Page 30 of Billionaire Wolf Needs a Maid

I could scent them all. Rafe, Sean, and Nina. Their emotions hung heavy in the air. It was a mixture of greed, anger, and fear. My mate's fear was a razor slicing through my heart.

I crept closer. Through the trees, I caught fragments of conversation.

"Your brother's gotten soft," Sean said. "All that technology, all that power, and he falls for a human maid?"

"The mighty Dean Nightfang, brought low by a pretty face." Rafe's laugh held no warmth. "Though I have to admit, she is delectable."

Fury built in my chest as I crept closer. Nina sat exactly as she had in Sean's photo, but her expression wasn't one of defeat. Even bound and surrounded by enemies, she held herself with quiet dignity. Her eyes scanned the cabin, taking in details, looking for weaknesses. My clever, brave mate.

"He'll come for me," she said, her voice steady despite her racing heart. "And when he does, you'll regret this."

"Oh, we're counting on it, sweetheart." Rafe dragged a claw down her cheek, drawing a thin line of blood.

The scent of Nina's blood shattered the last threads of my control. Sean's next words froze me in place.

"The moment he shows up, the virus I planted will activate. Everything he's built will crumble. His precious technology will become a weapon against the very people he swore to protect." Sean's smile was cruel. "And it's all thanks to your security clearance, my dear. Amazing what access a maid has these days."

Nina's eyes widened in horror. "No."

"Yes," Rafe purred. "Big brother's fatal flaw, caring too much. About his company, about protecting humans." He grabbed Nina's chin roughly. "About you."

The building pressure in my chest reached critical mass. My humanity warred with the wolf, each second of forced control an agony.

Nina's voice cut through my turmoil, clear and strong despite her fear: "You're wrong about him. Caring isn't weakness. It's what makes him stronger than either of you will ever be."

Pride and love surged through me, strengthening rather than weakening my resolve. She believed in me. Not just the wolf, not just the billionaire, but all of me. And I would not let her down.

The emotions coursed through our bond like liquid fire, burning away doubt. My mate truly saw me, not as separate halves but as one being worthy of her trust. The wolf, usually so intent on violence, purred at her acceptance. So many of our kind had spent centuries viewing our dual nature as a curse, yet she made it feel like a gift.

I stopped into view. "Let. Her. Go."

"Right on schedule," Sean smirked, pulling out his phone. "One message, and everything you've built burns."

"Did you really think I'd leave my systems vulnerable?" I took another step forward, feeling the change ripple beneath my skin. I held my thumb on my phone screen, activating it. "Jenkins, execute Protocol Phoenix."

Through our bond, I felt Nina's confusion shift to understanding. She'd spent months organizing my files - she knew what Protocol Phoenix meant. Everything backed up,everything locked down, everything Sean thought he could access reduced to ashes and reborn somewhere secure.

"You think you can win this?" Sean's voice wavered slightly. "One woman's life against your entire empire?"

"You never understood, Sean," I replied, letting my fangs show. "Everything I built, every system and safeguard, it was always to protect people like her. Without that purpose, the empire means nothing."

"No!" Sean's phone sparked and died in his hand.

"You're not the only one who can plant a virus." My smile was all fangs. "The moment you accessed our systems, you gave us access to yours. Everything you own, everything you've stolen, it's already being transferred to federal authorities."

"Always the hero, aren't you, brother? Always thinking you're better than us?" Rafe snarled as he shifted into his wolf form. The words came out slurred and garbled as his mouth changed. His fur was darker than mine, but he was smaller. Weaker.

"Not better." My voice distorted as bones began to crack and reform. "Just done letting you hurt the people I love."

The rage erupted from my core like molten steel, my spine cracking and elongating as the change ripped through me. Tendons snapped and reformed, muscle fibers tearing apart to restructure around a new skeletal frame. My jaw dislocated with a wet pop, teeth pushing through bleeding gums as they elongated into deadly fangs.

Claws burst from my fingertips, my hands contorting and crushing inward as paw pads emerged from splintering bones. My ribcage expanded with sickening cracks, lungs reforming asmy internal organs shifted and realigned. Fur pushed through my skin like thousands of needles, each hair burning as it erupted in waves across my transforming body. The pain was excruciating, yet welcomed. Each broken bone and torn muscle brought me closer to the form I needed to protect my mate. My shoulders split and reformed, front legs twisting as my spine curved.

When the transformation was completed, I stood, towering over Rafe, silver fur bristling along my massive frame. My jaws, powerful enough to crush bone, dripped saliva as I fixed my amber eyes on my brother's throat. Time to end this.

Through red-tinted vision, I saw Nina's eyes widen, not in fear, but in awe. Even now, facing my most primal form, she didn't look away. Through our connection, I felt not revulsion at my changing form, but a fierce pride and determination. Her fear remained, yet it wasn't for herself. She feared for me, for what my brother's betrayal must be doing to my heart.

"My God," she whispered. Wonder colored her voice. "You're magnificent."

---