Chapter 121
Nora's POV
Recognition flashed across his features, followed by something that made my skin crawl.
"Well, well." He grinned, all teeth. "If it isn't Kyle's girl."
Ex-girl, I wanted to snap. Instead, I turned back to my camera, hoping he'd take the hint.
He didn't.
"Heard you two split up," Connor said, sauntering closer. "Shame. I always thought you were too good for him anyway."
I kept my eyes on the viewfinder, adjusting settings I didn't need to adjust. "We're done. That's all that matters."
"So you're single now?"
The predatory edge in his voice made alarm bells ring. I lowered the camera, meeting his gaze directly. "That's none of your business."
"Come on, don't be like that." He moved closer, blocking my path back. "Kyle's loss could be my gain. I've got more to offer than he does—better car, bigger trust fund, way more fun."
Nausea rolled through me.
"Not interested," I said flatly, stepping to the side.
He mirrored my movement, still grinning. "You haven't even heard my offer yet."
"Don't need to." I tried to push past him.
His hand shot out, gripping my shoulder. Not hard enough to hurt, but firm enough to stop me. "Hey, I'm talking to you—"
I shoved him. Hard. "Get your hands off me!"
He stumbled back a step, surprise flickering across his face before it hardened into something uglier. "That's not very friendly."
"I'm not trying to be friendly." My heart was pounding now, adrenaline spiking. "This is private property. You need to leave."
"Private property?" Connor laughed, harsh and mocking. "You think Zachary's going to start a war with the Lopez family over some human girl? Please. You're not that special."
The casual cruelty of it—the reminder of exactly how disposable I was in their world—hit like a slap. I scanned the area. Empty. No one within shouting distance.
Connor must have seen the calculation on my face because his smile widened. "No one's coming to rescue you, sweetheart. So why don't we start over? I can show you a much better time than Kyle ever did."
"I said no." I gripped my camera strap tighter, mind racing through options. Run? Scream? Hope security was actually monitoring this section of beach?
"That's not really your call to make." His voice dropped, losing the playful edge. "I always get what I want."
Fuck this.
I turned and ran.
Behind me, I heard him curse, then the thud of feet on sand. He was faster—of course he was faster, goddamn wolf—but I had a head start and pure panic driving me forward.
Just as he was about to catch up, I threw my camera at his face without thinking. I heard him swear as it hit him, followed by the sickening crunch of glass breaking as it hit the sand.
"Bitch," Connor snarled, tossing the camera aside.
I didn't look back, just kept running, lungs burning, legs pumping. The resort buildings were visible ahead, but they still had distance.
Footsteps were gaining. Too close. Too fast.
Then—
"Get the fuck away from her!"
A figure rushed from my left. Zachary slammed into Connor seconds later like a freight train, sending them both sprawling across the sand.
I skidded to a stop, chest heaving, watching as Zachary hauled Connor up by his collar.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Zachary's voice was nothing like the easygoing host from yesterday. This was pure Alpha dominance, cold and lethal.
"This is none of your business, Nelson." Connor tried to pull free. "Let go—"
"None of my business?" Zachary's grip tightened. "You're on my island. Chasing my guest. Threatening her. That makes it very much my business."
Connor's eyes flashed gold, canines lengthening. "The Lopez family—"
He didn't get to finish. Zachary shifted partially—just enough to let his own wolf show through—and slammed Connor into the sand, knee on his chest, hand around his throat.
"This isn't your family's territory," Zachary growled. "Touch her again, and you'll find out just how stupid your actions were."
"Nora!"
Emily's voice came from behind me as she rushed toward me. She wrapped an arm around my shoulders, warm and solid and safe.
"Are you okay?" Her eyes scanned me quickly, checking for injuries. "Did he hurt you?"
"I'm fine." My voice came out shaky.
Behind us, Zachary pinned Connor to the sand, two security guards arriving on scene. Connor's furious protests cut through the morning air.
"You better let me go!" His face flushed with rage and humiliation. "My family won't stand for this! I was just talking to her—she overreacted!"
Zachary didn't budge, his knee still planted firmly on Connor's chest. When he spoke, his voice carried none of the easygoing warmth from yesterday's wedding. This was pure power, cold and absolute.
"Talking?" Zachary's grip tightened on Connor's collar. "That what we're calling it now? Chasing terrified women across my beach?"
"I barely touched her! She's making a big deal out of nothing—"
"Shut up."
Zachary's eyes flashed gold, a low growl rumbling from his chest. The display of power was unmistakable. Connor went silent, his earlier bravado crumbling.
"Take him to the holding room," Zachary ordered the security team, his voice flat. "Lock it down. No calls, no visitors until I decide what to do with him."
"You can't hold me here!" Connor struggled against the guards' grip. "This is illegal detention—"
"Is it?" Zachary's smile was all teeth, nothing friendly about it. "Funny. I'm pretty sure I can do whatever the hell I want on my own property. Especially when someone assaults my guests."
The guards dragged Connor away, his protests fading as they disappeared into the resort. I watched them go, a strange numbness settling over me now that the immediate danger had passed.
Emily's hand squeezed my shoulder. "Come on. Let's get you somewhere quiet."
The private lounge was mercifully empty. Emily guided me to one of the chairs, then pressed a cup of hot tea into my hands.
"Drink," she said gently. "You're still shaking."
I was. I took a sip, letting the warmth spread through me, trying to calm my racing pulse.
Footsteps announced new arrivals. Freya burst through the door, followed by several other guests who'd apparently heard the commotion.
"What the hell happened?" Freya demanded, then spotted me. "Oh my god, Nora, are you okay? I heard someone tried to hurt you—"
"It was an accident," I said mechanically. "I didn't expect to run into Connor."
"You know each other?" Freya asked in surprise.
"He's a friend of my ex-boyfriend. I've met him a few times before." I paused. "I didn't think he'd be so brazen."
"I'm sorry, we bear some responsibility," Emily said apologetically. "His family has business ties with Zachary's family, so he was invited to the wedding. But we didn't invite him to the island."
"Don't apologize. This is entirely his fault," I said. "After I broke up with my ex, some of his friends—they started thinking I was... someone they could approach casually."
"Those bastards." Freya's voice rose. "Connor is trash. The Lopez family is trash. Everyone knows it. They think they can do whatever they want because they've got money and connections."
Zachary entered the lounge.
He looked at me. "Nora, what do you want to do about this?"