The words burrowed into the hollow spot behind my sternum, feeding the powerful rage fueling me. It fought for dominance with the heat turning into a consuming, blinding need.
My fingers went numb as my grip turned unrelenting on the knife.
“Fuck off. I don’t need you for anything.”
The sinister glint in his dark eyes faded along with his fleeting smile. Amused, I drove my bare foot into his half-hard dick. A string of Italian curses hissed through his strained jaw.
At least, they sounded like curses. Definitely weren’t terms of endearment.
“Vaffanculo!”
An indignant glaze slid over his yellow eyes, and I darted out of the way of his wandering hand. I ran behind his kneeling frame, pushing the tip of the blade into his throat, the sharp point barely dimpling the skin.
An empty, unsettling chuckle rumbled from Rossi, and I pushed the knife deeper, a trickle of blood staining the steel. I knew what I had to do, but my hand shuddered.
I saved puppies, cared for horses… I didn’t… I wasn’t a murderer.
Morality existed in shades of gray. If Kaelen had taught me anything, it was that no one was ever truly bad or good. Most people existed somewhere in the middle.
Maybe I was capable. Torin destroyed a man’s life at my word because I wanted to avenge Shadow.
Could I do the same to protect myself? Could I end a life?
The knife trembled violently in my grip. However, I wasn’t afforded the luxury of questioning myself. If I did, Rossi would sense my hesitation and strike.
Air whistled through my teeth when the door flew open, screws from the hinges rattling on the ground. My head snapped towards the sound. A tall, broad-shouldered figure filled the doorway. The familiar scent of espresso and sweet whisky enveloped me.
My breath hitched. My eyes found his strained ones, swirling with pain.
Kaelen. Alpha.
Sprays of crimson painted his freckled cheeks, a terrifying mark across his pale skin. I gasped, relaxing only when I realized the blood wasn’t his. He wasn’t hurt.
A grimace slid across my lips.
“Alpha,” I called out, the purest form of relief melting over my taut muscles.
Seeing him dulled and heightened me in equal measure. My fear receded, yet the heat ignited in my body, doubled. The muscles in my stomach contorted, threatening to send me to my knees.
A whine hissed through my teeth, my chest heaving as Kaelen snarled.
“I’m here, mo chroí,” he said, his sweet, possessive voice soothing something in the furthest reaches of my soul.
“Finnegan,” Rossi said. I’d almost forgotten about him. “Come to watch me claim your wife?”
A sudden, bone-deep resolve bloomed. Rossi tried to stand, and panic rose, choking me. Kaelen stood frozen, eyes darting between the weapon in my hand, me, and Rossi.
It was up to me.
This was my body, my life, and I had to fight for my mate.
I had to fight for myself.
Sharp stings zapped in my stomach, my palms cold with sweat. The knife started to slip. I summoned the last shred of my willpower.
I’d always thought I was pure.
That omegas were destined to be quiet, sweet beings, but I knew that was wrong. Like Kaelen had said, we had a hidden strength. A power that few understood.
