Chaos.
Elena's screams shattered the night as the world tilted. One moment she was walking home, the next she was being yanked into the shadows, held by something inhumanly strong.
People on the street turned. A man shouted. Someone grabbed Ronan's arm, thinking he was just some lunatic trying to abduct a woman.
Ronan snapped.
A single, powerful snarl erupted from his chest, deep and unnatural. The sound sent waves of fear rippling through the humans. They froze. Eyes widened in terror. Their instincts told them—this was no man.
The stranger who tried to stop him stumbled back, eyes wide with shock. "What the—"
CRACK.
Ronan moved like lightning, striking the man with the back of his hand. Bones shattered. The human flew backward, crashing into a parked car, denting the metal.
Screams erupted. People ran. Phones came out, cameras flashing.
Damn it.
Ronan had been careful to avoid human attention, but the moment he touched his mate, something inside him snapped.
More footsteps. Police.
Flashing red and blue lights cut through the night. Sirens wailed. Someone was yelling into a radio.
Ronan gritted his teeth. He didn't have time for this.
His pack was dying. He needed to take her back.
Elena thrashed in his grip, her nails clawing at his arms. "Let me go, you psycho!"
Ronan didn't answer. Instead, he moved.
In a blur of speed, he darted through the city streets, dodging cars, scaling rooftops in a single bound. Elena screamed, kicking and fighting, but she was nothing compared to his strength.
The city lights faded behind them as he carried her into the night, toward the forests, toward his world.
Toward her new life as his mate.
And she would hate him for it.
But that didn't matter.
Because she was his.