ZALE's POV;
The moment her scent shifted from nervousness to outright fear, something primal and uncontrollable snapped within me. My wolf, usually restrained beneath the surface, roared to life, its sole focus on protecting what was ours. Every fiber of my being surged with the need to shield her, to annihilate the threat that dared to touch her. My body moved on pure instinct, driven by a rage so intense it blurred the edges of my vision. I crossed the distance between us in the blink of an eye, and before the men could even react, I was upon them.
The first man didn't stand a chance. He was yanked away from her with such force that he hit the ground hard, a shocked expression plastered on his face as he tried to comprehend what had just happened. But I didn't give him the luxury of time. My fist found his jaw with a satisfying crunch, the sickening sound echoing in the charged air as his body crumpled to the floor. It was like striking a fragile doll, his limbs folding beneath him as consciousness slipped away.
But my fury wasn't sated. The others, sensing the danger, attempted to scatter, their bravado replaced with fear as they realized they were facing something far beyond their understanding. Yet, they were no match for me—none of them were. I took them down one by one, each punch and strike fueled by an anger that burned hotter with every passing second. How dare they touch her? How dare they even think about hurting her? The thought of their filthy hands on her, my mate, sent a red haze over my vision, and I fought with the single-minded intent to obliterate them. Their groans and cries were mere background noise to the storm raging inside me.
When the last of them lay unconscious at my feet, a bloody and broken mess, I finally turned my attention to her. My mate. She was standing there, trembling, her eyes wide with shock, her body practically vibrating with the aftereffects of her terror. Seeing her like that—so small, so vulnerable—only stoked the embers of my anger. Not at her, no. But at the situation. At the fact that she, a fragile human, had put herself in this position. That she couldn't even protect herself from something as vile as these men.
"What the hell were you thinking?" I snapped, my voice rough, still thick with the adrenaline that surged through my veins. The words came out harsher than I intended, but I couldn't hold them back. The sight of her like this—frightened and shaken—stirred something deep within me, something I wasn't ready to confront. "Do you have any idea what could have happened to you?"
She looked up at me, her eyes glassy with unshed tears, her lower lip trembling as she tried to form words. But she didn't need to say anything. I could see it all in her eyes—the fear, the realization of how close she'd come to a fate too horrible to imagine. And instead of feeling relief that I'd saved her, all I could feel was a burning frustration at her vulnerability.
"You're weak," I snarled, the words slipping from my lips before I could stop them. My wolf growled in disapproval, but I couldn't help it. The anger was too fresh, too raw. "You couldn't even defend yourself. How could the fates pair me with someone like you?"
Her eyes widened at my words, shock flickering across her features. For a brief moment, I saw a flash of hurt there, but I forced myself to ignore it, to bury it under my anger. This had to be a mistake—a cruel joke played by the universe. She wasn't fit to be my mate. She wasn't fit to be anything more than what she was—a fragile, weak human who had no place in my world. And that fact only fueled the rage coursing through me.
"Wilder," I barked, not bothering to take my eyes off her. "Take her home. And keep an eye on her."
Wilder stepped forward, his expression carefully neutral as he moved to comply with my order. He gently took her arm, his touch far softer than anything I had shown her tonight, and began to guide her away from the scene of destruction I'd left in my wake. As they disappeared into the shadows of the casino, I stood there, my fists still clenched at my sides, my heart pounding with a mix of anger, frustration, and something else—something far more unsettling that I wasn't ready to acknowledge.
She was my mate. There was no denying that. But as far as I was concerned, she was nothing more than a burden, a liability that would only bring trouble into my life. And yet, as I stood there in the aftermath of my rage, staring at the spot where she had been moments before, a small, nagging voice whispered in the back of my mind. It told me that this wasn't the end, that no matter how much I tried to deny it, fate had a way of making sure you couldn't run from what was destined to be.
But I wasn't ready to listen to that voice. Not yet. All I knew was that this night had changed everything. And whether I liked it or not, this human—this fragile, infuriatingly weak human—was now a part of my life. A part of my fate. And I had a feeling that the road ahead was going to be far more complicated than I had ever imagined.
The weight of the night's events still clung to me like a heavy fog, clouding my thoughts and gnawing at my resolve. I was pacing the length of the room, unable to shake the image of her—my mate—standing there, trembling in fear as those filthy men surrounded her. The anger that had surged through me in that moment hadn't entirely dissipated; it lingered just beneath the surface, a constant reminder of what had transpired. My fists clenched and unclenched, the sharp scent of blood lingering from where my nails had dug into my palms.
