Page 106 of The Gamma's Second Chance

Kimberly claws at Nolan’s arms, eyes bulging, but he slams her against the ground again. “How dare you try to attack my mate after you’d already surrendered!”

Her lip trembles, and she pushes it out into a fake pout. “But I’m your mate!”

Nolan growls and tightens his grip on her neck. “You are nothing to me,” he says to her in a low voice. “And I will not hesitate to end your life like you tried to end hers.”

My lycan and I both warm at his possessive and protective claim on us, a pulse of desire running through me. But I can’t help but laugh a little as well. “She has minimal training, Nolan. There’s no way she would have done enough damage to kill me either time, even by catching me off guard.”

Instead of being reassured, he doubles down on his relentless hold on Kimberly. “I’m not talking about now. I’m talking about the bomb. The one she set in our alpha and luna’s hotel room.” Kimberly freezes, her frantic squirming beneath Nolan coming to a complete halt, her eyes widening. “That’s right. We know you set the bomb. But you made a mistake, Kimberly. That room wasn’t Cassandra’s.”

Kimberly shakes her head and starts fighting his grip again. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she insists, her voice squeaking and trembling and her heart thundering with her lie.

Nolan smirks at her. “Sure you do.”

She lifts her chin in defiance. “Enlighten me.”

Nolan licks his lips and shakes his head, his knee pressing harder into her stomach and his claws extending. Each one scrapes over her flesh, leaving behind ten slices identical to the one I gave her only minutes before.

“I’m still filling in the gaps, but I think I’ve got most of it figured out,” he says. “You came to California after your alpha figured out you’ve been lying to him for seven years. You hoped to find me, expecting I’d still be hung up on Rachel and willing to take you back. But instead, you saw me with Cassandra, in love and happier than I’ve ever been in my life. You tracked her scent to a hotel room and placed a bomb inside, then waited to show up here and make it all seem like a coincidence.”

My jaw drops open and my heart races in my chest as Nolan relays his theories to her, my hands shaking as I curl them into fists at my side. “How’d she know we were at the ball, though?” I ask. “And how’d she get the bomb and get into Haven and Wesley’s room?”

Nolan’s brow furrows, but his attention doesn’t leave Kimberly, ensuring she stays where he has her, even though there is no way out of his hold on her. “Those are the missing pieces I can’t fill in either.”

“And you’ll never be able to,” Kimberly says, giving us a pompous grin. “You can’t force me to confess.”

“He can’t. But I can.”

Haven strolls up beside me, her steps slow and casual but her eyes icy and harsh as she approaches Kimberly and glares down at her, Wesley right behind her with his hand resting on her lower back. Her aura flows out of her. The silvery starlightsparkles and swirls in the air, dancing around Wesley, Mason, Nolan, and me as it heads towards Kimberly. It hovers above her, coalescing and waiting for Haven to let it loose on her.

“Luna!” Kimberly exclaims, staring at her with pleading, pain-filled eyes. “Thank Selene you are here. Tell your gamma to unhand me!” she demands, seemingly oblivious to Haven’s words and the aura flowing from her.

Haven arches a brow at her. “Just moments ago, you attacked Cassandra and claimed he was your mate. Now you don’t even want him to touch you. Which is it?”

“Idowant him. He is mine,” she says, backpedaling. “But he’s hurting me. You’re hurting me, Nolan,” she repeats, switching her focus to him. “How can you hurt your mate?” she asks him in a small, desperate voice as she reaches for his face.

He growls at her, baring his teeth and his fangs, his claws digging into the flesh of her neck, and she flinches in fear, her entire body shivering. “You’re not my mate!”

“Please, Luna,” Kimberly begs, whimpering, a large, crocodile tear leaking from her eye. “Please help me.”

Haven smiles serenely, her hands folded in front of her. The starlight continues to swirl from her, lighting her up from within. My instincts tell me to absorb it, to hide it from the world, but Wesley catches my eye and shakes his head. Just once, but it’s enough for me to detect and rein in my instinct to guard Haven from those we don’t trust.

“Nolan,” Haven intones, her face grave but her eyes giving a brief glint of amusement. “Please keep our guest pinned to the ground until I subdue her.”

Nolan smirks. “Yes, Luna.”

Kimberly sputters and thrashes against Nolan’s tightening grip and the press of his weight over her. “Subdue me?” she screeches, finally catching on to Haven’s phrasing. “How will you subdue me? You’re just a—”

“Hold still and stay on the ground,” Haven says, lifting her chin, looking every inch the regal luna she is, with or without Selene’s blood, releasing the full power of her aura and pressing it down on Kimberly. Kimberly immediately freezes. Her eyes widen and she gapes at Haven.

“You messed with the wrong pack.” Nolan’s nostrils flaring as he rises to his feet and towers over Kimberly. “You have no idea who you’ve pissed off.”

He backs away from her and gestures to me to join him at his side, but he doesn’t take his eyes off Kimberly. I rush over to him and throw my arms around him, burying my face in his torso. His cardamom scent creeps into my nose and fills my lungs, soothing my worries and my soul. He snakes his arms around me, bringing me to his side and keeping me there with all his strength, all the while keeping his eyes on Kimberly, his guard still up.

Turning so my entire body faces him, I slide my hand up his chest and toss my hair over my shoulder so my neck is exposed. My ring sparkles in the sunlight, and my mark is on full display. Nolan covers my hand with his, lifting it and kissing my knuckles, even with his wary, protective gaze on Kimberly. She growls, but I don’t care. I continue to gaze at Nolan, letting my triumph and my love for him shine through my eyes.

“You will answer their questions,” Haven orders Kimberly. “And you will not lie.”

“Why did you come to California?” I ask.

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