Page 43 of Nightmare Island

I retreat, and I fucking hate feeling so weak. What has she done to me?

“I’ll send Awa to replace the bandages on your leg,” I say and close the door behind me, lingering for just a moment to breathe in her scent one last time. My wolf paces restlessly within me, already aching to return to her.

Pushing off the wall, I adjust my mask. I’m two floors down from her room when the sounds of chaos erupt from the courtyard—hooting, shouting, the unmistakable sounds of flesh meeting flesh. Normally, I let these fights play out. My men need outlets for their aggression, especially trapped on this fucking island.

From the balcony, I spot the circle of men below. My blood runs cold when I recognize Knut, one of my seconds, in full berserker mode. His normally controlled movements are wild, savage, as he tears into—I squint—some massive, rather hairy bastard I don’t recognize. Who the hell?

My jaw clenches when I spot Axel, my other second-in-command, lounging against a palm tree, arms crossed, watching the scene like it’s today’s entertainment.

I don’t recognize the huge beast down there, which means we have an intruder from Sten’s territory. And Axel, who’s supposed to be working with Knut as a team, is doing jack shit to end this and not watch it as a sport.

Fury burns through my veins. I vault over the balcony railing, dropping the full story to land in a crouch on the packed dirt. Men scramble back as I approach them.

As I push through the circle, my wolf surges forward. It takes me two seconds to reach them, then another half second to grab the intruder by the throat and slam him to the ground. My boot replaces my hand on his neck, and he wheezes, clawing at my ankle.

“What the fuck are you doing?” I snarl at Axel, not bothering to hide my disgust. “You think this is a show? You and Knut work as a damn team, and you’re sitting there on the fucking sidelines?”

Axel’s face darkens with anger. “He had it under control!”

“That’s not the damn point. It’s that we have this intruder, and they are taken out fast, not allowed to lay punches into one of our own!”

“Understood,” Axel growls under his breath but lowers his gaze and head to me, a show of respect.

“Get out!” I roar at the crowd. They scatter, leaving just the four of us. “Axel, tie this piece of shit up.”

I turn to Knut, who’s wiping his bloody mouth with the back of his hand, the deep gash across his cheekbone dripping with red.

“Who the fuck is this?”

Knut spits blood onto the ground, his wolf eyes still gleaming with berserker gold.

“Caught him scaling the rock wall on the north side. Had to chase him half a mile before I could pin him down.”

“Fuck.” The word comes out in a growl. I increase the pressure on the intruder’s neck, watching him struggle, ignoring his weak strikes at my leg.

Sten is making his move, sending his pawns to probe our defenses and find our soft spots. I know how that sadistic bastard thinks—this is just the beginning.

He’s coming for my Hel.

“Bring him.” I lift my boot, letting Axel haul the gasping man to his feet. “We’re going to have a little chat about how he got past our guards. And then…” I bare my teeth. “We’re going to find out exactly what Sten is planning.”

The intruder snarls, tightening against Alex, but I let him handle it. It’s the least he can fucking do. I need to figure out how to protect a certain stubborn she-wolf when we have nowhere to run to hide her.

Chapter

Eleven

HEL

Three days have passed since I injured my leg. Now, the scar’s nothing more than a bumpy line, courtesy of Awa’s incredible help, along with my fast wolf healing abilities.

Yep, I’m finally standing without wincing. The stitches are gone, and so is most of the pain. I stretch carefully, testing my weight on both legs.

“You’ve healed so fast.” Awa’s words carry from the doorway to the bedroom.

“Guess I’m harder to kill than expected.” With a grin, I cross the room, feeling steady on my feet and about damn time.

“Hel, don’t joke about such things.” But there’s a glimmer in her eyes that tells me she’s fighting a smile too.

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