Selene thrashed wildly, her hind claws raking my flank.She bucked with all her strength, throwing me off. Instead of pressing her attack on me, she turned toward Adele, who was frozen, sobbing in the corner.
The golden-brown wolf became a terrifying silhouette against the moonlight, her maw gaping wide as she lunged for my child.
Time froze.
No.
A power I never knew I possessed erupted from my core. I propelled myself forward, not to fight, but to intercept.
A split second before Selene's teeth could find their mark, I slammed into her with the full force of my body.
We crashed through the bedroom doorway together, tumbling into the hall. Snarls, impacts, and the splintering of wood filled the house. Selene scratched and bit wildly beneath me, every strike meant to kill. My only thought was to subdue her, to keep her away from my child.
We wrestled toward the top of the stairs. Selene found an opening, rearing up on her hind legs to bring her powerful forepaws down on my skull. I dodged instinctively, her claws grazing my ear with a searing pain.
In that moment of imbalance as her blow met empty air, I saw my chance. Not to kill, but to end the threat.
I drove forward with all my remaining strength.
The impact sent her stumbling backward. Her hind paws missed the top step. A flicker of stunned horror crossed her golden wolf eyes. She scrabbled for purchase, finding only air.
I stood there, panting heavily, watching her twisted form tumble down the staircase, a series of sickening crunchesechoing in the sudden silence, until she lay motionless at the bottom, her neck twisted unnaturally.
The shift receded like a tide, leaving behind a body wracked with pain, covered in deep scratches and bite marks, and a fatigue that reached my soul. I stood there, naked and trembling, leaning against the shattered doorframe.
Security guards—Dimitri's men—burst onto the scene, surrounding Selene's body. One checked for a pulse, then looked up at me and shook his head.
Dead. Selene was dead.
I had killed her.
But Adele was safe. The thought was my only anchor. My child was safe.
Ignoring the pain and the chaos, I stumbled back into the bedroom. Adele still huddled in the corner, whimpering. I knelt, disregarding my own nakedness and bleeding wounds, and gathered her into my arms, holding her tight.
"It's over, baby," I whispered, my voice hoarse from snarling but as gentle as I could make it. "Mommy's here. It's over. That monster can't hurt you ever again."
Her small hands clutched at me, as if I were the only solid thing in a raging sea. I held her, feeling the warmth and the steady beat of her heart against my chest, knowing with absolute certainty that every brutal, savage thing I had just done was worth it.
For this, I would become a monster.
For this, I would burn the world.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Isabella’s POV
I held Adele’s trembling frame against my chest, arms wrapped so tightly around her small body that it felt like if I loosened them for even a fraction of a second, she might slip away. Her breath hitched in short, panicked bursts, her fingers clinging to my shirt.
“Are you okay, baby?” My voice came out raw. I tipped her chin up gently, scanning every inch of her—her arms, her knees, her face—for even the faintest scratch. She’d fallen hard when she’d tried to scramble away from that raging lunatic. The thought alone sent a fresh wave of fury rolling through me.
But she was unharmed. Physically.
Adele blinked up at me, lashes wet, cheeks streaked with tears. Her bottom lip quivered. There was still terror swimming in her eyes. “Mommy…” Her voice cracked. “Why did that woman want to hurt me? Why does someone want me dead?”
For one heartbeat, the world tilted. Hearing those words, my child trying to make sense of someone hunting her, nearly broke me.
I pulled her in again, pressing her head to my shoulder, hand cradling the back of her neck.
