And just as he had promised, in the blink of an eye, Kade gripped the man's wrist and wrenched it backward at an unnatural angle. The sharp crack of bone breaking echoed. The guard's scream tore through the air. May flinched violently, her own bones aching in phantom pain as if she had been the one fractured.
Kade's eyes burned.
"There will be more of them coming now," May whispered. Her pulse raced, her breath coming too quickly, and for a moment she thought she might faint. The looming gates and walls of Kingsley's estate seemed to lean in on her.
Kade cut her a sharp look, his authority slicing through her panic. "Get in the car." The command was so forceful that her legs moved before her mind caught up. She obeyed, scrambling back into the passenger seat of the car. The door slammed shut, and the interior felt like a sanctuary. Her palms trembled in her lap as she watched Kade through the glass.
Outside, Kade towered over the whimpering man on the gravel. The guard writhed, clutching his mangled arm to his chest. "You broke my arm!" he howled.
(Please, recommend this novel)
"I warned you.".
The sound of metal grinding broke the moment. The heavy iron gates creaked open. From the yawning mouth of the estate emerged three more men. The musk of wolf hit Kade's senses immediately.
May shrank into her seat. Every instinct told her to flee, but she couldn't tear her eyes away from Kade standing there alone against the estate's men.
The werewolf among the men stepped forward, his nostrils flaring as he caught Kade's scent. Their gazes locked—an unspoken recognition, a sizing up. "Who are you?" he asked.
Kade straightened to his full height, shoulders rolling back, his presence filling the space. "I am Beta Kade of Silver Pack."
The werewolf's brows lifted in surprise, and a slow smile touched his mouth. "Silver Pack," he echoed. "That explains the bite in your aura."
"What can I do for you?" the man asked.
"Nothing," Kade replied, his eyes hard as stone. "Tell your Alpha who I am—and that I will be staying at the inn at the edge of town."
For a heartbeat, no one moved. Then Kade turned sharply on his heel.
He opened the driver's door and slid inside.
When he drove away from the mansion, the silence inside the car was so heavy it almost had a weight of its own. The only sounds were the hum of the engine and the faint crunch of tires against the gravel road. May sat stiffly in the passenger seat, her body angled away from him, though her eyes kept flicking toward him as if trying to decipher the stranger sitting beside her. Her thoughts ran in frantic circles—Who was he, really? What did Beta Kade mean? Silver Pack? Was this some kind of secret cult? A gang? Some… underground mafia? The more she replayed what had just happened, the more her stomach twisted.
Finally, without looking at her, he said flatly, "If you have something to say, say it."
May's lips trembled before the words even left them. "You… you broke that man's arm."
"I warned him," Kade said, almost with a shrug, his gaze still on the road ahead.
Her chest tightened. "You broke his arm!" she repeated louder this time, as though raising the volume would force him to understand the horror of it. The memory of the bone snapping echoed in her mind, making her shiver.
Kade's eyes flicked toward her for just a second. "What was I supposed to do, May? Ask him nicely to unhand you?"
"Who are you?" she demanded.
Kade exhaled harshly through his nose and leaned back in the seat, his hands tightening on the wheel as though he was trying to keep himself from saying more than he should. "I'm not sure you want me to answer that question," he muttered, "not when you're looking at me like the world's reject because I broke some bastard's arm." He turned to her then, his eyes dark. "Wasn't it you who said last night you weren't scared of me? Or was that just because you wanted to get fucked?"
Her mouth dropped open. "I—what… what does that have to do with anything?" she stammered, cheeks burning hot. Shame and fury clashed inside her chest, her heart racing.
"Everything," he growled.
She gaped at him, caught between wanting to scream at him and wanting to demand answers. "You are so infuriating!" she burst out, slamming her palms against her thighs. "Why can't you just say something for once? Everything about you is questions! Secrets! Shadows! What are you hiding from me?"
Kade ignored her completely, his silence sharp enough to sting, and pulled the car into the gravel lot of the inn that stood just at the edge of Ravenbrook.
"Get out," he ordered curtly. No room for argument.
May's head snapped up. Her wide eyes darted around and only then did she realize where they were. The inn. Before she could gather her words, he was already reaching into the backseat. Kade grabbed the backpack, slinging it over one shoulder before she could protest, then hit the lock with a metallic click.
They walked into the reception together, though May made sure to keep half a step behind him, as if the distance would protect her from his stormy mood. Behind the desk sat a man in his thirties, glasses slipping down the bridge of his nose as he looked up from a magazine.
"We need a room and dinner," Kade said.
May forced her spine straight. "We need two rooms and dinner. Thank you." Her smile at the receptionist was tight, as if daring him to argue.
The man looked between them, clearly caught in the crossfire.
Kade didn't spare her a glance. "Ignore her," he said smoothly. "It's that time of the month."
May's jaw dropped. "Excuse me!!!" Heat flushed up her neck, all the way to her ears. "Sexist much? You get to be all broody and mysterious all the time—does that mean you're bleeding through your vagina every day?"
The receptionist choked on his laugh, coughing into his sleeve, while Kade slowly turned his head toward her. His dark eyes narrowed.
"You seem to be mad for a reason," Kade said. "I don't understand why. Because I saved you? I wouldn't have to if you weren't so… so…" He stopped, as though the word he wanted to use might set off an explosion neither of them could come back from.
Her chest heaved as she took a step closer, tilting her chin up to meet his stare. "So what? Finish the sentence." Her pulse hammered in her throat. "So what, Mr. Kade?"
"So weak!!!" Kade spat.
The effect was instant. The fight drained from May's eyes as though he had pulled the plug on all her fire. Hurt shimmered there, and her lips parted in shock. She couldn't believe he had just said that to her, not after everything. But of course, wasn't he right? She was weak. Always needing someone to rescue her. Always being the burden in the story. Always needy, always too fragile to stand on her own. The thought knifed through her chest, burning and humiliating all at once.
Kade's jaw tightened as regret flashed across his face, but he wasn't quick enough to catch the words. "Look, I didn't mean it that way," he said, softer this time.
"Doesn't matter, Mr. Kade." She squared her shoulders, though inside she was crumbling. "You can say or do whatever you want. It's not like I can stop you since I am so weak." Her eyes glistened, but she refused to blink, refused to let him see her break further.
Finally, the receptionist—who had been gawking cleared his throat. "So," he said, "one room or two?" He looked between them, clearly invested in how this battle would play out.
"One," Kade said instantly. His gaze never left May.
"Two," May shot back at the same time, her defiance flaring again, though her chest still ached.
"If you think I am going to leave you all alone until we're out of Ravenbrook," Kade said, his eyes narrowing as his voice dropped dangerously low, "then you need your head checked." He turned, and directed his words to the receptionist instead. "One room."
The man raised his brows, clearly amused, but dutifully scribbled down their request. May crossed her arms, muttering under her breath about cavemen and control freaks.
*****
Kingsley arrived at his sprawling estate, the gates groaning open to welcome him home.
He stepped out, his broad shoulders rigid with impatience. Every fiber of him buzzed with the thought of May—of finding her waiting for him inside. He knew he had scared the hell out of the woman protecting her. She dared him in ways no one else did anymore.
There was a time in his life—hell, most of his life—when no one would have dared to look him in the eye, much less stand against him. People bent, people obeyed, people feared. That was the natural order.