Page 49 of Forbidden Love

He turned slightly toward Dell, a flicker of deference passing through his gaze. “You have any other questions for this bastard?”

Dell’s jaw clenched as his eyes locked on Gary. “No,” he said simply, the growl in his tone unmistakable. “I don’t believe anything a man that beats a woman says.”

Gary barely had time to blink before Brock launched forward, fists flying. The first punch cracked across Gary’s jaw, snapping his head to the side. He stumbled back, dazed, but Brock didn’t give him room to breathe. Another blow hit his ribs, and the sound of the impact was sharp and satisfying.

“You dare come into my territory,” Brock growled between punches, “hurt my family. Threatenedmy Mate.”

Gary swung, wild and desperate, but Brock ducked under it and drove his shoulder into Gary’s gut, lifting him off the ground and slamming him into the mud with a heavy thud. Gary groaned, trying to scramble up, but Brock was already on him. He rained down punch after punch—controlled, brutal, every strike fueled by rage and years of pent-up fury.

“You think scaring a woman makes you strong?” Brock snarled, grabbing Gary by the front of his sweatpants and dragging him upright. “You think you’re amanbecause you make someone smaller than you afraid? Fightme,you son of a bitch!”

Gary wheezed, spitting blood. “I just wanted to see my son?—”

“You lost that right!” Brock roared.

He slammed Gary against a tree, bark splintering behind him. A flash of lightning lit the clearing, illuminating the fury in Brock’s eyes—the unmistakable golden shimmer of his wolf near the surface. Gary tried to shift, but Brock kicked his legs out from under him, pinning him to the ground with a knee to the chest.

“Shift again, and I’ll break your fucking neck,” Brock warned, voice low and deadly. “You’re not going out as a wolf but a man who beats women.”

Gary whimpered, hands raised in surrender.

Brock stood, breathing hard, blood dripping from a split across his cheek and the reopened claw wounds on his side. Rain washed over him, mingling red with the mud beneath their feet. He looked down at Gary, who lay broken and heaving in the dirt.

“You’re lucky the Alpha is here,” Brock muttered. “If it were just me and you, I’d end your life now, you worthless piece of shit.”

“Finish him,” Dell gave him the nod, his arms crossed as he stared at Brock. “But let me warn you. If you finish him, I expect your allegiance to me and the Lee County Wolves Pack. His life for yours.”

Without thought, without question, Brock reached down to the now crying Gary and snapped his neck like a fucking twig. And with that, he turned, vanishing into the storm-soaked forest, shirtless, bleeding, and alive with purpose—leaving a dead man behind, and the chapter closed in violence and vengeance.

CHAPTER 21

“I’ve got her,”

Hearing his voice, Deb wanted to cry, but she didn’t know why. Was it because she felt safe whenever he was near or because she had been misled again by a man? Maybe if she just slapped him, she’d feel much better. But seeing him bloody and injured had her wanting to take care of him and how messed up was that. She might as well realize she was a lost cause.

“Asher can get me back, Brock,” Deb said firmly, standing her ground despite the ache in her foot—and the storm still rolling through her heart. But the flare in Brock’s eyes made her instantly regret those words.

“The fuck he can.” Brock’s voice was a low growl, and before she could blink, he was closing the distance between them, his jaw tight with barely restrained emotion.

Asher wisely stepped back, scooping up a soaking wet Pepper. “I’ll make sure Pepper gets home,” he said casually as he turned to walk off.

Deb narrowed her eyes. “How do you even know where she lives?”

“She told me,” Asher called over his shoulder, throwing her a cheeky grin as Pepper licked his face like they were lifelong pals.

“Traitor,” Deb muttered at the poodle, then rolled her eyes before glancing back up—right into the searing stare of one very pissed-off wolf shifter. “

“What?” she asked, already on the defensive.

Brock’s arms were tense at his sides, his voice low but no less dangerous. “What in the hell were you doing out here?”

“Chasing Pepper,” she answered flatly, crossing her arms. “Obviously.”

His brow twitched. “Didn’t you hear what I told you earlier? Taz found tracks near your property.”

“I heard you,” she snapped. “But Pepper ran off and?—”

“I don’t give a fuck about the fucking dog,” he roared, stepping in so close she had to tilt her head back to meet his eyes.

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