Parker’s POV
The screams cut through the air like a blade, and we all bolted from our positions, racing toward the house with our hearts hamring against our ribs.
No more gunfire echoed from inside, which ant the old bastard was busy with sothing else entirely.
The thought that he might have turned his sick attention toward Bella made my blood run cold.
Hugo charged forward like a freight train, his massive fra slamming into the front door with enough force to splinter it off its hinges.
The mont we stepped inside, dread crashed over us like a tidal wave. Voices drifted up from sowhere below ground level.
We knew exactly where we needed to go.
"Basent," I called out, pointing toward the source of the disturbance.
That sick freak had dragged her down there. Heavy grunting and the sound of sothing thrashing violently filtered up through the floorboards.
I sprinted toward the basent entrance, finding the door already thrown wide open.
Hugo and Derek were right on my heels. We didn’t waste ti searching the rest of the house when our destination was obvious.
As I descended the first few steps, sothing made my entire body freeze in place. My heart stopped beating for what felt like an eternity.
Every hair on my arms stood on end as I took in the scene below us. A massive gray wolf, its fur gleaming silver under the dim basent lights, had its razor-sharp claws buried deep in the old man’s flesh.
"Holy shit," Derek breathed behind , his voice barely a whisper as he witnessed Bella’s transford state.
She looked like she could tear through steel with those claws, let alone human bone.
Then she caught our scent and whipped her head in our direction, releasing a bone-chilling howl that vibrated through my chest.
"We can’t let her get past us," Hugo said, his voice steady despite the chaos unfolding before us.
We all understood imdiately. If she escaped into the open, if anyone else saw what she truly was, her life would be over.
The way that old psychopath had reacted to discovering her true nature only reinforced how dangerous this situation could beco.
Hugo moved first, descending the stairs with careful determination, clearly planning to restrain her sohow and force her back into human form.
But the second he got within striking distance, she lashed out with devastating precision, her massive paw connecting with his chest and launching him across the concrete floor.
Derek and I locked eyes for a split second before he made his move, lunging forward to wrap his arms around her.
She responded with lightning speed, grabbing him by the scruff of his neck and hurling him against the basent wall with enough force to crack the concrete.
Now it was my turn to face her fury. She turned those wild golden eyes on and let out another earth-shaking howl.
My peripheral vision caught sothing crucial near the far wall. A syringe filled with wolfsbane, its needle glinting under the harsh overhead bulb.
"Hugo! The wolfsbane!" I shouted as she began charging toward the staircase.
I set my jaw and prepared for impact. When she reached , I threw myself at her with everything I had, tackling her massive form to the ground.
We tumbled together in a tangle of fur and muscle as Hugo dragged himself forward and snatched up the syringe.
He approached from behind, but she wasn’t finished fighting. She grabbed my throat with one massive paw and seized Hugo with the other.
With terrifying strength, she smashed us together and sent us both crashing to the floor.
Derek recovered first, diving for the syringe that had fallen from Hugo’s grip and driving the needle deep into her back.
She roared with primal rage, swinging her arm in a wide arc that sent him flying, then reached back to yank the needle from her flesh.
But the damage was already done. The wolfsbane was coursing through her system.
She flung the empty syringe across the room and stumbled toward the stairs, desperate to escape.
She managed only a few unsteady steps before her body began the transformation back to human form.
By the ti she reached the top of the stairs, the wolf was gone, leaving Bella on her hands and knees, completely exposed and vulnerable.
She started to collapse, tumbling backward down the stairs. I moved faster than I ever had in my life, catching her before she could hit the concrete.
I cradled her carefully in my arms and carried her upstairs, placing her gently on the old man’s couch.
After settling her down, I searched through his bedroom and found a thick blanket.
When I returned, Hugo and Derek were already positioned beside her.
Hugo had stripped off his jacket and was carefully draping it over her unconscious form.
I handed them the blanket, and together we wrapped her completely, making sure she was covered from head to toe.
The three of us stood there in heavy silence, staring down at her peaceful face while our minds raced with questions.
"What exactly are we dealing with here?" Derek was the first to voice what we were all thinking.
"She’s an incredibly powerful wolf," Hugo answered without hesitation, his tone making it clear that whatever she was, she was remarkable.
"Obviously. I’m just concerned about how others might react to this," Derek clarified, almost apologetically.
"Look, what other people think doesn’t matter," I told him firmly. "We know she’s not dangerous to us. But we need to make sure this stays between us until we understand what’s happening with her and this whole gray wolf situation."
Both of them nodded their agreent, though Hugo couldn’t seem to take his eyes off her, as if he was seeing her for the very first ti.
Part of felt like an intruder in this mont, but another part reminded that my feelings for her were just as real as theirs.
At least I had feelings for her. The painful reality that I was the only one without a mate bond to her cut deep.
Still, sothing else was stirring inside , and my wolf was quick to make his thoughts known.
"We need ti alone with Bella. After today," he whispered urgently, as if the others might sohow overhear our internal conversation.
"What are you getting at?" I asked.
"Trust on this. I have a strong feeling we won’t be disappointed," he murmured mysteriously.
His cryptic words sent an unexpected shiver through . I must have visibly reacted, because when I refocused on my surroundings, Derek was studying my arms intently.
"Is there sothing you need to share with us?" Derek asked with his typical directness.
"Nothing important," I replied, attempting to sound casual. "Should we get her ho now? The kids are probably wondering where she is."
"We should wait for her to regain consciousness first," he said thoughtfully.
"This is going to destroy her. Bella isn’t capable of killing anyone under normal circumstances. The fact that she tore that man apart is going to traumatize her."
He was absolutely right. The weight of that realization settled over us as we watched her slowly beginning to stir.
"No matter what happens, we have to make sure she knows this wasn’t her fault," I said quietly. "She killed him because he would have killed her otherwise."
They understood completely.
As consciousness returned to her, she drew in a sharp breath and pulled the blanket tighter around her body.
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