CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Lucian

The rage inside me is its own entity—pure, molten fury that consumes every rational thought. They hurt her. They whipped her. They made her bleed. And I wasn’t here to protect her.

I step forward, and the world narrows to this single moment of retribution. My wolf is howling for blood, demanding justice for our mate, and I don’t fight it.

Before anybody can react, I thrust my hands into the chests of the two guards with the whips and rip out their still-beating hearts.

The satisfaction that floods through me is dark and primal. These men hurt what’s mine. They deserve this. They deserve worse.

Their...