6. Osias #2
As he guided her through the restaurant toward the exit, his hand hovering protectively near her back, Osias’s mind was already working through the problem of Rennick Hale.
The man was toxic, controlling, and clearly viewed Celina as property rather than a person.
Every instinct demanded that Osias remove the threat immediately and decisively.
But Lissa’s earlier warning echoed in his mind: Don’t get all overprotective. Let her set the pace.
The challenge would be finding a way to protect his mate without becoming another man trying to manage her life. Celina needed to choose her own freedom, not have it imposed by someone else—even someone who loved her.
Outside Mancini’s, a black SUV waited at the curb with a professional-looking man behind the wheel. Trent, presumably. Osias opened the rear door for Celina, and she turned to face him before getting in.
“Thank you for a wonderful evening,” she said, and despite everything that had happened, her smile seemed genuine. “I’m looking forward to seeing you tomorrow.”
“So am I,” he replied, meaning it completely.
When the SUV pulled away, Osias stood on the sidewalk and watched until the taillights disappeared into Los Angeles traffic.
His mate was gone, but the connection between them hummed stronger than ever.
He was completely gone for her already—that much was certain.
But more concerning was how much he despised Rennick Hale and the controlling dynamic that had shaped Celina’s life.
That was a problem he needed to solve, even if he had to be strategic about it.
Fifteen minutes later, the pain struck Osias like a blow, radiating from his chest outward in waves of panic that weren’t his own. He dropped his keys on the marble floor of his mansion’s foyer, one hand clutching his shirt as the mate bond screamed that Celina was in danger.
Impossible.
He had just watched her drive away with Trent less than twenty minutes ago, safely secured in that black SUV with a professional bodyguard.
But the bond didn’t lie—couldn’t lie. The terror flooding through their connection was so intense it nearly brought him to his knees.
His lion roared to the surface as every protective instinct he possessed ignited like wildfire.
She was his mate. His responsibility. His to protect, even if she didn’t know it yet.
Osias snatched his keys from the floor and sprinted toward his garage, his phone already in his hand as he dialed Celina’s number.
It went straight to voicemail. He tried again, pushing through the double doors that led to his collection of vehicles.
Within seconds, the Ferrari’s engine roared to life before he’d fully settled into the driver’s seat.
The mate bond pulled him northwest toward the Hollywood Hills, and he followed that invisible thread with single-minded determination.
His hands gripped the steering wheel until his knuckles went white, the speedometer climbing as he navigated the winding roads with reckless precision.
Every second that passed without knowing what had happened to her felt like torture.
Twenty minutes, he told himself, pressing the accelerator harder.
He made it in ten.
But the sight that greeted him when he reached Celina’s estate made his heart nearly stop.
Her wrought-iron security gate hung twisted and broken, clearly rammed by something large and heavy.
Tire tracks scarred the pristine driveway and debris from the collision scattered across the asphalt like evidence of violence.
Osias abandoned his Ferrari outside the destroyed gate and ran toward the mansion, his lion demanding he shift and hunt down whoever had dared threaten his mate.
The scent of fear and blood hit his enhanced senses before he saw them—Celina kneeling beside Trent on the front steps of her mansion, her phone pressed to her ear as she spoke rapidly to what sounded like a 911 dispatcher.
Relief crashed over him so intensely he nearly stumbled.
She was alive. Shaken, terrified, but alive.
Trent, however, looked like he’d been through a war. The bodyguard’s face was bloodied and swollen, his shirt torn, and he was holding his ribs in a way that suggested serious injury. But his eyes were alert and focused on their surroundings, still protecting even while wounded.
Celina looked up as Osias approached, and the relief in her green eyes was so profound it made his chest ache. She ended her call and stood shakily, her elegant dress torn at the shoulder and her hair disheveled from whatever had happened.
“Osias? How did you—what are you doing here?”
He wanted to tell her the truth. That he had felt her terror through a bond she didn’t know existed. That his lion had nearly clawed its way out of his skin at the thought of losing her. That he would have torn apart half of Los Angeles to reach her.
