Connor took Eleanor away from the crowd, holding her hand. They were panting heavily and dripping sweat down their cheeks.
"Where are you taking me?" Eleanor asked, trying to pull her hand back. She looked back at the group who were still dancing. She grew a little anxious.
"Cecilia must have left. I should go home." She quickly found an excuse to escape from him.
Connor stopped walking and turned to her, his gaze sweeping over her face and dropping to her cleavage. Lust arose from his stomach and rolled up to his chest. His wolf howled in his head, impatient to claim her.
"Eleanor…" He tried hard to keep his desire at bay. "I am a man who doesn't know how to treat women gently. I don't talk sweet either. Women are like playthings to me. I fuck whoever I want. And believe me, I want to fuck you as well." His gaze moved down to her cleavage once again.
Eleanor shuddered as if someone had thrown a bucket of ice on her. She stepped back unwittingly, her eyes wide in fear. But she couldn't break free from his grip.
Every word that Zane had said reverberated in her ears. It was only then that she realized why he had always warned her to avoid Connor.
She could now see right through him. She regretted accepting his offer.
"Let go of me," she exclaimed, twisting her hand.
As adrenaline coursed through her veins, she could feel the surging current inside her. Her hands were about to start emitting a bright light. It would be difficult for her to keep it hidden. Her identity would be exposed to everyone.
She couldn't even fathom what the pack members would do to her for lying all these years.
"Please…" she pleaded, desperate to be set free.
"Shh…" Connor got closer to her. "Calm down. I won't force you."
Eleanor stopped struggling. The more she panicked, the faster the current would flow. She clenched her fists tightly, yet she couldn't stop herself from shaking. Her gaze wandered left and right, looking to see if someone was coming here. All she could see were people dancing and singing.
The musical instruments were playing so loudly that no one could hear her scream. Nobody would come to her help. She had to defend herself.
Connor thought she was trembling out of fear. He liked to watch her terrified.
"You are different from others," he murmured, brushing his thumb against her cheek. "Be with me. You will get benefits from that. I will not let anyone bully you. I promise to protect you from all evils."
"Who will protect her from you?" A rumbling voice echoed from behind them, catching them off guard.
Zane rushed over here when he heard Eleanor's cry. He knew Connor would do something with her. When he noticed his hand on her cheek, his rage erupted like molten lava. His face was ravaged with fury.
"Step back," he growled, cracking his knuckles.
Eleanor felt relieved. Zane arrived at the right time and saved her from being exposed. The surging current within her began to disappear. But she was still trembling. She felt a chill on her back in the face of his murderous look.
She stepped back subconsciously, forgetting that Connor was holding her wrist. When she felt a tug on her hand, she came to reality. Before she could try to escape, she was pressed against Connor's robust chest, his strong arms around her petite form.
She gasped and looked at them back and forth, her body numb. She simply stood there, between the two ferociously strong males, terrified to think what would happen next.
"This is a matter between me and my girlfriend," Connor said, his tone throaty and rumbling, tinged with a threat. It was no longer a game for him. It had become a challenge to his pride. Winning Eleanor was now one of his goals. "You should not meddle in my personal affairs."
"She is not your girlfriend," Zane roared, stepping forward.
His loud, thunderous voice made Eleanor shiver even more. She was now certain that a big fight would break out between the two brothers, and it was because of her. She didn't want to be the reason for their clash.
"Listen…"
"Yes, she is," Connor growled, his sonorous voice overpowering her feeble, faltering voice.
She had no choice but to shut her mouth and watch them argue.
Zane stood there, cocking his head. A look of bitterness crossed his face. "Why does she look so flustered in your arms if she is your girlfriend? I heard her cry. Are you trying to violate her?" Each word that escaped from his mouth was a fiery exclamation of wrath. "Did he do something wrong with you?"
Another wave of shivers crashed through her when she met his fiery gaze. She opened and closed her mouth but couldn't form a word.
"Tell him, darling," Connor said, drawing her attention. "Tell him that you are mine. Ask him to leave." Although he appeared polite, the rage lurking behind his gentle words was obvious.
It made Eleanor more and more agitated. She regretted coming here. She was desperate to go home.
'Why do I have to be stuck between two brothers?' She glanced at Zane and then looked up at Connor. Her throat parched under their ravaged looks.
'I want to go home.' She parted her lips to say this.
Zane grabbed her arm and pulled her towards him before she could pronounce a word. "I am not going anywhere without her," he snapped loudly, his veins on his neck bulging. The warning in his gaze was obvious.
Connor also tugged on her other arm and pulled her towards him, shooting him a challenging look. "She is staying with me," he growled.
Eleanor had become the tug of war between Zane and Connor.
"She is coming with me," Zane roared, yanking on her left arm.
"She is my girlfriend, and she will go with me," Connor snapped back, pulling her other arm.
"Eleanor, come with me," Zane urged.
Connor grumbled, "Why are you not asking him to leave?"
Eleanor was pissed because of their constant tugging left and right. The fear in her mind evaporated. Anger rolled hot and unstoppable in her stomach like hellfire, ready to burn her from the inside out.
"Stop…" she yelled and jerked her arms back. "Enough is enough." She threw her savage glare at them. "I am a living person, not your plaything. I have the right to choose what I like and dislike. And right now, I want to go home." She turned to leave.
Connor grabbed her arm and stopped her.
The electricity sparked within her, jarring her entire being. She spun around to push him back, but before that, Zane punched him in the face.