The question hung in the air, a death sentence to my mission. He knew I wasn't human. My
value, and my danger, had just skyrocketed.
His anger was gone, replaced by something far more dangerous: avarice. He looked at me not as
a potential mate, but as a living artifact, a key to a power he couldn't comprehend.
"A creature of your power, unclaimed..." he mused, circling me again. "Do you have any idea of
your own value? A fated bond with a being like you could elevate an Alpha's bloodline for a
thousand years. It could forge an empire."
He had just discovered the ultimate supernatural prize, and it was standing in his office. I was no
longer a person in this room. I was a strategic asset.
And in that moment, as I stared into the eyes of the wolf who planned to possess me, the
soundproofed door to the office shuddered violently.
BOOM!
The sound was immense, a shockwave of raw force that rattled the whiskey glasses on Vincent's
desk. I stumbled back with a cry. Vincent didn't flinch.
BOOM!
A second impact, even harder than the first. A spiderweb of cracks appeared in the reinforced
wood. Marcus Thorne was done playing games. He was coming through the door.
A slow, predatory smile—one of pure, triumphant arrogance—curved Vincent's lips. He looked
from the straining door to my terrified face, his blue eyes gleaming.
"It seems my rival is more impatient than I thought," he purred, his voice a low, possessive
growl. He took a deliberate step, placing himself between me and the door, a living shield
claiming his territory.
"Don't worry," he said, as the screech of tormented metal filled the room. "I won't let him have
my new prize."