i

n the air like

a

body was screaming at me to claim what was mine. To protect. To possess. To

here, I could smell her fear, hear her rapid heartbeat echoing through the empty arena like a drum. My enh

as a growl, rougher than I in

trying to make herself invisible. Like that would work on me. L

ngue, too soft for the rage burning in m

vement, the shuffle of clothes against concrete. She appeared at th

y waves around her face, and her wide green eyes were bright with unshed tears. This

out of her before she could stop it

there was no humor in it. "T

ep backward, pressing herself against the bleache

rds, close enough to see the pulse fluttering in her throat. "Nobod

idened. "Y

n, making it impossible to think straight. The mate bond was like a l

ght," I said instead. "My

now what you're

I saw her flinch. Good. Maybe fear would keep her qu

ing despite the old sweater she wore. "Your

the beast I fought so hard to keep hidden. In three years of high school, throug

excep

pping the boards so hard my knuckles went white. "You'

. Her voice cracked on the words, and I could smell the salt

say. You exist and yo

me that wasn't consumed by rage wanted to comfort her, to explain that this was

nore

. Maya pressed herself flat against the bleacher support, but there was nowhere for her to r

t under

er green eyes. Close enough to smell the vanilla scent of her shampoo mixed with

force. For a moment, just a moment, there was fire in her eyes instea

se I'd expected. There was steel beneath her soft e

with approval.

* I shot bac

e to intimidate her back into submission. "You want to k

y eyes despite the terror radi

little

atly. "And last night, my w

pened her mouth, closed it, then opene

ible," she fin

where my wolf was clawing to get out. "Tell that to th

went up an octave. "Wh

n I intended, possessive and raw. "It means my wolf ha

I'm j

y notices?" I stepped closer, and she shrank back agai

d him down. This was for her own good. The sooner she

word like a knife. "Especially not one wh

silent streams. The sight of them made my wolf how

get this conversation. You're going to forget what you saw last

urprised me. Even crying, even t

out exactly how da

fore I hurt her. But she

rist, maybe to emphasize my point or maybe ju

in met hers, the

ht train, connecting us in ways I'd only heard about in whispered pack stories. I could feel her heartbeat like it was my own, fe

her. For a frozen moment, we stared at each other, both feeling

ty crashed

was done. The bond hummed between us now, permanent and unb

but especially not with a fragile human girl who would br

. But the words felt hollow now, impossible to enforce when e

bed her, her fingers tracing the spot

scape. But as I burst through the arena doors into the cold night air, I felt other ey

the rafters, soft as sil

she's t