Page 7 of Fear

Outside, Goliath remained where he stood, his body a coil of tense energy. His jaw was clenched, his fists still curled at his sides, his wolf howling inside him to go to her, claim her, make sure she was safe. Every fibre of his being demanded that he follow her, that he take her in his arms and never let go, but he forced himself to stay put. He couldn't scare her, not when she was already on edge.

"Fuck, brother, you look like you're about to explode," Dixon muttered, eyeing Goliath warily.

Hunter smirked, shaking his head. "Damn. Never thought I'd see Goliath in this state. That mating bond hits like a truck, huh?"

"Hits harder than that," Dash added, crossing his arms. "You feel like you’re losing your damn mind, don’t you?"

Goliath exhaled sharply, barely listening. His golden eyes were still locked on the door Sofia had disappeared through, his heart hammering in his chest like a war drum.

"It only gets worse," Fang said, stepping forward. "Until she accepts the bond, your wolf won’t rest. It’ll push at you; demand you get closer. But you need to tread carefully. You scare her, you could push her away."

Goliath growled low, frustrated beyond belief. "I don’t like her in there without me."

"You don’t have a choice," Dixon said, his voice matter-of-fact. "And if you go in there now, she’ll think you’re insane. Let the women handle it. They’ll make sure she’s comfortable."

Goliath clenched his fists again, knowing they were right but hating every damn second of it. Every minute she was out of his sight felt wrong, like a part of him had been ripped away.

Just as he was about to stalk toward the door anyway, a deep voice cut through the tension.

"What the hell is going on here?"

The men turned as King approached, his presence commanding as always. His sharp gaze flicked from Goliath’s tense stance to the group of men looking like they had just witnessed a bomb go off. His brows furrowed. "Someone want to tell me why it feels like we about to go to war?"

Dixon let out a chuckle. "Sofia’s here. And she just happens to be Goliath’s mate."

King’s eyes widened slightly before a knowing smirk crossed his face. "Well, shit. That explains a lot."

Goliath exhaled harshly. "I need to be near her."

King’s smirk faded into something more serious. "You need to keep your head. I know what this is like, brother. It’s a bond that controls everything—your instincts, your thoughts, your damn sanity. But you must let her come to you. If you rush this, you’ll scare her off."

Goliath didn’t answer. He just clenched his jaw, nodding stiffly, his wolf still pacing within him, restless and agitated.

King studied him for a long moment before clapping him on the shoulder. "Give her time. She’ll be yours. Just don’t fuck it up."

Over King’s shoulder, Goliath’s sharp eyes caught movement near the motorcycles. His gaze locked onto a familiar figure leaning against one of the bikes—Frost.

Frost had been gone for months on club business, disappearing without much explanation, the way he always did. He wasn’t a man of many words, but his presence had been missed. Goliath wasn’t the type to openly express emotions, but damn if it wasn’t good to see his brother back where he belonged.

Frost, ever the brooding enigma, scowled as their eyes clashed. But then, in that silent way of his, he gave Goliath a slow, acknowledging nod. A silent ‘I see you, brother. I’ve got your back.’ Goliath dipped his chin in return. No words were needed. Frost was fucked up, everyone knew that, but no one ever spoke about why. It didn’t matter. What mattered was that if you ever needed someone to watch your six, Frost was the man you wanted at your side.

The other men began to notice him, and a ripple of reaction moved through the group. Dixon let out a sharp whistle,grinning. "Well, look who finally decided to drag his ass back home."

Hunter clapped a hand against Frost’s shoulder as he walked past. "Thought maybe you found yourself a cave somewhere and turned into a goddamn hermit."

Dash smirked, shaking his head. "Nah, he’s too pretty to be a hermit. Not enough mirrors in a cave."

Frost shakes his head in annoyance as he turns and starts making his way inside.

Despite the jabs, the warmth was clear. Frost was back, and even if he wouldn’t say it out loud, they all knew—this was where he belonged.

Chapter 4

The clubhouse was alive with movement, the low murmur of voices blending with the occasional clink of beer bottles and the scrape of chairs against the wooden floor. Sofia sat stiffly on the couch in the common room, her fingers tangled together in her lap as she tried not to let her discomfort show. The weight of too many eyes on her made her skin itch.

She could feel them watching, assessing. Not with malice—at least, not that she could tell—but with curiosity, maybe even amusement. She was an outsider here, and that was a fact she couldn’t ignore.

The men of Wolverine MC were nothing like the Shadow Riders in appearance, yet something about them still unsettled her. They carried themselves with the same confidence, the same air of power and authority that she had seen in Grant and his men. It was a kind of dominance that told her they didn’t take orders from anyone but their own. And that terrified her. Because the last time she had trusted a group of men like this, her sister had died, and she had barely escaped with her life.

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