Page 76 of Nico

He pulled out a knife. The blade flashed in the sunlight. Nico saw it a heartbeat too late. Kyle raised it, and I moved.

The ground disappeared beneath my paws. I hit Kyle like a freight train. The impact launched him sideways off Nico. The knife slashed wildly through the air.

Kyle crashed across the dirt. I landed directly on top of him. He screamed.

“No one else can have you!” he shrieked. “You’re mine!"

He drove the knife upward. Pain exploded across my side. The blade carved through fur and flesh in one savage stroke. Heat poured down my ribs. The cut was far deeper than I'd expected.

I staggered, but Kyle didn't hesitate. He yanked the knife free. Fresh agony ripped through me. He slashed again, and this time the blade caught my shoulder, opening another long gash.

Blood splattered across the dirt. My vision flashed white.

Kyle laughed. "I knew you'd protect that one!” His eyes gleamed with manic triumph. "That's exactly what the king would do! Doesn’t matter. You’re mine. Mine!”

He lunged again, aiming for my throat. I twisted, and the blade glanced off my neck, cutting through thick fur instead of flesh. Before Kyle could recover, I struck.

My jaws closed around his forearm. Bone crunched, and Kyle screamed. The knife fell from numb fingers. He punched wildly at my muzzle with his free hand, but I barely felt it.

He tried to scramble backward, but it was too late.

Weeks of fear and hours of helplessness erupted all at once, every instinct screaming at me to protect my mate. I lunged again, and this time my teeth found his throat.

For one terrible second, everything became still. Kyle's eyes widened. Shock replaced fanatic devotion. His hands grasped weakly at my fur. Then my jaws tightened, and the fight ended.

Silence settled over the clearing, broken only by my ragged breathing. My heart hammered painfully against my ribs. Blood dripped steadily from my side onto the forest floor.

The metallic scent hung thick in the air. Slowly, I released him.

Kyle didn't move again. It was finally over. I stood there trembling, chest heaving, unable to look away for several long seconds. A familiar scent approached cautiously.

"Isaac, thank God,” Nico said.

I turned. His nose was bleeding, and one cheek had already begun swelling. His jacket hung half open where Kyle had nearly reached him with the knife.

He looked exhausted and terrified, but he was alive. Nico crossed the remaining distance without hesitation.

He dropped to both knees in front of me, then wrapped both arms around my neck. He held me as though letting go might somehow make me disappear again.

“I’m so glad it’s all over,” he whispered shakily into my fur.

I leaned into him before I could stop myself. The wolf melted beneath his touch. My eyes closed. The steady rhythm of his heartbeat against my chest grounded me in a way nothing else could.

He was alive and the wonderful scent of him surrounded me. My own tail gave one involuntary thump against the dirt. Nico let out a watery laugh that sounded suspiciously close to a sob.

"You idiot," he murmured. "You scared the hell out of me."

I huffed softly against his shoulder. Footsteps approached. Several engines rumbled into the clearing one after another. Car doors slammed, and multiple scents reached me.

Pecan Pines wolves.

Cooper stepped out of the lead SUV. Three enforcers poured out behind him, immediately spreading through the clearing with practiced efficiency, weapons drawn as they assessed the scene.

Tony slowly lowered his pistol, looking as though every ounce of strength had left his body.

"I told you we should've waited," Tony muttered, still breathing hard.

Nico didn't move, and neither did I. His arms remained locked around my neck. Cooper marched toward us, his expression thunderous.