on. There was no time to hesitate. I launched myself at him with a primal growl.

Teeth bared, the Blackthorn wolf lunged for my throat, his jaws snapping with lethal intent. I twisted and dodged, narrowly escaping. Pain jolted through me like fire as he scraped my side with ferocious claws. My wolf’s growl intensified, a fusion of pain and fury as he turned back to face me.

We collided—teeth and claws snapping together. My instincts sharpened as I maneuvered, finding my footing and dodging his blows. My heart raced, muscles propelling me forward, until finally, adrenaline fueled every sinew as I sank my teeth into the scruff of his neck.

With a howl that echoed off the walls, I pinned him down, needling my fangs into his shoulder with a ferocity that surprised me.

The world around me faded as instinct drove me forward, my focus narrowing to the need to protect what mattered most. His growls transformed into whimpers as I claimed my victory, and he shrank away from me, keeping his belly low to the ground and cowering.

I turned my gaze back to the center of the room, the blur of the two greatest wolves locked in battle igniting my heart with dread and uncertainty clawing at my mind.

One of them landed a decisive blow on the other’s flank, and a howl tore through the air—a sickening and haunting sound that shattered the chaos surrounding us.

My stomach dropped as dread unfurled inside me.

Please let it be Magnus.

But with the two still entwined in a flurry of motion, I couldn’t tell if it was Stephen or Magnus who had been injured. The thought twisted into my gut, an icy grip constricting around my resolve.

No, it can’t be Stephen. Please, it can’t be Stephen.

Time seemed to stretch, the roar of the battle fading as I concentrated on their movements, praying that my mate would emerge unscathed.

And, at that moment, when I didn’t know whether he’d won in the deadly dance we’d been engaged in for so long with Magnus, I realized that I’d been wrong.

I did need him. Every fiber of my body and being ached with need for him.

I ran toward the blur, protectiveness surging through my veins, preparing to defend the man I loved with everything I had.