The shock on Rylan’s face lasted only a second before Rhettyanked.
Both men crashed into the torrent, a tangle of limbs and fury and raw Alpha dominance, the storm swallowing them whole.
I staggered toward the edge, heart pounding, rain in my eyes, throat raw from shouting.
The water roared louder than any voice. Lightning turned the world white again.
And then I saw movement—two shapes, locked together, fighting the current and each other in a violent, swirling blur.
“Rhett,” I whispered, uselessly. My voice vanished in the storm.
But even through the fear, even through the rising panic, something else flared deep inside me. A heat not born of biology this time—something fiercer.
They came for me.
And they weren’t about to let Rylan take me without a fight.
The storm was everywhere—inside me, around me, insidethem.The roar of the water drowned everything, but I could still hear them—Rhett’s snarl, Rylan’s curse, the splash and struggle as the river became an arena for something older than rivalry.
My knees sank into the mud at the water’s edge. I shouted his name again and again, throat raw, hands trembling so hard I could barely keep myself upright. Every flash of lightning gave me glimpses: Rhett’s arm locking around Rylan’s shoulder, Rylan twisting, throwing a wild punch that barely missed. The current caught them both, dragging them farther downstream.
I started forward before I could think, boots slipping.
Then—hands. A grip on my shoulders.
“Stay with her!” Roan’s voice cut through everything, sharp, commanding, and for one wild second, my chest cracked open with relief because he washere.
He didn’t wait for an answer, just kissed me hard and swift. The burn of his mouth on mine a brand. Then he dove straight into the current, a blur of motion and muscle and controlled fury.
Jay’s hand found mine, fingers fisting tight, holding me to him as the storm tried to pull the world apart. His body was shaking—from the cold or the adrenaline, I didn’t know—but his grip didn’t falter. “He’s got him,” he said, voice barely audible over the wind. “He’s got him.”
Roan wouldn’t let Rhett fight alone. He’d back him. They’d get Rylan together. Jay and I moved moved together along the bank, following the violence that tumbled downstream. I couldfeel Jay’s pulse thundering against mine, his own scent edged with protectiveness that blanketed me.
The rain turned to ice. Literal shards of it. It cut against my skin as the wind howled through the trees. Downriver, two bodies broke the surface—Rhett and Rylan—crashing against the rocky edge. Rhett was up first, mud-slick and wild-eyed, chest heaving, teeth bared in a snarl that looked more wolf than man.
Rylan pushed to his feet, spitting blood, eyes locked on Rhett. He lunged again. Then Roan wasthere.
He hit Rylan like a breaking wave, the force of it echoing through the storm. The sound—theimpact—ripped through the air, a sickening mix of water and bone and rage.
“Roan!” I screamed, though it wasn’t fear, not exactly. It was everything at once—terror, pride, heat,love.
Jay pulled me back just enough to keep me from slipping back into the water, but my eyes never left the three figures in the downpour.
It wasn’t a hockey fight. It wasn’t even a hunt. It was primal, raw, and absolutely personal.
Rylan swung first—fast, desperate—but Roan took the hit and drove through it, using that controlled strength that made him the leader he was. Rhett came in behind him, cutting off Rylan’s retreat, a silent, brutal echo to Roan’s precision.
Two against one, but there was no mercy in it.
Another hit. A roar. Then the sound of a body hitting the rocks hard enough to make my stomach twist.
Lightning split the sky, blinding white, and when the world came back into focus, it was over.
Rylan was down.
Blood mixed with rain, running in dark streaks across his face. He was breathing—barely—but he wasn’t getting up again.
Rhett stood over him, chest heaving. Roan, soaked, shivering, and eyes burning with alpha fury, stared down at the man who’d stalked and hunted andtriedto take me.
