Macy’s POV

I jolted awake, gasping for breath, drenched in sweat. My heart slammed against my chest like it wanted out.

Not again.

Same dream. Same haunting blue eyes. Same forbidden heat curling in my stomach.

I threw the blanket off and sat up, pressing my palms into my eyes. This had to stop. I couldn’t keep waking up like this—flushed, aching, confused—and all because of him. My boyfriend’s brother.

It was driving me insane.

Shaking off the remnants of the dream, I stumbled into the bathroom and splashed cold water on my face.

My reflection stared back at me—wild-eyed, flushed, and slightly hollow. I looked like I hadn’t slept in days. Probably because I hadn’t.

I got dressed quickly, off to work already, hoping they’d give me the illusion of control.

A week had passed since the party, and I’d thrown myself into work just to stay distracted. But it wasn’t working. Not when he kept invading my dreams and haunting my thoughts like a ghost I couldn’t shake.

By noon, the office felt suffocating, so I headed to the restaurant across the street. The moment I stepped outside, I noticed it—sleek, black, and menacing. A car sat idling near the curb. The windows were tinted too dark to see inside.

A chill slithered down my spine.

I brushed it off.

“You’re being paranoid,” I whispered to myself. “It’s just a car.”

But I couldn’t ignore the way the hairs on my arms rose as I passed it.

Inside the restaurant, I ordered quickly and ate even faster. My appetite was nearly nonexistent, but I forced the food down anyway. After finishing, I walked out with a purpose—but not before glancing at the car again. Still there.

I tried not to let it rattle me.

Back at the office, I buried myself in work. The hours dragged, and when the day finally ended, I all but ran to my car.

And there it was again. That same black car.

My breath caught.

I stood frozen for a moment, keys clutched in my hand, scanning the lot like a hunted animal. A suffocating feeling crept over me—like eyes were on me. Watching. Waiting.

Don’t panic. Just drive.

I rushed to my car, yanked the door open, and locked it the second I was inside. My hands trembled on the steering wheel as I backed out, leaving the lot behind me like it was on fire.

But I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was still being followed.

***

Liam’s POV

I couldn’t stop myself.

Rage wanted her. I wanted her. And every damn second without her felt like I was losing pieces of myself.

“She’s right there,” Rage growled, his voice a low rumble in my head. “Let me out. Let me mark her.”

“Shut up,” I muttered, gripping the steering wheel tighter.

Greg sighed beside me. “Liam… this isn’t right. We’ve been parked outside her job for hours.”

“She’s my mate. I’m not stalking her. I’m watching over her.”

“Call it what you want, but you’re acting like a lunatic. You know she doesn’t even know what she is to you, right?”

I clenched my jaw, ignoring him. Macy stepped out of the restaurant just then, and my breath caught in my throat. She looked like sunlight in a yellow floral dress, like she didn’t even know the kind of pull she had over me.

Rage let out a sound that was somewhere between a purr and a growl.

“She’s ours,” he hissed. “And she’s walking around like she belongs to another. Our brother, Liam.”

“I know,” I whispered, eyes locked on her.

“She should be in our bed, with our mark on her neck and our scent on her skin,” he snarled.

My fingers tightened around the steering wheel until it creaked. “I said I know!”

“You keep saying that, but you’re doing nothing! She belongs to us, not to Derick.”

“I’ll tell Derick soon,” I snapped. “Let me handle this.”

“I’m done waiting,” Rage snarled. “If you don’t tell him, I will.”

“You think I don’t want her? You think this is easy?” I hissed under my breath. “You have no idea what it’s like watching your mate smile at your own damn brother.”

“You could stop watching,” Greg said quietly, dragging me back to reality.

I turned to him slowly. “You’re still here?”

“Unfortunately.”

He smirked, but there was sympathy in his eyes. “You’re losing yourself, Liam. You need to take control before Rage does.”

Too late for that.

When Macy returned to the office, I didn’t leave. I sat there, watching the sun dip lower in the sky, waiting until she came back down.

And when she did… I knew she sensed it.

Her eyes flicked toward my car. Her pace faltered. Fear spread across her face like a shadow. My chest twisted painfully.

“She saw us,” I muttered.

Greg exhaled. “Not your finest moment, Alpha. If I were her, I’d be scared too.”

Before I could reply, my phone rang.

I answered immediately. “Yes, Dad?”

The words on the other end chilled me to the bone.

“What? How many?”

Greg leaned closer. “What is it?”

I slammed the car into drive. “Rogue attack. Eastern territory. Seven dead already.”

Greg's face darkened. “The hospital’s over there—shit. Let’s go.”

I hit the gas hard, tires screeching against the pavement. Every second counted now.

“We can’t let them reach the civilians,” I growled.

“Fifteen rogues, you said?” Greg asked, already unbuckling as we neared the territory.

“Yeah, but only four are still running. The rest are down.”

We reached the border and jumped out of the car. I opened the mind-link instantly.

“Report.”

“Alpha,” Jackson replied, “Eleven dead rogues. Four escaping west—toward the pack house.”

“My father and brother?”

“On their tail.”

“Lock down the area. Secure the cellars. Don’t let a single one leave alive.”

Greg and I looked at each other, and without another word, we shifted. My bones cracked and reformed, fur bursting through skin as my wolf took over.

Rage didn’t wait—he exploded from me, howling into the wind.

We ran through the trees, the scent of blood and fury thick in the air.

This wasn’t just an attack.

This was a warning. And I was ready to send one back—with fangs.