Shards of wood rained down around me as I stared down at Bailey, my fated-mate, lying on his back on the balcony floor, with Corey standing above him. My fangs protruded fully and I snarled at him, barely able to restrain myself from leaping on him and tearing his throat out of his pathetic human body.

“The fuck!?” he gasped as I stalked forward. He backed away, obviously confused. It took him a moment, but he finally realized who I was. “What the—the dickhead from the swimming hole?”

I roared and feinted towards him, causing him to jump back. Bailey got to his feet.

Thank God, he’s not hurt!

“You come here for him!?” he asked, almost laughing. “This silly little piece of trash!?”

“Fuck you!” Bailey screamed, echoing my sentiments perfectly. I snarled in response as Bailey stepped towards me. And that’s when it happened. Corey shifted.

His clothes exploded into tears of fabric as he transformed. His bear form was larger than I’d expected based on his size. Quickly, I leapt in front of Bailey, getting him behind me. Corey charged at me, but I was ready. I drove my shoulder into the side of his face and sent him sprawling into the bed, crushing it under his weight.

With a howl, I threw myself onto him, thrashing at him with my claws. Blood spilled from his side and splashed onto my face. He yelped with pain and lashed out with his teeth, catching my cheek and tearing the flesh.

I leapt back and turned to Bailey and aimed my nose at the door.

“I’m not leaving you!” he cried out.

I roared at him with everything I had. A terrified look came over him as the walls shook with the volume of my cry, and I almost felt bad for a second, but I had to get him out of here. I had to get him safe, and if that meant scaring him then so be it.

He jumped and scurried to the door, but that’s as far as he went.

No! Get out of here!

Corey’s claw slashed into my arm and I spun around to face him. Lashing out, I attacked again, connecting with his front leg and knocking him down. Seizing the opportunity, I picked a spot at the base of his neck and sank my teeth into him, making sure not to severe his jugular. I had to save Bailey, but I wasn’t prepared to kill Corey for what he’d done—not yet.

Corey cried out as I clenched down with my jaws. Blood spilled into my mouth and onto my tongue as he collapsed beneath me, howling in pain. It was all the opportunity I needed.

Shifting back to human form, I leapt over the wreckage of the bed and over to Bailey. Snatching him by the arm, I pulled him into the hallway.

“Let’s go!”

He was shaking, the poor thing. Inside, I was desperately fighting against the part of me that wanted to race back into that bedroom and tear Corey into tiny pieces. The son of a bitch deserved it.

Blood was pouring from my arm, and the cut on my face stung like Hell. Bailey tripped behind me and fell. Quickly, I snatched him up into my arms and raced down the stairs. Corey was wounded, but that was no guarantee that he wouldn’t chase after us.

We hit the ground floor and I set Bailey down. Shifting, I charged the front door and smashed through it with ease. I dashed past Corey’s snobby sedan and barreled straight into the gate, snapping it off its hinges. It clattered to the ground as I returned to human form and stretched my hand out for my fated-mate who was chasing after me.

“Come on,” I told him as he took my hand. “I’m parked up the block.”

“You’re bleeding!” he cried out with concern.

“I’m okay,” I replied. It was a lie. I wasn’t okay. I was losing blood and fast. We had to get back to the farm as quickly as possible.

I jumped in on the driver’s side and turned the key. The engine roared to life and as soon as Bailey was in, I slammed my foot on the gas. The truck lurched forward and I yanked it into a hard turn, heading back out of Corey’s neighborhood as fast as I could.

“You came for me!” Bailey cried out.

“Of course I did,” I said, keeping my eyes on the road.

“Shit, you’re bleeding bad!” he said, clamping his hands over the cut on my arm.

“I’m fine,” I muttered, blinking my eyes, trying to rid them of the fog that was starting to form at the edges of my vision. I slammed my foot down, flooring it, speeding away from Corey’s as fast as the old engine would take us.

“I should have killed him,” I growled as we exited the neighborhood. The highway wasn’t far now.

“You saved me,” Bailey said soothingly. “That’s all that matters right now.”

“You’re my fated-mate,” I told him, feeling my heartbeat in my ears. I was full of adrenaline and

“You feel it too!” Bailey blurted out. I looked over at him and saw his eyes welled up with tears. A jolt of emotion surged through my heart as I smiled at him, forgetting the pain in my arm for a moment.

“Of course I do!” I told him, pulling him close and bringing my lips to his. I only had a second to kiss him—I had to keep my eyes on the road. But for that moment, that brief second where our lips touched, I found myself.

I had found meaning in my life. I’d found what my mother had been hoping I would find, and I’d found it without even looking.

That’s fate, I guess, I thought as the world started to go dark.

“Juan!?” Bailey called out as I felt the strength in my body starting to slip away. “Juan!?”