Chapter 10 #3
I swallowed hard against the knot in my throat, tasting copper and fear as our eyes locked across the bloody pavement. In that moment, the mate bond hummed between us, undeniable and terrifying in its power.
“The wolf is already pushing against the surface,” Brody explained, his voice rough. “When I saw her hurt, there was nothing to stop it from taking over completely. Killing instead of just protecting.”
I’d studied the phenomenon extensively in my research.
The mate bond acted as a natural stabilizer, allowing shifters to maintain control even in extreme situations.
Without it, unmated males with pre-feral symptoms were walking time bombs, one moment of intense emotion away from a pre-feral episode that could destroy everything in their path.
“You recognized her, though,” Mack said, something like awe in his voice. “That’s rare.”
The partial bond, I realized. Even rejected and incomplete, it had been enough to pull Brody back from complete savagery.
“We need to move you, Rozi,” Rhett said, breaking the moment. “Get you somewhere safe while we handle this mess.”
Mack approached me, concern etched across his face as he assessed my injuries. “That head wound…”
“Will heal,” I finished for him, already feeling my shifter healing kick in. The throbbing had dulled to a manageable ache. “I’ll push through. I have work to do.”
“There’s no shame in taking time to heal, Doctor,” Mack said, his hand resting on my shoulder. “We need to contain this scene.”
The growl that rumbled through the night air wasn’t loud, but it carried a primal warning that made every hair on my body stand at attention.
My eyes snapped to Brody. His gaze wasn’t on the bodies or the growing crowd; it was locked on Mack’s hand on my shoulder, his eyes flickering between normal and that dangerous amber.
Mack immediately dropped his hand and took a deliberate step back. “Easy, brother,” he murmured, palms raised. “Just helping out.”
I should have been annoyed at Brody’s possessiveness, especially after what we’d just survived. I should have rolled my eyes, made some cutting remark about not being his property.
Instead, heat bloomed low in my belly, a primal response to his claim that bypassed all my defenses. My cheetah stirred beneath my skin, pleased rather than offended.
“I’m fine,” I said, my voice steadier than I felt. “Let’s get out of here.”
When I took a step forward, the world tilted slightly, not from injury but from pure adrenaline. Brody was at my side instantly, his arm around my waist, his body a wall of heat against mine.
“I’ve got her,” he said, his voice leaving no room for argument.
I should have pulled away, insisted on my independence. Years of anger demanded it.
Instead, I found myself leaning into his touch, my body recognizing its other half before my mind could raise its usual objections.
The realization hit me with stunning clarity—despite everything, some part of me still recognized him as mine at the most primal level.
And that terrified me more than any attacker ever could.
“You’re getting worse,” I said, touching his face with trembling fingers, needing him to look at me. “We can’t delay our trip to the COL tomorrow.”
What I didn’t say filled the space between us like a ghost. We both knew there was another way, the mate claim that would bind us together permanently. The solution I refused to consider, not after what happened. Not after he’d rejected me and left those scars that still hadn’t healed.
He caught my hand, pressing it against his cheek. “You brought me back when nothing else could have,” he whispered. “No one’s ever reached me in that state before.”
I pulled my hand away, unable to bear the intimacy. The implication was clear; the mate bond was already forming, already strong enough to pull him back from the edge. But I’d be damned if I’d surrender to it.
“The COL has the cure,” I said firmly. “We don’t need to explore… alternatives.”
His eyes darkened with understanding and something else. Regret, maybe. He knew exactly what alternative I was refusing to acknowledge.
Rhett pulled off his jacket, handing it to Brody to cover himself. “We’ll take care of this,” he said, no judgment in his voice. “Mercenaries targeting the doctor who is under our protection, no one will question what happened.”
“Brody, you need to get her somewhere safe,” Mack added, already pulling out his phone. “We’ll call Quinn to brief him on what happened, then handle the cleanup.”
Brody wrapped the jacket around his waist. “My SUV has spare clothes in the back,” he said. “Most of us learn to keep extras after the first few unexpected changes.”
My world spun sideways, darkness creeping in at the edges of my vision.
Brody’s arms came around me, steadying me against his chest. I should have pulled away, would have before tonight.
Instead, I found myself leaning into his strength, my face pressed against the solid wall of his chest, his heartbeat thundering beneath my cheek.
I winced as his hands made contact with muscles that were already seizing up.
“You’re moving to my cabin,” he said, and there was no discussion in his tone. The authority in his voice should have rankled, but instead, it washed over me like a soothing balm. “Tonight. Now. This isn’t negotiable.”
For once, I didn’t argue. Fighting beside him had changed something fundamental between us. This wasn’t about pride or independence anymore. Tabia wanted me, dead or alive.
And something about the way we’d moved together in combat, anticipating each other’s actions, feeling each other’s rhythms… it unsettled me in ways I wasn’t ready to examine.
“Okay,” I said quietly, surprising us both.
His relief was palpable, his body relaxing infinitesimally against mine. “My cabin has tactical-grade security. Motion sensors, panic room, perimeter alarms. Even professional shifter mercenaries can’t breach it without advance warning.”
Brody retrieved his spare clothes from the SUV, jeans and a dark T-shirt that stretched across his broad shoulders, dressing quickly with the efficiency of a man accustomed to shifting unexpectedly.
Even with him clothed, the power in his movements remained evident, the predator barely contained beneath the human facade.
As we gathered my things from the B&B, every movement sent fresh waves of pain through my bruised body.
Each step was a lesson in endurance, my muscles protesting the simplest actions.
I caught him watching me with an expression I’d never seen before.
The shame was still there, but beneath it lurked something that looked dangerously like the kind of possessive, protective need that went far beyond professional obligation.
“You saw what I really am tonight,” he said quietly, helping me with my bag, his fingers lingering against mine longer than necessary. “What I become when I lose control.”
I met his gaze steadily. “I saw someone who would do anything to protect me. Even from himself.”
“I killed them, Rozi. Without hesitation.”
“And I’d be dead if you hadn’t.” I touched his face, making him look at me. “Even in your pre-feral rage you found your way back to me.”
“No one’s ever been able to reach me when I’m that far gone,” he said, wonder and confusion mingling in his voice.
The implications were undeniable now. I swallowed hard.
“One solution at a time,” I said, pulling away. “First, we find the cure at the COL. Then we deal with… whatever this is.”
His smile was slow and full of promise, transforming his battle-hardened features into something dangerously appealing. “A lifetime, I’ve waited. I can wait a little longer.”
Don’t read too much into it, I warned myself. He’s just doing his job.
But we’d fought together. Bled together. Survived together.
He’d killed for me. And I’d pulled him back from the edge of something worse than death.
That created bonds that went far beyond old grudges or professional boundaries.
My own grandmother had escalated from kidnapping to attempted murder. Tabia Dhahabu, with her global pharmaceutical empire and unlimited resources, wouldn’t stop until I was either captured or dead. These mercenaries were just the first wave. There would be others, more skilled, more deadly.
“Tabia will send more,” Brody said, voicing my thoughts as he stowed my luggage. His eyes scanned the darkness beyond the vehicle, ever vigilant. “Her reach extends everywhere, even here in the Ridge. My cabin is the only place with enough security measures to keep you safe until we reach the COL.”
I nodded, swallowing the bitter taste of fear. Years of independence, of building my career on my own terms, and now I was running for my life from my own blood. The irony wasn’t lost on me.
And tomorrow we’d be alone in the wilderness, with nothing but unresolved history and the mate bond between us. Every instinct, human and cheetah alike, warned me that something fundamental had shifted tonight. There was no going back to who we were before.
What could possibly go wrong?