Page 25 of Tamed By the Alpha Wolf

The alpha—Rafe—narrowed his eyes. “I don’t think so. Kai, get that man away from him.”

Alphas. Always sticking their noses where they don’t belong. As if this piece of shit deserved their protection. As if he hadn’t ordered the deaths of dozens—hundreds—of innocents.

The wiry one—Kai—moved to circle around me. I bared my teeth, my wolf rising to the surface. “Touch him, and you’ll lose the hand.”

Pure rage dumped into his scent as he clenched and unclenched a fist.

Alpha power cracked the whip of dominance. The fucker tried to force my hand, and I let off a snarl. It might have worked on a lesser wolf, but I was beyond his control. I barely felt his attempt to bend my will.

The only true alpha I answered to was Elise.

He lunged at me, all coiled muscle and righteous fury. I released Paulie and met the alpha’s charge head-on. We crashed to the floor in a tangle of limbs and punching fists.

Kai darted forward, aiming for Calafiori. I lashed out with my leg, catching him in the stomach and sending him stumbling back. Rafe used the distraction to land a solid blow to my jaw.

The taste of blood filled my mouth. I felt my control slipping; the wolf clawing its way to the surface. I grinned, feral and wild. “That the best you got, alpha?”

His answering expression was pure viciousness. He cocked his arm, ready for another punch?—

“What thefuckis going on here?”

We froze at the sound of Elise’s furious voice. She stood in the doorway, her eyes wide with shock. Another wolf—Orion, I guessed from her descriptions—loomed behind her.

Rafe didn’t take his eyes off me as he answered. “I could ask you the same thing,” he snarled. “Like, why the hell your scent is all over the rogue threatening our pack?”

Elise’s face paled. She looked between Rafe and me, conflict warring in her eyes. “I can explain,” she began.

“Care to start with why you’re harboring a fucking feral monster? You know, the one killing his way across the country this last year?”

“Three,” I laughed in his face. “You have bad info.”

Another flash of anger crossed Rafe’s features, but Elise took a single step closer. I felt what the move cost her. The weakness she exposed, not just about me, but about herself.

“He’s my mate.” Her tone dared Rafe to challenge her. “He’s ours.”

The silence that followed was deafening. Rafe’s grip on me loosened, shock clear on his face. Orion and Kai exchanged bewildered glances, clearly unsure how to react to this revelation.

And then, from behind us, came a low, menacing chuckle.

Paulie’s demeanor changed in an instant. The cowering, broken man was gone, replaced by someone cold and calculating. He straightened up, brushing off Kai’s restraining hand like it was nothing more than an annoying fly.

“Well,” he said, his voice dripping with smug satisfaction. “Isn’t this interesting?”

The door burst open once again, this time admitting a flood of heavily armed men. I recognized some of them—enforcers from the Calafiori and Varano families.

We’d walked right into their trap.

Fuck.

ELISE

Enemies surged inside like water breaching a dam. Half a dozen wolves, bristling with guns and knives. Their scents flooded the cramped space. They were wolves, though none of them smelled remotely familiar.

To me.

Nico swept a murderous look over them all as he and Rafe scrambled to their feet. When his gaze returned to the bastard who started this whole thing, his lips peeled back in a snarl.

The ragged wolf sauntered toward us, golden eyes gleaming with malicious glee. My wolf snarled, hackles raised.

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