Chapter 48
Chapter 48
SHANE
“Let her go,” I said again, stepping forward, every nerve in my body straining.
The intruding wolf tightened his grip on Harley’s arm, his fingers pressing into her skin. Her eyes widened, and her breath came in sharp, panicked gasps. I could smell her fear—it cut through the perfume of satin and boutique polish like acid.
She whimpered softly, her whole body stiff. “Shane…”
That sound—the way she said my name—ripped something loose inside me.
But the intruder? He just smiled.
“You look surprised to see me,” he said lazily, not loosening his grip. “But I’ve been watching. You’ve gotten soft, Alpha.”
I growled, fists clenched at my sides. “Who sent you?”
He grinned wider, eyes glinting like a predator that had found wounded prey. “Do I really have to say it? Roy sends his regards. Said to remind you that he always gets what he wants.”
I stepped closer, every instinct screaming to rip this man’s arm from his body. “You have no idea who you’re messing with.”
“Oh, I know exactly who I’m messing with,” he drawled, his gaze flicking to Harley. “The broken Alpha with no bite. Roy said you’d try. That’s why he sent me.”
Harley whimpered again, and I could see the panic in her eyes rising. “Shane…” she whispered, tears welling. “Please—don’t let him take me…”
And that’s when it happened.
Her voice echoed again—but this time, not through the room. It echoed inside me.
Shane… please… help me. I’m scared. I don’t want to go. Please, save me…
I staggered slightly, blinking. That hadn’t come from her mouth. That came from… inside.
Inside me.
What the hell?
I stared at her, stunned. Her lips weren’t moving, but I could hear her. Her thoughts. Her fear. Her cry for me.
“Did… did you just—?” I began, staring at her.
But Harley was too terrified to respond. Her knees buckled slightly under the pressure of the man’s grip, and I surged forward again.
The man sneered. “Don’t bother. What’re you gonna do? Glare me to death?” His gaze traveled over me mockingly. “Face it, Shane. You’re weaker than ever. You’ve mated with a human and hoped it would fix you. But you’re fading. You couldn’t protect her even if you tried.”
I bared my teeth and growled, trying to summon my wolf, to let Caspian rise in me. My eyes burned—but the gold glow didn’t come. I flexed my fingers, trying to summon my claws, but nothing emerged.
Nothing.
My wolf… was silent.
The intruder laughed, triumphant. “See? You’re finished. You can’t even shift anymore. You’re nothing without your power. And this girl? She’s becoming more than any of us thought she could be.”
I stiffened. “What do you mean?”
He tilted his head, tightening his grip on Harley, making her gasp. Her fear stabbed into me like knives. “Roy didn’t believe it at first either. But once Lauren sent word that your little mate might be a mystic, things changed.”
I growled. “She’s not yours.”
“No,” he agreed. “Not yet. But she will be. Roy plans to put her in chains. Keep her sedated. Controlled. If she becomes a threat, she’ll be killed. But if he can tame her? He’ll have the most powerful creature on his side. A mystic under his thumb.”
Harley’s mind screamed through mine again.
Please, Shane. Please do something. I’m so scared. I don’t want to go with him. I want to stay with you. Please don’t let him take me…
And that’s when something inside me snapped.
It wasn’t a roar. It wasn’t a growl. It was a howl—silent but seismic. My bones didn’t shift, but my soul did.
A flood of heat surged through my veins, my heart pounding like a war drum. I could feel her fear—truly feel it—and my instincts wrapped themselves around her presence like a protective shield.
My mate.
My mystic.
My wolf wasn’t asleep. He wasn’t gone.
He was waiting.
Waiting for her.
Suddenly, I heard Caspian’s voice again, strong and sure.
She’s calling you. You heard her. The bond is awakening. You’re not broken, Shane. You’ve just been looking in the wrong place.
The man snarled, sensing the shift. “What are you doing?”
I stepped forward, slowly, deliberately. “She’s mine,” I said, my voice deep, cracking with power. “You won’t touch her again.”
The man didn’t back down. “You can’t stop me. Not without your wolf.”
I stared into his eyes. “I don’t need my claws to tear you apart.”
My power wasn’t in the shift. It was in the bond.
The connection.
The calling.
I could feel Harley’s heartbeat syncing with mine. Her breath. Her thoughts still echoing in my mind.
I trust you. I know you’ll save me.
And I would.
But then—movement.
A shadow at the boutique door.
More footsteps.
More of them.
The man grinned darkly. “You’re out of time.”
I turned my head just slightly as a new presence entered the room—a taller figure, robed, hidden in scent and magic.
“Is she ready?” the stranger asked in a voice laced with power.
The first man nodded, tightening his grip on Harley.
“She will be. Roy’s orders: bring her in—dead or alive.”
Harley’s scream echoed—both aloud and inside me—as everything went still. My blood turned to fire, my heart hammering, my wolf snarling in my soul.
They were going to take her.
Unless I did something—now.