Chapter 22: Chapter 22

NOAH

I was already seething at the intruder. He had the audacity to interrupt a date that was going exceptionally well with my sweet mate.

To top it off, I had to whisk her away to the alpha floor, a place she wasn’t familiar with, just to keep my wolf and me from going insane with worry.

Greyson was right behind me as we headed to my office. That’s where Jack and Lucas, another member of my guard, were keeping the uninvited guest.

“I need to wrap this up and get back to my mate,” I muttered, pushing the office door open.

Just when I thought my day couldn’t get any worse—

I grabbed the intruder by his throat, slamming him against the wall. My eyes darkened as Remi battled for control.

Half-shifting, my nails morphed into claws, my canines lengthened, and my eyes glowed ominously. Greyson, Jack, and Lucas were on high alert, forming a protective circle around me.

“Why the hell are you here?” I snarled, my anger palpable.

The man choked out a response. I loosened my grip and watched as he crumpled to the floor, gasping for breath.

“What’s got him so riled up?” he rasped, glancing over my shoulder.

“Boss, I’m wondering the same thing,” Greyson chimed in from behind me.

I grunted, leaving the man on the floor and sinking into my desk chair.

Greyson picked up the intruder and unceremoniously dumped him into another chair, clearly recognizing him as an unwanted visitor.

My brother, the genius.

“Why are you here?” I repeated, my jaw clenched tight.

“I’m here to request permission to search your pack for a suitable mate—one who can strengthen my own pack,” the intruder declared.

I burst into laughter, the absurdity of his request pushing me to the brink of sanity.

Lucas and my brothers watched me warily, unsure of my mental state.

“You’re joking, right?” I managed to say once my laughter subsided.

“No, Alpha, I’m serious.” He looked at me oddly. “I haven’t found a suitable mate, and my pack is growing restless. I don’t see the need for a luna, but my pack does. I thought if I could find one here, among some of the strongest werewolves in the country, I could appease my pack and strengthen it simultaneously.”

He shrugged nonchalantly.

~What an arrogant prick.~

“~Liar~,” I roared, rising from my chair and closing the distance between us. “I know you’ve found your mate.”

“I never said I hadn’t found my mate. I said I hadn’t found a ~suitable~ mate. Mine was weak, frail, and ~human~.” He shuddered at the last word.

My brothers finally caught on. The slimy weasel in my office was none other than Alpha Russell Winters, Everleigh’s first mate and her attacker.

Greyson and Jack each grabbed one of Russell’s arms, yanking him out of his chair and holding him in front of me.

“What’s wrong with your brothers, Alpha Noah? Don’t they know I’m an alpha?” Russell spat, struggling against their hold.

“They know ~exactly~ who you are,” I snarled. “They also know what you’ve done to their luna.”

I was teetering on the edge of losing control.

“I didn’t even know you’d found your luna,” Russell retorted.

Suddenly, the office door swung open and Sawyer appeared. Panic surged through me.

“What happened to Everleigh?”

Before I could reach him, Sawyer stepped aside, revealing my beautiful, frightened mate.

“I felt something was wrong…” Her eyes darted around the room, wide and terrified.

The moment she saw her first mate, her eyes filled with pure terror.

She stumbled backward, hitting the wall in her attempt to escape. Sensing her distress, Sawyer moved to shield her.

“~You!~” Russell had the audacity to address my mate.

A low, menacing growl rumbled from my chest, the sound echoing off the walls and causing my ears to ring.

My brothers, sensing the threat to their luna, tightened their grip on the man who dared to challenge her.

“Don’t you dare speak to her. Don’t even think about looking at her,” I warned him, my words seeping through gritted teeth.

I moved across the room, wrapping my arm protectively around my mate’s waist and pulling her close.

She buried her face in my chest, her fingers clutching at my shirt.

“You’re safe, sweetheart,” I reassured her, positioning her out of Russell’s line of sight.

“She’s your luna?” Russell’s voice was filled with disbelief.

“Absolutely, she’s my mate,” I confirmed, my voice a low growl.

“She’s your mate?”

This guy’s not the sharpest tool in the shed.

“After you foolishly rejected the best thing that could have ever happened to you, she found me. I’m her second chance mate, and I have no intention of messing that up.” I shot a glare at Russell.

“Noah, I want to go,” my mate’s voice was a small whisper against my chest.

I pressed a kiss to the top of her head and handed her over to Sawyer.

He hesitated before wrapping his arm around Evie’s waist, and I gave him a nod, granting him permission to touch her.

“I’ll be up soon, sweetheart, I promise,” I reassured her as Sawyer led her out of the office, taking my patience and compassion with him.

I turned my attention back to Russell.

“You are not welcome here, ever. You will never seek the aid of this pack again. My brothers will see you out,” I commanded, gesturing toward Greyson and Jack.

“You’re a fool for accepting her,” Russell dared to speak again. “You have the most powerful pack in the country, perhaps even the world, and you’ve chosen a human mate. She will only bring you weakness. Rejecting her was the smartest thing I ever did; my only regret was not successfully killing her.”

I gave it my best shot.

Remi took over, his fist connecting with Russell’s face.

A primal roar tore from my throat as I lunged at Russell, my claws raking across his chest.

He might be an alpha, but he was no match for my strength or my fury.

I slammed him against the wall, the impact shaking the room.

When he was barely clinging to life, I tossed him to my brothers by his throat.

“Lock him in the dungeon,” I ordered.

Greyson and Jack hauled Russell out of my office, Lucas trailing behind them.

I rushed into the adjoining bathroom, washing the blood from my hands and face.

I splashed water on my face, forcing myself to calm down before sprinting out of my office and toward the elevator.

My sister, Lucy, was waiting for me in the lobby. She grabbed my arm, forcing me to listen to her.

“Lucy, I need to see my mate,” I snapped.

“I know, that’s why I’m here. But don’t panic, Sawyer is with her. Evie left,” Lucy winced as I let out a furious growl.

“What?” I roared.

“She insisted on leaving and threatened to walk home if no one would drive her. Sawyer thought you’d be a little less upset if she was escorted. She was really upset, Noah,” Lucy sighed.

“I know she’s upset! That’s why I wanted her to wait here so I could comfort her,” I retorted, my anger flaring.

“What did you expect Sawyer to do? Restrain her?” Lucy shot back, glaring at me.

“No,” I grumbled.

“Exactly. So he did the next best thing. He stayed with her to keep her safe,” Lucy scolded me, her hands on her hips.

“I need to go,” I said, trying to move past my sister.

“I think she needs some time alone, Noah,” Lucy advised.

“I can’t do that,” I shook my head stubbornly. “I need to at least see that she’s okay.”

I pushed past Lucy and jumped into my car, driving as fast as I could to Evie’s house.