Zara

"I thought someone was listening," Marcus chuckled before leaning closer. "Already playing with shadows? I hope you’re a quick learner."

"I didn’t bring myself there," I chuckled, shaking my head. "For some reason, you wanted me there."

Marcus’s eyes were devoid of emotion.

"Alphas choose their own mates. From the moment I met you, I knew you were mine," Marcus murmured in a silky whisper. "You felt it then, too. I peered into your mind and saw your desire for me."

Marcus had successfully distracted me from thoughts of my brother, capturing my full attention. I was overcome with guilt, having forgotten about him in those brief moments.

"You were just some hot guy at the club," I muttered, my eyes filling with anger.

"Your words lie, but your thoughts don’t," Marcus muttered, and I fought his gaze. "I know how you feel about me. I feel the pull, too."

Deny, deny, deny.

Marcus will never know the depth of my longing for him, the irritating pull in my veins whenever I think of his face. I’ll hide it from the world, embracing the discomfort and pain before I tell anyone the truth. Alpha Kane drove those emotions away, dulling the part of me that craved Marcus.

Suddenly, everything went to hell. The fire alarms blared in unison; the sprinklers unleashed a torrent of water on everything below. The onlookers froze in shock, their hair matted under the gushing water.

"Get Ryan out and get out," Sofia hissed, her words clipped.

Alpha Kane pulled us both to our feet and, without hesitation, lunged at Marcus. Marcus was much faster than I thought, jumping to his feet as Alpha Kane made contact.

"Get Ryan!" Alpha Kane growled, shaking me out of my stupor. "Carter and Wade, get your asses over here."

"We’re coming," Carter’s voice was full of excitement. "Wait until you see what Sofia did."

I ran to the back of the room, toward the door leading backstage. The room was in chaos, thick black smoke seeping through the doors. The smell of burning wood filled the room, and I wondered what Sophia had decided to do.

As I flung open the back door, something heavy knocked me to the floor.

Ryan’s scent hit my nose, along with the sharp scent of fresh blood. His eyes were wide, but blazing with determination. The silver bracelet was still on his wrist, silencing the wolf and burning his skin. The silver knife was clutched in his hand, its hilt gripped tightly.

The doors swung open, slamming loudly. The smell of burnt wood and plastic intensified, as did the smoke hanging in the air. Carter and Wade burst into the room, their gazes fixed on the menacingly crouched werewolves.

Some of the crowd fled the club, rushing out at the first sign of danger. The others remained, their eyes blazing with anger as they looked from Alpha Kane to me. Ryan lifted us from the floor, his hands gripping me in a death grip that lasted only a moment.

Chaos erupted: two wolves lunged at Ryan and me, but Carter and Wade stopped them. Marcus broke free from Alpha Kane, shouting an order. Alpha Kane leaped to his feet in a whirlwind of growls and blows.

Marcus was skilled, almost matching Alpha Kane in his strikes. My heart pounded; I was torn between whom to help.

Carter and Wade began to shift, their claws lengthening as they hacked at the wolves. The fallen were quickly replaced, and soon Carter and Wade were among them. I knew they could handle themselves, but their opponents had their full attention.

The wolf lunged at Ryan, who darted to the side, a silver blade gliding in his hand.

"Leave Zara untouched," Marcus muttered, his light eyes burning into mine again.

Alpha Kane was fighting off three brown wolves, who had quickly arrived at Marcus’s command. A brown wolf lunged at me, a holder with graying hair and dark eyes. Instead of clawing at my skin, his large hands grabbed mine.

Anger and strength overwhelmed me, spilling out with each blow. My knee slammed into his stomach, throwing him back and tearing his arms from my body.

Marcus left the room while I was distracted, and a dozen brown wolves took his place. Suddenly, the gravity of the situation dawned on me, my heart pounding wildly. Alpha Kane was dejected, sweat glistening on his forehead, and fury blazing in his eyes.

Four brown wolves surrounded him, four more surrounded Carter and Wade. Ryan was fighting two at a time, his eyes glittering and wary. Two more were heading toward me, with the same cold glint in their eyes.

Cold sweat broke out on my skin as more thick smoke billowed out of the back of the warehouse, and water continued to pour. The acrid air burned the back of my lungs, the smell almost unbearable.

"You don’t have much time," Sofia’s voice hissed.

In my head, a vague afterthought as I glanced around the room. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

Fear spread across my skin; my gaze landed on Alpha Kane. The brown wolves had forced him to his knees. Their corpses littered the ground at his feet.

Alpha Kane, countless brown wolves had died at his hands. Everything seemed to slow down, that familiar icy caress sliding across my skin.

"Zara, don’t..." Nova’s voice broke off as I called to the shadow.

Ice slid across my skin, and Nova’s words vanished from my memory. I promised myself I wouldn’t use the shadows anymore, but we would never win this battle. Commander Steel taught me how to help from the shadows in times of danger. And this technique is hazardous. We could lose our lives.

They knew we were coming; they’d been preparing for it all along.

They outnumbered us, easily overpowering us. If I didn’t act quickly, Alpha Kane would lose his life, and Carter and Wade after him. Despair gripped me. This time, I didn’t have to guess how far I’d go.

"Save him," I hissed, feeling icy tentacles caress my skin. "Save Alpha Kane and get rid of those brown wolves."

"The price is high..." a disembodied voice slipped into my mind. "A life for a life."