Three weeks later …

Brynn could still hear her anguished howl as she changed into a beast. He had fallen to his knees, felled by the sound. If he hadn’t been looking at her, he would’ve thought her physically wounded. Caught in a snare or pierced with a silver spear. Some wounds did not bleed.

At least, they didn’t bleed on the outside.

He pulled the pillow more firmly over his head, trying to drown out the noise even though it resounded from inside his mind.

That howl.

He was supposed to be at training. His life had gone to shit. It hurt him more than he thought possible. He knew it would, but this was ridiculous. How could she have crept so solidly under his skin and in such a short time?

There was a loud knock on his door. The hinges creaked as it opened.

It was Zane. His king. What?

Brynn jumped to his feet. Sure, he’d missed some practices and some of his shifts but it didn’t warrant a visit from Zane. What the fuck?

“There is a female on our territory. A wolf. She is claiming—”

“What?” He snarled the word. Brynn took a deep breath. His kind would not take kindly to a wolf trespassing on their territory. “Is she hurt? Where is she?” He raked a hand through his hair.

Zane gave him a quizzical look. “She refuses to tell us her name. She is asking for you. I’m not sure if she is the same female that you—”

“My female,” Brynn growled. It had to be her.

Zane frowned. “She’s a vixen. A little hellion. She scratched Dane, threw sand in Gunner’s face and kicked Scott square in the nuts.”

Tiffany. His blood ran both hot and cold. Hot because she was here and cold because …

“If one of those bastards harms her in any way, I swear to fucking god.”

“No one will harm her, but you …”

Brynn didn’t wait to hear what his king said, he ran faster than he’d ever run in his life. Once outside, he followed the commotion.

“Take your hands off of me.” It was a low growl.

Tiffany. It was her. He forced himself to run faster. A group of males surrounded her. One of the males held her by her elbows. He felt his blood boil.

“Get your hands off of her,” he snarled.

The male’s eyes flashed to him. Tiffany took the opportunity to elbow him in the solar plexus. She proceeded to kick another male in the shin and a third astonished looking elite warrior got a hard right to the nose.

She pushed her way past them and flew into his arms, wrapping her legs around him. Thank fuck she was dressed, but her tight tee and little shorts didn’t cover nearly enough for his liking. He snarled a warning at the group of males. His snarl turned into a choked laugh as he noticed the blood and scratches on many of them.

“Brynn,” she half moaned his name. “I found you. Thank god. I made a mistake. A huge mistake.” She sniffed and pulled back so that she could look him in the eye. “I want to shout it from the mountain tops. I want to live it and breathe it. I want to say fuck it and to hell with the rest of the world. I want you, Brynn, and I don’t care who knows.”

Brynn couldn’t help but grin as she threw his words back at him. A tear coursed down her cheek.

When he didn’t answer, she went on. “I did as you said, I used their weaknesses.” She pointed to the bleeding males behind her. “I had to find you. I hope I’m not too late. Please don’t tell me I’m too late.” Her hold tightened on him.

“You’re not too late. You could never be too late.” He kissed her hard. They were both panting when he pulled away. “I think you might need a few more lessons though.” He chuckled. “Didn’t I ever tell you not to fight when you’re greatly outnumbered?”

She shook her head. “I don’t believe you did. I played dirty. I got them below the belt. I did what you said.”

“They could’ve hurt you.” He nuzzled her neck. “I would’ve had to have killed them.”

“I’m here now, you can train me some more … like maybe for forever.” Her eyes were wide.

“Sounds like a plan.” He kissed her softly. “What about your pack, your family?”

She shrugged. “They were angry. Still are.” She sighed. “They’ll get over it. I have to live my own life, make my own choices. I needed to follow my heart, which means that I needed to find you. This is where I belong.”

“I love you.”

“I love you too,” she whispered against his lips.

“We’ll talk to your family, together. We’ll make this work.” He meant every word.

“Yeah, we’ll be fine as long as we have each other.” She gripped him tightly.

Zane nodded his head even though he didn’t look happy. His other king, Brant, was outright scowling. To hell with them. To hell with them all. The world would have to deal.

“You’re mine,” he growled as he walked back to the castle.

“And you’re mine.” She smiled.

Nothing else mattered.

The battered males began to clap and to catcall. “Now I understand why you acted like such a pussy,” one of the males growled. “She’s some female.”

“She’s mine,” he snarled.

“Yes, she is.” Zane grinned. A couple of the males laughed. “I’ll organize you a room upgrade,” his king added.

“Thank you.”

“What does that mean?” Tiffany asked.

“It means that we’re going to be just fine.” He smiled. She smiled back and his whole chest tightened.