Page 12 of Shifting Hearts

TWELVE

Unbreakable

Paris

T he morning after the bond feels different.

The air tastes sharper, and the sunlight feels warmer. Every breath I take hums with him inside me, every beat of my heart synced to his. Ranger is sprawled beside me on the furs we dragged back into the cabin after the forest, his hand heavy on my waist, his bite fresh and burning on my throat.

I should be exhausted. Instead, I feel alive. Whole. Complete for the first time in my life. Finally at peace.

But peace doesn’t last.

The knock on the door comes just before noon, sharp and demanding. Ranger stiffens instantly, his claws half-shifting as he scents the air. His lips curl in a silent snarl.

I smell it a second later and my stomach cramps with the painful memories the scent brings.

Gabriel.

The bond inside me snarls, my panther rising with rage.

Ranger is already on his feet, shirtless, scars and muscles bared, his grey eyes glowing with the storm that always lives inside him.

He throws the door open with a growl, and there Gabriel stands.

With his perfect fucking hair and that damn smug smile I hate so very fucking much. His eyes widening when they land on me.

“Paris,” he breathes, like I’m some miracle he almost lost. “You’re alive. I’ve come for you. I want to bring you home where you belong.”

Ranger laughs. Dark and dangerous, the sound curling around me. “You’ve come for her? After what you did, you think she’d want you?”

Gabriel ignores him, stepping forward like Ranger isn’t even there. His gaze drags over my throat, over the mark still red and raw where Ranger claimed me and his face twists with distaste.

“You let him fucking touch you?” He questions. His voice is sharp and angry. “You let him mark what was mine.”

I stand, bare feet planted, my head held high. “I don’t belong to you, I never did. You lost any claim to me the moment you rejected me.”

His jaw tightens, his eyes flicking between us. “I was wrong, Paris. I see that now. I was…. angry. I didn’t want you as my mate, but I’ve realized I was wrong. I made a mistake. But we’re mates. We can still….”

Ranger moves with stealth and precision.

In the blink of an eye, he’s between us, his body a wall of fury, his snarl vibrating the floorboards. “Say one more word,” he growls, claws sliding free, “and I’ll rip your fucking throat out.”

Gabriel sneers, but I see the flicker of fear he tries to hide. Still, he tries to hold his ground. “You can’t just claim her. I was her fated mate first. That bond….”

“The only bond she has,” Ranger cuts him off, his voice low and deadly, “is with me. I marked her and she marked me back. She is mine for as long as she’ll have me. But know this, if you try to touch her,” His fangs snap together with a click. “You won’t leave this cabin alive.”

Silence falls between us, heavy and suffocating.

I step forward then, pressing my palm to Ranger’s back, letting the bond hum through us both. He glances at me, the storm in his eyes softening for me alone.

Turning my gaze on Gabriel, I let every ounce of strength, of fire, of my new wholeness shine through. “You don’t get to come back now that you realize what you threw away. I’m not broken anymore. And I’m not yours. I never was.”

Gabriel’s face hardens, his pride crumbling into fury. “You’ll regret this,” he spits, before spinning on his heel and storming into the woods.

Ranger watches him go, every muscle tight, ready to chase.

But I curl my fingers into his, tugging him back. “He’s not worth it,” I whisper. “You are. We are.”

His storm-grey eyes drop to mine, still burning with possessive fire. “If he comes back….”

“He won’t.” I press my forehead to his, the bond thrumming warm and whole inside me. “And even if he does, it won’t matter. I’ll never let him take me from you.”

His snarl fades into something softer, but no less fierce. His hands grip my waist, his voice a low vow against my lips.

“Forever, Paris. You’re mine. Forever.”

And this time, there’s no doubt. No fear. No running.

Only us.

Unbreakable.