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I knew that her dad had taught her how to fight so she could keep herself safe, but Cressida was everything that was pure in this world. I didn’t want her to live with someone’s death on her conscience, no matter how much they deserved to be killed.
This guy was mine to kill. And my wolf didn’t hesitate to go after him as soon as we had the hyena in our sights.
Picking up my speed, I dove for his neck, my jaws spread wide so I could crunch down on the vulnerable spot of his throat. Unfortunately, he realized what was happening just in time to jump to the side, so my bite grazed his left paw instead.
The hyena’s gaze darted over my shoulder, and he let out an excited yip when he spotted Cressida. My wolf growled low in his throat, pissed that our enemy’s focus was on our mate. He didn’t deserve to look at her, let alone have whatever twisted thought had provoked his reaction to her.
I rushed forward, raking his side with my claws over and over again, darting back and forth to evade the strike of his claws. He got in a couple of good swipes, but I ignored the pain. My focus was on what was most important—protecting my mate.
Not even death could tear Cressida from me. She would always be my mate. The only woman I have ever—or will ever—love. My heart, my life, my soul.
But having her near provided more distraction than I had expected. When the hyena got another good swipe at me, she gasped. In the split second that I turned to look at her, he took advantage of the opening and jumped over me to rush toward her.
My wolf pushed every ounce of our determination into our bond, yelling, “Get down!” in our head. It must have somehow worked because she immediately dropped to the ground, curling into a ball to make herself a smaller target and protecting the most vulnerable spots on her body. Not that it mattered because I didn’t let him get close enough to touch her, raking my claws against his backside before clamping my teeth on his tail to whip him in the other direction.
Cressida sat up, and I heaved a sigh of relief when I didn’t spot any injuries on her curvy body. When I whirled around to face off against the hyena with her safely behind me, a growl rumbled up my chest. That had been too close. I needed to kill him so he didn’t get another chance to touch my mate.
With that thought in mind, I leaped toward him, my focus on his throat as my jaw opened wide. This time, I didn’t miss my target. I had tired him out enough that he didn’t move fast enough to get out of my way. With his fur in my mouth, I bit down and shook my head, whipping his body back and forth in my death grip. He struggled, using his paws to push against my larger body to try to escape, but there was no way in hell I was going to let him go. Not until his blood flowed down my throat.
The hyena was barely moving when I finally dropped him on the ground, not moving an inch while I waited to make sure that he hadn’t been pretending to be more injured than he was. Logically, I knew that wasn’t possible since his throat was basically torn out. But my wolf wasn’t logical at the moment. Not with our mate’s life on the line.
As we stood over the dying hyena, Keane, Artemis, and Leyton each called out, “Down!”
The threat to Cressida would be over as soon as this bastard died.
11
AARON
As soon as the last breath left the hyena who’d come hunting for my mate, I shifted back to my human form and yelled, “Last one down!”
Then I whirled around to see Cressida wide-eyed and covered in dirt but never looking any more beautiful.
My mate was alive.
We’d defeated our enemies.
There was nothing left to do but claim her again and again.
Pulling her close, I crushed my lips to hers, the air whooshing from her lungs as she sighed into my mouth.
“You’re safe. You’re alive,” I murmured, trailing kisses down her neck.
“I am,” she whispered, her hands clutching my shoulders.
My rejection hardened my heart, but that didn’t stop me from falling hard and fast for Cressida. The words that I should’ve already given her spilled from my lips. “I love you so fucking much, Cressida.”
“I love you, too.” She sniffled, beaming a watery smile at me.
“You’d better because you’re mine, and I’m never letting you go,” I growled, pulling her lips back to mine and pouring everything I could into her mouth.
She gasped for air as her fingers raked through my hair. She had to be on her tippy-toes to reach that high, and I wasn’t about to let her strain anymore.
Pulling her close, I grasped her ass, pulling her beautiful body up toward mine as she wrapped her legs around my waist. If my cock wasn’t already hard, that would’ve done it. Now, it throbbed, wanting more of her.
Growling, I pushed forward, pressing her back against the nearest tree as I ripped off her top and bra. She gasped as I pulled one perfect breast in my mouth, sucking hard on her nipple.
“Aaron, we can’t just do this against a tree.”
