It felt like fire was burning through Elliot's blood—raging, uncontrolled, and far from fading. Every instinct in him screamed that something had been done to him, that he had been manipulated, set up like prey inside enemy territory.
And worse—he knew exactly who was responsible.
Aliona stepped forward, panic sharpening her voice. "You can't take him away now. He needs a woman!"
I tightened my grip on Elliot instantly, keeping his weakened Alpha body steady against mine. "And he has one. That's me. He doesn't need you."
Elliot's eyes flickered at my words. Even through the haze of whatever had been forced into his system, something in him responded. A faint spark of satisfaction, like his instincts recognized a safer presence.
"Don't go, Elliot!" Aliona cried, reaching for him again.
But the moment his gaze shifted to her, the atmosphere changed.
His Alpha pressure snapped outward—weak but still dangerous.
