Page 31 of Savage Trap

“We can talk about that later,” I tell him, conscious of the alphas growing restless around us. “If you want to shift, I’ll help you. Same with any of my guys. I promise, there are other ways to do this.”

He finally lifts a hand to wipe the blood from his face, but it’s a defeated gesture. “You can’t. I’ve tried this enough to know I’m broken.”

The word rings in my head, coated in the scent of his blood and the hopelessness in his eyes. “You’re not broken, Nate. Your wolf just hasn’t found his way home.”

He blinks up at me, his lashes coated in unshed tears. “What does that mean?”

I take my hand off his shoulder and turn it over, offering it up. “Will you let me show you?”

He hesitates for only a second, then wraps his trembling fingers around mine. I lean in until my mouth is next to his ear. “Your wolf is my business, not theirs. Come with me, and you won’t regret it.”

I have to make the offer, because it’s still Nate’s choice, even if it hurts my heart that he thinks violence is the only way.

But he tilts his head, his lips brushing my cheek. “Even if I can’t shift?”

I smile at him, letting my confidence show. “You can shift, Nate. Trust me. You just need some coaxing.”

He still looks doubtful, so I focus my power on our clasped hands. Nate isn’t a big guy, but his arms are corded, his palms broad and strong. I know even before I dig too deep that his wolf is going to be a sight to see. But I settle on drawing a layer of fur to the surface where it shimmers across his forearm, the blue-black of a raven’s wing and as soft as silk. Nate’s breath catches in his throat, his eyes huge. “What’s that?”

“Meet your wolf,” I smirk, then hold our hands up so the alphas can see his beautiful fur. “The rest of you can back off now. He’s done with your services.”

The only reason I hold back from saying more is because I don’t want Nate to feel ashamed about tonight. If anything, he’s proven how strong he is. How many people could put themselves through this, especially when they had so little hope of success? I draw him to his feet, glancing up at the balcony to find Rory watching us. Can we get out of here now?

He gives me a nod, the pride in his eyes clear across the room. But before we can leave the dais, the alpha in black leather steps in our way. “That’s not fucking normal,” he growls, sneering at Nate’s arm. “Who’s helping her?” He looks around at the other hovering alphas, his jaw hard. “One of you is playing fucking games with us.”

I give him a sneering look of my own. “You think I’d let a man who gets off on hurting others control me?”

He looms over us, his face twisted into an ugly mask. “I think you’d be a lot less mouthy with a fist in your face.”

“Wait!” someone hisses behind him. “That’s Bisha’s baby. I saw her at the Leonide. She’s with the Boston Alpha now.”

“I don’t give a fuck who she is,” the alpha shoots back. “This bitch needs to be taught to kneel.”

His shift shudders through his body, but he holds it back with a pained grunt. Clearly his plan is to fuck me instead of fight me, and I curl my lip in disgust as he struggles to contain his wolf. Like a lot of big alphas, he thinks he’s powerful, but his control is severely lacking. When his hand falls to his belt, his claws are still peeking out, making him fumble with his zipper. I can feel Rory’s rage rising, our bond electric with his anger, but I shake my head. Give him enough time and he’ll probably slice off his own dick.

Which makes Rory growl down our bond. Sweet thing, if you want his hands to stay attached to his body, then don’t be talking about his micro penis.

I smirk, right as the alpha’s control snaps. His shift roars over him, his clothes exploding in a mist of black leather. A wave of pungent alpha musk coats the air, and then his beast is rising up; big, black, and borderline feral.

Oh, shit.

An alpha losing control is one thing, but a feral wolf is a whole other problem. And when those small dark eyes fix on me, I can tell that any lust he felt for me has been twisted into a savage hunger. Yep, he definitely wants to fight me now.

But right as he leaps at us, fangs open and dripping, Rory hits the dais in his half-form and skewers him on his claws.

Rory

When you’ve got a beast like mine under your skin, you learn to keep it on a tight leash. No one wants you raging out at the breakfast table, assuming I came from the kind of family who sat down and ate meals together.

Which I didn’t. My mom checked out in my teens, my dad was an asshole, and my brothers – Cam and Link, and later Kelly - were the only ones who kept me sane.

But I have that kind of family now. Breakfast in bed is my new normal, and a lot of that’s due to our angel. She doesn’t care that we’re monsters. Hell, she’s got a beast inside her that could take down any of these guys in a fair fight. But she’s also got the biggest heart of anyone I’ve ever met, making her the sweetest of savages.

Link is shouting in my ear, demanding updates, but I ignore him as I vault over the balcony. The shitstain twins scramble away, heading for the exit, but I focus on the fight below. I have a millisecond to lift my claws and catch the beast that’s going for my angel’s throat. He stinks like wolf gone bad, and I spit in his face as I skewer him. I twist and dig until his insides are scrambled, then shake him loose, kicking his corpse off the dais.

Elvi immediately jumps behind me, her much smaller back pressed to mine as she covers my rear. I feel her slash at something, but the next alpha is leaping forward to try his luck with a foot-long hunting knife. Stupid fucker. I don’t know if they’re pack or they just smell blood in the water, but he dies just as fast.

“Rory, we need to get out of here.”

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