I caught a blur of movement—too fast, too deliberate. Kael shifted in an instant, his wolf a towering silver-gray streak cutting through the chaos. But not toward me.
Toward her.
Always her.
I turned, claws sliding free, just as a vampire lunged from the side. I caught his face with a swipe, tearing skin, but he was faster—stronger. His fangs sank deep into my shoulder.
The pain was incandescent. Poison burned through my veins like molten fire. I screamed, slamming my claws into him again and again until he released me, hissing before vanishing into the fray.
My knees hit the floor.
The club was a warzone—wolves clashing with vampires, blood slicking the floor beneath strobing lights. Through the haze, I saw Kael—his wolf tearing through three attackers to shield Elowen, his body between her and every strike.
Of course.
My vision blurred. My wolf surged, eyes glowing—something pulsing strange and wild beneath my skin. Then darkness swallowed me whole.
---
I woke to sterile light. The faint hum of machinery. Antiseptic in the air.
My shoulder throbbed. Bandaged. Mended. Alive.
Alive?