20. Ronan #2
"We need to get to Darius," Sloane said, wiping blood from her hands as she scanned the battlefield. "He's trying to escape."
They began moving as one unstoppable force through the half-mile stretch of dense forest toward Darius's estate.
Moonlight filtered through the canopy, and every few hundred yards, more Kade wolves emerged to block their path.
But each encounter only proved what Ronan had felt in his bones—they were meant to fight together.
When Sloane snapped the neck of another massive wolf, both he and Kozue felt the fierce satisfaction through their bond.
When his jaws crushed an enemy's windpipe, her pride blazed through their connection.
When Kozue's claws raked across a rogue's flank, their combined strength multiplied.
By the time they reached the estate's front entrance, Sloane had three more kills under her belt, while Ronan and Kozue had eliminated five each.
Their bodies had moved with deadly grace, anticipating each other's actions with an instinctive awareness.
But now, Ronan's focus became laser sharp as the estate's front doors splintered beneath his wolf's shoulder.
The opulent foyer stretched before them—marble floors, crystal chandeliers, and a grand staircase that screamed of wealth built on others' suffering.
And descending those stairs came Darius Kade himself, his eyes wide with shock as he took in the sight of two enormous wolves flanking a blood-spattered human woman.
In each hand, he carried expensive leather suitcases, the picture of a man preparing to flee rather than defend his territory.
Sloane stepped forward, positioning herself at the base of the staircase with lethal calm. "You aren't going anywhere, Darius. You're going to pay for what you did to Ronan's family and pack, and for what you tried to do to me. You cannot escape your fate."
Darius's laugh was cold and calculating. "I told you, sweetheart, you don't understand this shifter world. I have resources everywhere. I can, and I will get away with this."
"I understand the shifter world perfectly." Sloane's voice carried quiet steel. "You fight for your home. You protect your family and your people, even if it kills you in the end. No amount of resources in the world can buy you that type of loyalty and love."
The truth in her words seemed to hit Darius hard. His confident mask slipped, revealing the desperate man beneath. But before he could respond, three more rogue wolves came flying down the staircase behind him while four additional reinforcements poured from the main corridor.
Within seconds, the estate's foyer erupted into chaos.
Ronan's wolf and Kozue's wolf moved with lethal precision while Sloane flowed between them like deadly water, her movements perfectly complementing theirs.
Bodies fell and blood splattered the marble floors while the sounds of combat echoed through the obscenely luxurious space.
When the last rogue wolf dropped lifeless, Darius stood alone at the top of the staircase, his suitcases abandoned at his feet.
The Alpha who had terrorized territories for years, who had murdered Ronan's family in cold blood, finally had nowhere left to run.
His bones began to crack and shift as he transformed, auburn fur erupting across his skin as his massive reddish-brown wolf emerged. His ice-blue eyes blazed with desperate fury as he launched himself down the staircase directly at Sloane.
But they were ready for the bastard.
Ronan's wolf intercepted from the left while Kozue attacked from the right, their coordinated assault forcing Darius to fight on multiple fronts. The rival Alpha was skilled—Ronan had to admit that—but he fought dirty, using underhanded tactics that spoke to his character.
Still, he was no match for the power of their triad bond.
When Sloane finally leaped onto Darius's back and pinned him to the cold marble floor, Ronan's wolf was already moving, and his massive jaws clamped around the rival Alpha's throat with deadly finality.
For our family, Ronan projected as his teeth found their mark. For our pack. For our future.
The life drained from Darius's wolf form, his ice-blue eyes finally losing their predatory gleam. In death, his body shifted back to human form, leaving only the corpse of the man who had caused so much pain.
Sloane rolled away from the dead shifter as her chest heaved with exertion, and around them, the estate had fallen silent.
Through their pack connection, Ronan could sense his pack warriors finishing the last of the Kade forces outside.
He and Kozue shifted back to human form, their naked bodies bearing various cuts and bruises from the battle.
None of the injuries were serious, but they served as reminders of how close they'd come to losing everything.
Sloane's bloodied form immediately wrapped around both of them, her arms pulling them close as they stood over their enemy's corpse. In this moment—holding his mate and his brother, surrounded by the evidence of their victory—Ronan finally felt the weight of twelve years lift from his shoulders.
Justice had been served. His family could rest in peace. And together, they had protected what mattered most.
"I'm ready to go back home now," Sloane whispered against his chest, her voice carrying exhaustion and relief in equal measure.
Home.
The word settled into Ronan's bones with perfect rightness as he tightened his arms around the two people who meant everything to him.