Page 12 of Fear

He strode toward her, his breath coming out in rough bursts. She turned, sensing his presence, her blue eyes widening slightly when she saw the raw tension in his face.

"You shouldn’t have gone into town," he said, his voice tight.

Sofia crossed her arms, her stance defensive. "I was with the others. They wouldn’t have let anything happen."

Goliath’s lips pulled back slightly, his wolf bristling. "You don’t get it. It’s not just about what could have happened—it’s about what will happen. They’re watching. Waiting. You stepping outside this club was like painting a target on your back."

Sofia frowned, a flicker of something passing through her gaze. "Why do you care so much?"

Goliath took a slow step forward, closing the distance between them. Because you’re mine. The words burned inside him, but he couldn’t say them. Not yet. Not when she was still trying to run from what they were.

Instead, he exhaled sharply. "Because you’re under my protection. That means you don’t get to put yourself at risk."

Sofia’s jaw tightened, but before she could respond, a low tremor ran through his body.

Sofia felt it, too. That deep, unsettling knowledge that trouble was coming. That this wasn’t over. Goliath steps down from the porch and turns towards her, watching her.

He was breathing hard, his fists clenched, his entire body coiled too tight.Hewas breathing hard, his fists clenched, his entire body coiled too tight.

Then, slowly, deliberately, he began to undress.

Sofia’s breath caught in her throat as Goliath’s hands moved to the hem of his cut, pulling it off and tossing it onto the nearbychair. His broad chest was already rising and falling with heavy breaths, the ridges of his abs flexing as he reached for the hem of his shirt. In one smooth motion, he dragged it over his head, revealing the full scope of his body—hard muscle, taut skin, battle scars tracing his ribs and abdomen like whispers of past wars.

Her throat went dry. She knew she should look away, that whatever was happening right now wasn’t normal, but she couldn’t. She was frozen, torn between uncertainty and something she refused to name.

Then his hands moved to his belt. Her stomach flipped. Was he really—?

Goliath unfastened it with practiced ease, shoving the leather through the loops before his fingers went for the button of his jeans. Her pulse hammered as he popped it open, dragging the zipper down in agonizingly slow movements. Her breathing shallowed as he pushed his jeans down his powerful thighs, stepping out of them until he stood before her completely naked—unashamed, unapologetic.

Sofia’s fingers trembled at her sides, her entire body locking up. She didn’t know what to do. Turn away? Stare? Say something? Nothing in her life had prepared her for this moment. For him.

Heat flooded her face, and she instinctively glanced away, only to have her gaze dragged back to him. The raw power in his stance, the sheer animalistic confidence, was impossible to ignore.

Goliath didn’t speak. He simply watched her, waiting, letting her reaction sink in. And the worst part? She had no fucking idea how to react.

Then it happened.

His body trembled, muscles shifting, bones cracking in a way that made her stomach turn. And then—fur. Claws. A beast where a man had just stood. A massive wolf, dark as midnight, stood before her, golden eyes piercing straight into her soul.

Her knees buckled. The world spun.

"What—what the fuck?" she whispered, stumbling backward.

The wolf took a step forward, lowering its massive head, eyes still locked onto hers.

"Sofia." Alaska’s voice was calm behind her, though Sofia could barely process it. "It’s okay."

Okay? Nothing about this was okay.

Goliath shifted back in front of her, his body once again human—a powerful, primal man standing in the dim light, breathing heavily, his gaze never leaving her.

"You needed to know," he said simply. "This is what I am. What we are."

Sofia could not breathe.

"I—" She backed away. "I can’t—this is too much. I need to leave."

Goliath’s expression darkened instantly. "You’re not leaving."

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