Instead, he kept his voice steady and moved closer, his eyes scanning her for injuries. “I was driving past and saw the gate. What happened?”
“I don’t know exactly.” Her voice shook despite her obvious attempt to stay composed. “We were just pulling up to the house when this black SUV came out of nowhere and rammed straight through the gate. Then two men jumped out and tried to grab me, but Trent fought them off.”
Osias’s jaw clenched as fury surged through him. Someone had tried to take his mate. The urge to hunt them down and make them pay was so strong he had to consciously force his lion back down.
“They retreated when I started calling the police,” Celina continued, wrapping her arms around herself. “But Trent got hurt pretty badly.”
The sound of sirens grew louder—police and ambulance finally arriving. Within seconds, Osias watched as paramedics immediately went to work on Trent, who was conscious but clearly in pain. The bodyguard caught Osias’s eye and gave him a slight nod of acknowledgment, professional to professional.
As the chaos of police questions and medical attention swirled around them, Celina moved closer to Osias’s side. She was trying to maintain her composure, but he could see the fine tremor in her hands and feel the residual fear through their bond.
“I can’t stay here tonight,” she said quietly, looking at her damaged gate and the crime scene tape the police were already stringing up. “I don’t feel safe. Can I stay with you?”
The request hit him like a gift he hadn’t dared hope for. Every protective instinct demanded he take her somewhere secure, somewhere he could watch over her personally.
“Of course,” he said without hesitation. “You can stay at my place as long as you need.”
The gratitude in her eyes made his chest warm. “Thank you. Let me just grab some things.”
She disappeared inside the mansion, and Osias followed at a respectful distance, positioning himself in the grand foyer while she went upstairs to pack. The space was elegant and expensive, but it felt cold somehow—more like a showcase than a home.
His phone buzzed with a text from Juno: Saw the news report. Everything okay?
Osias typed back quickly: Celina’s safe. Someone tried to take her. Will explain later.
That was Juno—always ready to help, no questions asked.
Having his Beta’s support would make protecting Celina easier, especially if whoever had attacked her tonight decided to try again.
The thought made his lion snarl with territorial rage.
Let them try. They would discover exactly what happened to anyone who threatened an Alpha’s mate.
Footsteps on the staircase announced Celina’s return. She descended with a small overnight bag, looking fragile but determined. The sight of her trying to be brave when she was clearly shaken made something protective and tender unfurl in his chest.
“Ready?” he asked gently.
She nodded, and he guided her back outside to where his Ferrari waited beyond the chaos of police cars and flashing lights. The destroyed gate looked even worse in the glare of the emergency vehicles’ lights—a stark reminder of how close he had come to losing her before he’d ever really had her.
Osias opened the passenger door and helped her settle into the leather seat, his hand lingering on her shoulder for just a moment longer than necessary. The contact sent warmth through the bond, and he saw her eyes flutter closed briefly, as if she felt it too.
As he walked around to the driver’s side, his mind was already working through the logistics of keeping her safe.
His mansion was secure, but he would need to upgrade the security system.
Juno would need to be briefed on potential threats.
And they would need to figure out who had orchestrated this attack and why.
But first, he needed to get his mate somewhere safe where he could properly protect her.
The Ferrari’s engine purred to life, and as they pulled away from the chaos behind them, Osias caught Celina watching him with an expression he couldn’t quite read.
“Thank you,” she said softly. “For coming. For helping. I don’t know what I would have done if—“
“You don’t have to thank me,” he interrupted, his voice rougher than he intended. “I’ll always come when you need me.”
The words carried more weight than she could possibly understand, but something in her expression shifted—softened—as if she heard the deeper promise beneath them.
As they drove through the Hollywood Hills toward his Beverly Hills mansion, Osias found himself reconsidering everything. His careful plan to take things slow, to build trust gradually, to let her set the pace—all of it had changed the moment someone had tried to take her.