"Alpha?" Wilder's voice cut through the haze, snapping me out of my spiraling thoughts. He stood at attention, his eyes trained on me with the kind of focus only a Beta could muster. It was clear he'd been waiting for me to acknowledge him, to give some sort of direction now that the immediate threat had passed.
"Well?" I responded, my tone harsher than I intended. I was on edge, and though I knew it wasn't Wilder's fault, I couldn't entirely mask my frustration.
"I've escorted her back home," he reported, his voice steady, professional. "And I gave her a card—told her to call if she needs help."
I nodded, processing the information. It was a simple gesture, but it gave me some measure of comfort to know she had a way to reach out if she was in trouble again. Yet, the unease within me didn't abate. If anything, it grew stronger.
"Wilder," I said, my voice carrying an edge of warning as I turned to face him fully.
"Yes, Alpha?" He met my gaze, unflinching, waiting for my command.
"I want you to keep an eye on her," I ordered, my voice dropping to a low growl. The mere thought of her being out of my sight, vulnerable to the dangers of this world, was enough to set my teeth on edge.
"Of course, Alpha," Wilder replied without hesitation. "It's my duty to protect my Luna."
The title, Luna, sent a jolt through me—a reminder of the bond that fate had so cruelly woven between us. She was supposed to be the one I cherished, the one I protected above all others. And yet, here I was, conflicted, angry… lost.
"But… why are you so angry with her?" Wilder's voice was cautious, as though he were treading on dangerous ground. "It's not like she could have fought off three men all on her own."
His words struck a chord within me, one that resonated with a truth I didn't want to admit. My anger had nothing to do with her inability to defend herself. It had nothing to do with her being human, or weak, or fragile. No, the real source of my rage was far more personal.
"I wasn't mad because she couldn't protect herself from those rags," I snapped, the words spilling out before I could stop them. My voice was laced with bitterness, each syllable cutting through the air like a blade. "I was mad because someone had hit her."
The confession hung between us, heavy with the weight of my emotions. Wilder's eyes widened slightly, but he didn't say anything. He didn't need to. The realization was already dawning on him—on both of us.
The moment the words left my mouth, I felt a shift deep within me. Lace, my wolf, stirred restlessly, his anger rising to match mine. The bond between us flared with a primal intensity, a shared fury that had nothing to do with logic or reason.
Mate hurt, he growled within me, his voice a rough, guttural snarl. Must protect mate.
I could feel his anger merging with mine, intensifying the rage that already burned in my veins. Lace didn't care about the complexities of our situation—about the fact that she was human, about the fact that I had tried to distance myself from her. All he cared about was that someone had dared to lay a hand on our mate, and that was something neither of us could tolerate.
"I knew it," Wilder said softly, a note of understanding in his voice. "I knew you were angry at something else… not at her."
His words were laced with a quiet satisfaction, as though he had been waiting for me to realize what he had known all along. I wanted to deny it, to tell him that he was wrong, but I couldn't. Not when the truth was staring me in the face, as undeniable as the bond that tied me to her.
"How dare that person," I muttered under my breath, the anger simmering beneath the surface once more. My fists clenched involuntarily, the need for retribution burning through me like wildfire. Whoever had dared to hurt her would pay—no one touched what was mine and got away with it.
"Wilder," I said, my voice dropping to a dangerous whisper, "I want you to report each and every single thing that happens in her daily life to me. Every. Single. Thing."
Wilder's expression was unreadable, but he nodded in understanding. "Of course, Alpha."
"And we leave this place in two days," I continued, already formulating a plan in my mind. "I have to figure out how I'm going to send her back to the pack."
Wilder nodded again, but there was a flicker of something in his eyes—something that told me he wasn't entirely convinced by my resolve. Maybe he saw the uncertainty that I was trying so hard to hide, or maybe he simply knew me too well.
Either way, as he left the room to carry out my orders, I was left alone with my thoughts, the silence pressing in on me from all sides. The bond between us was growing stronger, despite my best efforts to keep it at bay. And I knew, deep down, that no matter how much I tried to distance myself from her, fate had a way of pulling us back together.
For better or worse, she was my mate. And that was something I couldn't change.