I could handle this on my own, but I don’t know if I could do it without scaring the shit out of them, if not hurting them.
“Alpha,” the young man says. “We came to—”
“I’ve got a pretty good idea what you came to do,” he growls. “But we’re all going to have a talk. A nice, calm conversation where everyone explains to me, in detail, what’s happening here.”
As he approaches, I notice him tilt his head to the side, turning his nose up to the air.
“Trina,” he snaps. “Are you hurt?”
“Oh,” I mutter, looking down at my arm. The sleeve is ripped, and there’s a long gash on my forearm. “I didn’t notice it,” I reply. “It’s nothing.”
Owen’s face darkens, more stern and frightening than I’ve ever seen it. I can tell by the way he turns to face the others that his body is radiating pure menace. To him, my injury is far from “nothing.”
Chapter 17 - Owen
The scent of Trina’s blood in the air hits the back of my nose and ignites my rage like gasoline hurled onto hot coals. I’m pure instinct as I stride towards the group of people, a living weapon set loose with only one purpose.
Destroy.
The three young men watch me get closer, all of them wearing mixed expressions of confusion, fear, and anger. My fists clench with every step, and I can almost feel their bones breaking in my hands.
“Owen!” Trina shouts, suddenly appearing in front of me. I stagger back a step, confused.
How did she move so fast? It’s almost like she teleported.
“Stop,” she says, holding up her hand. “It’s okay.”
“It’s not okay,” I protest, almost ready to push past her to get to the others. “They ambushed you, at my house—for the second time!”
“Alpha,” one of the men says. “Please accept my apology. We didn’t mean for this to get out of hand.”
“Shut up, Charlie,” the ringleader growls. “No one asked you.”
“You’re about to get your ass kicked, Jesse,” Charlie says. “Don’t say I never tried to help you.”
“Jesse, is it?” I say, my voice low and dangerous as I step around Trina. “That would make you Martin’s son, yes?”
“Yeah,” Jesse sneers. “What of it?”
My fists clench tightly, and suddenly, the space between us looks like nothing at all. My entire body tenses as I prepare tospring, and the only thought in my mind is what it will feel like to crush the little punk’s skull.
So I know where to send your corpse, you little fuck!
“Owen,” Trina says, stepping in front of me. “Stop.”
I try to keep my focus on Jesse, but she waves her hand in front of my face, forcing me to look at her. She runs her fingers gently down my cheek, and the second I look into her big, aqua eyes, my anger cools.
She looks… different.
It’s not a change I could immediately describe, but there is a serenity to her that definitely wasn’t there before. For the last few days, her eyes have been shallow and pained, the usual bright depths darkened by shadows of sorrow.
Now they look deeper than ever before. Tropical pools full of treasure that only the bravest heart could find.
“Trina?” I whisper, looking her over in wonder.
She smiles. “There you are. Just look at me, Owen. I’m alright, and these guys are just scared, okay? There’s no need for any of us to fight.”
“Janice is still on the ground,” Jesse says. “What did you do to her?”
