Page 61 of Ranger's Justice

The moment should feel like a victory. The primal part of me—the wolf that’s been clawing for this, waiting for this—settles for the first time in weeks. She’s claimed. Marked. The bond between us hums like a live wire, new and unbreakable.

But my mind won’t rest. Not when I know what’s coming. Not when we just confirmed Hollister is making his next move in two days.

I exhale slowly, my arm tightening around Cassidy’s waist as I listen to the soft sound of her breathing. She’s exhausted, completely spent from everything that’s happened. The attack. The rescue. The claiming. Her body needs the rest, and my instincts scream at me to keep her safe, keep her out of what’s coming.

But I know better.

Cassidy isn’t made to sit on the sidelines. And after today? She’s even more entangled in this than she was before.

I press my lips to her forehead, inhaling the scent of her before carefully slipping away from her. Cassidy murmurs something, her fingers reaching for me, but she doesn’t wake.

I pull on my jeans and slide out of the SUV, running a hand through my hair. The desert air is cooler now, the adrenaline of the fight fading into the hush of emptiness that is only found in the desert. But there is no peace. Not yet.

I see one of the SUVs headed our way. Gideon, Gage, and Dalton pull up, getting out of the SUV and wait. Their faces are grim, their postures tense.

It doesn’t take a genius to know what this is about.

Gideon is the first to speak. “We’ve got the confirmation that Hollister is meeting with Del Toro’s people in two days. We don’t have the location locked down, but I think that’s because neither do they. They’re scrambling. That’s two major deals we’ve blown apart.”

“Best guess is that it’ll be somewhere near the border,” said Gage.

“We’ll have final coordinates by morning,” adds Dalton.

I nod. Two days. That doesn’t give us much time, but it should be enough.

Dalton folds his arms, his gaze flicking toward the SUV where Cassidy is still asleep. His usual grin is absent, replaced by something colder, sharper. “We need to talk.”

I arch an eyebrow. “About what?”

He snorts. “Don’t play dumb, Rush.” He jerks his chin toward my chest. “You claimed her. That’s a claiming bite on her throat.”

I stiffen, my wolf rumbling low inside me. “If you’ve got something to say, Dalton, spit it out.”

Gage and Gideon exchange a glance but stay silent. They’re letting Dalton speak for them this time.

Dalton exhales, his jaw flexing. “I don’t give a shit about your personal life, boss. But you couldn’t have picked a worse time for this.”

I grit my teeth. I don’t need this conversation right now. Cassidy is mine. That’s all that matters.

Dalton presses on, his voice dropping. “You know what happens now, right?”

I don’t respond.

“You’ve bonded her to you, Rush.” His eyes darken. “That means she’s connected to you in a way she wasn’t before. She’ll feel your pain. Your rage. If something happens to you in this fight—if you get hurt, if you lose control—she’ll feel it.”

His words hit like a punch to the gut, because he’s right. Claiming Cassidy wasn’t just about marking her. It was more. It was everything. The bond isn’t just physical. It’s primal, deep, a tether between our souls.

I exhale sharply, pushing that thought down before it can take root. “I’ll handle it.”

Dalton scoffs. “Yeah? You think she’s just gonna sit on the sidelines and let you ‘handle it’ when she feels everything happening to you?” He shakes his head.

I do know. I just hadn’t wanted to admit it.

I rub the back of my neck, tension coiling tight. This changes everything. The risk to Cassidy was already high, but now? Now,if I’m in danger, she’ll feel it. If I let my wolf take over, she’ll feel that too. And if something goes wrong?

She’ll come for me, and there will be no way to stop it.

Gideon watches me carefully. “You need to talk to her, Rush. She doesn’t know what this means. Not yet.”

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