Page 56 of Claws and Controllers

“Well, if it isn’t the ice queen herself,” Grant taunted. “Still riding on the coattails of others, I see.”

Ellie bristled, but before she could retort, Corbett’s laugh echoed through the warehouse. “Oh, this is rich. You mean to tell me you haven’t figured it out yet, Zyan?”

The use of Zy’s full name seemed to flip a switch. Corbett’s devil-may-care attitude evaporated, replaced by a simmering rage that made Ellie take an involuntary step back.

“You want to know why?” Corbett spat. “Because you’ve had everything handed to you on a silver platter. The company, the respect, the adoration of the family. And what do I get? Passed over for lead engineer, stuck doing menial tasks while Vince gets all the glory.”

Zy’s brow furrowed. “Corbett, if you wanted more responsibility, you could have come to me. We’re family?—”

“Family?” Corbett scoffed. “Don’t make me laugh. You’ve never seen me as an equal. So when Grant here approached me with an opportunity to take you down a peg, how could I resist?”

Ellie’s mind reeled. “You... you planned this together?”

Grant’s smirk made her skin crawl. “What can I say? Great minds think alike. It was almost too easy, really. Corbett steals the code, passes it to your new programmer – who, by the way, was more than happy to sabotage you for the right price – and voila! The great Elliot Madden, brought low by her own game.”

“You bastard,” Ellie hissed, her hands clenching into fists.

“Now, now, darling,” Grant drawled. “No need for name-calling. Here’s how this is going to go. You’re going to kill that little game of yours, or I’ll make sure the whole world knows about your stolen code. Your reputation will be in tatters, and this time, there won’t be any coming back from it.”

The threat hung in the air, heavy and suffocating. Ellie felt her dreams crumbling around her, years of hard work and dedication about to be wiped away by the vindictiveness of two men.

But then she felt Zy’s presence beside her, solid and unwavering. She looked up at him, seeing the determination in his eyes, and found her own resolve strengthening.

“No,” she said, her voice clear and strong. “I won’t let you destroy everything I’ve worked for. Not again.”

Grant’s face twisted with rage. “You little?—”

What happened next unfolded in a blur of motion and sound. Corbett, seeing his plan unraveling, lunged at Zy with a roar of frustration. In an instant, both men shifted, their human forms giving way to massive tigers.

Ellie stumbled back, awe and terror warring within her as she watched the two beasts clash. Teeth and claws flashed in the dim light, growls and roars echoing off the warehouse walls.

“Ellie, get down!” Adonis’s voice cut through the chaos.

She dropped to the ground just as a gunshot rang out. Her head snapped up to see Grant, wild-eyed and desperate, aiming a pistol directly at her.

Time seemed to slow. She saw Grant’s finger tightening on the trigger, heard Zy’s anguished roar, and then... Adonis was there, throwing himself in front of her as another shot cracked through the air.

“No!” Ellie screamed as Adonis crumpled to the ground.

In that moment, Zy tore away from Corbett’s lifeless body. With a bone-chilling roar, he launched himself at Grant. Ellie could only watch in stunned silence as Zy’s massive tiger form tore into her ex-husband, ending the threat once and for all.

When it was over, the warehouse fell into an eerie quiet, broken only by the labored breathing of the wounded and the drip of blood on concrete.

Zy shifted back to his human form, his eyes wild as he scanned the room. “Ellie? Ellie, are you all right?”

She nodded numbly, her gaze fixed on Adonis’s still form. “We need to get him help. Now.”

Zy was already on his phone, barking orders for a cleanup crew and medical assistance. As they waited for help to arrive, Ellie knelt beside Adonis, applying pressure to his wound.

“Hey,” Adonis croaked, his eyes fluttering open. “You okay, boss lady?”

Ellie let out a watery laugh. “I should be asking you that, you idiot. Why did you do that?”

Adonis managed a weak smile. “Couldn’t let anything happen to my brother’s girl, could I? Besides, you’re family now too.”

Zy joined them, his hand resting on Adonis’s shoulder. “Thank you, old friend. We owe you everything.”

As the paramedics arrived and whisked Adonis away to the specialized shifter clinic, Ellie found herself enveloped in Zy’s strong arms. The events of the night crashed over her, and she clung to him, letting his steady heartbeat ground her.

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