Page 80 of Never Submit

I crack my knuckles. Now it’s my time to shine.

And ecstasy fills every inch of my system when the blond starts to scream and the fun begins.

Chapter 18

Noble

Ifind Ren on the balcony of her bedroom, the luminous glow of the city’s lights painting her silhouette in shades of gold and shadowy gray.

The steel claws of Torin’s skyscraper stretch below us, endless glass and metal, and the icy wind cuts across us, but Ren doesn’t seem to notice. She’s leaning on the railing, arms crossed tightly, her gaze distant and thoughtful, her attention lost to the night.

Her sadness is a weight in the air. Heavy and suffocating.

My wolf senses it immediately through the mate bond and paces inside me, restless, uneasy.

She’s hurting. And it claws at me.

I step out onto the balcony, the cool night air brushing against my skin. She doesn’t turn, doesn’t even flinch, but I know she senses me, too.

“Baby,” I call softly, stopping a few feet away. “Are you okay?”

She exhales a slow, shaky breath and her fingers tightenon the railing. “I don’t know,” she says after a long pause. “Everything feels…so much. Too much.”

I take a step closer, leaning on the metal banister beside her, careful not to crowd her. “Talk to me,” I say. “Whatever it is, I’m here.”

She hesitates, her eyes fixed on the skyline. “Carrigan,” she whispers finally. “She saw me shift.”

Ah. The human friend.

I stay quiet, letting her find her words, knowing nothing I’ll have to say will soothe her. I block my thoughts from her to allow her the space to process.

Otherwise, she’ll know. Her human ties are nothing but liabilities now.

“She’s my best friend,” Ren continues. “She’s one of the only friends I have. She’s been through everything with me. And now…now she knows I’m not even human anymore. She saw it, Noble. The shift, the wolf, everything. When Andras’s shitheads attacked us—she could have died.”

“Humans don’t know about us for a reason. Our world isn’t really the forgiving type, and they’re so fragile. If they see something they can’t logically explain, they panic.”

Ren nods. “It’s true. Just look at me. Even though I thought I was just a human, gifted a life no matter how short, the moment those punks walked into the bar, everything flipped upside-down. I met Mathis. Now the Moonstone is inside me and I’m part wolf? I didn’t ask to be dragged into this, and neither did Carrigan.”

She says it like she’d do whatever it takes to make it a dream. And if I could, I’d do it for her. In a heartbeat.

Shit, just when I thought my heart wasn’t able to love anyone ever again, there Ren came. Blasting into my world and turning it around. The connection between us is strong and vibrant and so fucking full of love I can barely breathe.

My mate knows she’s damaged her relationship with her best friend.

“I know… It isn’t fair,” I murmur.

“I still don’t know if Torin or Mathis plan on killing her because of me. Dax seems pretty keen on it, and I can’t let them hurt her. Ican’t.” Ren straightens.

I frown. “Torin isn’t going to kill her,” I say, although I know more than anyone that Torin is his own beast. I may be his second and closest friend, but if he is set on an idea, even I have no sway. “I’ll make sure of it.”

Ren finally looks at me, her eyes filled with doubt and sadness. “You aren’t afraid she’ll reveal our secret?”

Yes. Down to my marrow. I’ll work on it.

“If you trust that she won’t tell anyone, then so do I.” I inch closer to her. “There is a lot going on, and Torin and Mathis are focused on keeping their packs safe—on keepingyousafe,” I say. I move even closer, daring to brush my hand against hers where it rests on the railing. “You’re their priority. You’remypriority. The Moon Goddess chose you for a reason. You’re stronger than you think.”

She stiffens slightly, but she doesn’t pull away. “It doesn’t feel like that. It feels like I’m being pulled in a thousand directions and everything I thought I knew about my life is gone. My friends, my home, my future…all of it.”

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