Page 29 of Stripe for the Picking (Paranormal Dating Agency #92)

"Please." Arvox's laugh was ugly and grating. "Anyone with a pulse and half a brain cell could see it. You two didn't exactly hide it these past few days—the way you look at each other and the protective hovering, not to mention that shiny new engagement ring on her finger."

Should have protected her better.

"Your little mate bond ruined everything," Arvox continued, his voice rising with petulant fury. "My plans were working perfectly until this bitch stepped foot on our planet seven days ago. A decade of meticulous planning, and she disrupted it all with her brilliant little mind."

How dare he call my mate such an offensive name.

"Your plans?" Rylan inched closer, his muscles coiled like springs. "You mean the cyber attacks? The sabotage at the Trials?"

"Oh, it's so much more than that. I was so close to taking control of Nexus, then all of Nova Aurora.

You were the only thing standing in my way, but I had it handled.

Years of manipulation, strategic failures designed to discredit you.

.." Arvox's grip tightened on the rifle.

"Then she arrives and suddenly you're unstoppable.

The perfect partnership, the completed mate bond—it was like watching my life's work crumble to ash. "

Wren's voice cut through the tension, steady despite the gun pressed to her skull. "So basically you orchestrated everything. The recent cyber attacks by the hacker syndicate, a decade of sabotage at the Protocol Trials, Prince Zarik's attack on Rylan yesterday."

"Clever girl." Arvox's smile was poisonous. "Too clever for your own good."

Rylan felt his shift beginning, his bones starting to elongate beneath his skin. Using their mate bond, he pushed a single, desperate thought toward Wren: When I move, tuck your chin down and roll right.

Her almost imperceptible nod told him she understood.

"Here's what's going to happen," Arvox continued, oblivious to their silent communication. "You're going to tell the Council that all your evidence was fabricated. That you had a personal vendetta against me and convinced your little human pet to help frame me."

"Like hell I will."

"Oh, I think you will." Arvox's finger caressed the trigger. "Because the alternative is watching your mate's brains paint this warehouse floor."

Rylan's patience shattered like glass against stone. Arvox's words echoed through his skull, and something primal and savage erupted from his core. His tiger demanded blood, demanded justice, demanded the death of anyone who dared threaten his mate.

No more games.

In one fluid motion, his bones cracked and elongated, muscles expanding with violent speed.

His shift was faster than he'd ever managed before as pure fury and protective instinct stripped away every vestige of human control.

A five hundred pound black and gold death machine emerged—fangs bared and claws extended like curved daggers.

Wren tucked her chin down exactly as he'd instructed, her trust in him absolute even with a rifle pressed to her skull. His tiger form launched forward in a thunderous leap, targeting the legs of her chair with surgical precision.

The impact was devastating. Arvox staggered backward, his grip on the rifle faltering as Wren's chair crashed to the concrete floor. She rolled right, perfectly behind a concrete pillar, still bound but alive and out of the immediate line of fire.

Arvox's rifle skittered across the warehouse floor, metal scraping against stone.

The Prime Minister's face contorted with rage as his own shift began—bones snapping and wolf features emerging with vicious speed.

His ice-blue eyes blazed with murderous intent as gray fur sprouted across his expanding frame.

The two predators faced each other across the debris-strewn floor, energy crackling between them like lightning. Arvox's wolf form was impressive—nearly as large as Rylan's tiger, with powerful haunches and razor-sharp fangs. But Rylan felt no fear, only the white-hot thrill of the hunt.

This ends now.

They circled each other with deadly grace, claws clicking against concrete, muscles coiled for explosive violence. Shattered glass crunched beneath their paws as they maneuvered for advantage, the destroyed chair and scattered debris creating a treacherous battlefield.

Arvox lunged first, his wolf form moving with desperate fury. Rylan dodged with fluid grace, his tiger instincts reading the attack before it fully developed. He countered with a massive paw swipe that caught Arvox across the ribs, sending the wolf tumbling into a pile of rusted metal.

Too slow. Too predictable.

The wolf recovered quickly, snarling as blood matted his gray fur. He feinted left, then struck right, his fangs seeking Rylan's throat. But Rylan's enhanced reflexes and years of tactical training gave him the edge—he twisted away from the killing bite and raked his claws across Arvox's shoulder.

Through their completed bond, he felt Wren's fierce courage bolstering his strength.

Her unwavering faith in him burned like a flame, fueling his determination to end this threat permanently.

She wasn't cowering behind that pillar—she was watching with the steady gaze of a warrior, ready to act if needed.

My brave, fierce mate. She deserves a man who can protect her.

Arvox's desperation made him sloppy. He charged with abandon, wolf instincts overriding strategy.

Rylan met the attack head-on, his tiger form rising on hind legs to catch the wolf's momentum and redirect it.

They crashed together in a blur of fangs and claws, rolling across the warehouse floor in a deadly embrace.

But Rylan's superior size and calculated precision began to tell. Every strike landed with devastating accuracy while Arvox's wild swipes found only air. The wolf's breathing grew labored, his movements sluggish.

In the final exchange, Arvox made one last desperate lunge for Rylan's throat. Rylan sidestepped with feline grace and struck with all the power in his massive frame. His claws found the sweet spot between skull and spine, and Arvox's wolf form went limp instantly.

The warehouse fell silent except for Rylan's heavy breathing. He shifted back to his human form, his body steaming in the frigid mountain air as adrenaline slowly ebbed from his system.

"Wren?" His voice cracked with emotion as he rushed toward the concrete pillar. "Are you hurt?"

"I'm okay." Her voice was steady despite everything she'd endured. "Just get these zip ties off me so I can properly thank my hero."