an's

really

nd, the memory of what had happened on t

myself to belie

cealed his face, leaving me w

ides, he despised me. What reason could he possibl

" Furious at being interrupted, the arm-tattooed leader charged

't even rise f

le past him. In the next instant, he seized the leader's wrist with a re

rough the narrow alley as

rn into the Ashford family meant I understood

wolf was required to abi

ere forbidden from transforming, revealing our fangs, or

-and-a-half-foot brute with one effortless move, using n

nt the remaining thugs rush

cle and moved in front of me, placing

cular thugs one after another in mere seconds, until th

one of them with nothi

ension gripped my chest. My heartbeat thunder

that usually gave away a werewolf. Was it possible that he was simp

e helmet muffled his voice, its deep resonance still carri

elves up, helping one another to their feet before scrambling onto t

en only by the lingering haze of dust and th

gone, my heart was still

ood earlier and naturally ass

red, while the unmistakabl

teadily, then swallowed nervously and found

orry," he replied in a

teps, examining him

ring his left shoulder. A dark stain was spreading through the torn seam a

g the fight when he intercepted

.." I exclaim

tively reached for his shoulder, wanting to check the injury. "H

in my voice, because he

ves. With effortless familiarity, his long fin

He lifted off the helmet and tucked it beneath

e narrow space between the buildings, scatteri

with sweat, fell agains

uld never forget. I had seen it in my dreams more

icy blue eyes that seemed to have no end-all of them were unmis

that I couldn't

no mista

s Adr

was happening. The whole situation felt ridicu

rushed my pride without g

ng at his face on a billboard, clenching my jaw

d had nowhere else to turn, he showed up out of

I suppos

s, yet he had also put himself in harm's way t

, and the nervous flutter in my chest-came rushing back. They spread through me

ly upbringing kept me grounded. He had, after al

, and met his gaze head-on. Keeping my v

sual mocking smile, or casually brus

he always wore softened into the fainte

silence of the alley, sending a strange

ld detachment. There was something intense and unsettling in his e

fered me another helmet, holding my gaze as he spoke. "Why