Page 53 of Ranger's Justice

Then he explodes forward emerging from the mist as a massive wolf—pure muscle, tawny fur tipped with black, claws and fangs gleaming in the flickering warehouse light.

The transformation happens in the blink of an eye.

The weight of his presence hits me like a sledgehammer, a force of nature that has nothing to do with the man and everything to do with the beast.

Warehouse Man freezes. “Wh… what the…”

He doesn’t finish because Rush lunges at him, a snarl ripping through the air, deep and guttural, so unnatural it makes the hair on my arms stand on end.

The world blurs—his massive wolf form crashes into my captor, knocking him back so hard the impact echoes through my bones.

I stumble, falling to my knees just as Rush’s teeth sink into the man’s throat—a wet crunch. A gurgled scream. Blood. Everywhere.

Rush tears him apart.

I can’t move. I can’t breathe.

The entire fight lasts less than five seconds, but it feels like an eternity.

Then it’s over.

Warehouse Man’s body hits the floor, unmoving, unrecognizable.

Rush stands over it, his massive wolf form heaving, his thick tawny fur slick with blood, his massive jaws parted, teeth bared.

And his eyes—those familiar eyes—lock onto me. I feel a rising tide of fear and panic. Because this is still him. This is a part of who he is.

The same man who held me, who kissed me, who whispered mine like it was a vow.

His wolf pants; its massive chest rising and falling, nostrils flaring as he takes in my scent. He doesn’t move, doesn’t step closer, doesn’t advance on me like some beast that’s lost control.

He’s still in there, still Rush.

The rest of the warehouse is silent.

I hear someone—Dalton, maybe—muttering a curse, but I don’t look away from the wolf standing over the dead body.

Rush lets out a low, rumbling growl, something deep and ancient that vibrates through my entire body.

Then he takes a slow, careful step toward me. I don’t run. I don’t flinch. I just stare at him, my heart hammering against my ribs.

This isn’t just about attraction, lust, or even the strange pull that’s been drawing me toward him since the beginning.

It’s more than that. It’s him—all of him.

It’s as if the sun has broken through the dark clouds—for the first time since this whole thing started, I realize the truth.

I don’t just belong to Rush Rushton. I belong to his wolf, too.

CHAPTER 14

RUSH

The scent of blood still clings to me, thick and metallic, the copper tang coating my tongue. My wolf is pacing beneath my skin, restless, still locked in the hunt. The shift back to human form was quick, but it hasn’t changed the beast inside me. I pull on the clothing we’d left strategically placed outside the warehouse.

My instincts are screaming at me to stay near Cassidy, to pull her close, to keep her where she belongs—under my protection. But there’s work to be done.

I step back, exhaling hard, dragging a hand through my sweat-dampened hair as I force my focus to the task at hand. Cassidy is still kneeling beside one of the rescued girls, murmuring in a voice too soft for me to hear. The girl trembles under her touch, but she isn’t pulling away, her big, haunted eyes locked onto Cassidy like she’s the first safe thing she’s seen in a long time.

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