Leo

I watched as the security guards escorted the beautiful woman out of my office. Her name was Aria Martinez. I had looked into her the moment I saw her at the engagement party last night. She was not just any woman; she was connected to someone important. Someone I needed to watch closely.

But I had not expected her to come to my office.

I had not expected her to offer herself to me.

When she undid that coat and revealed the red lingerie, every ounce of control I possessed nearly shattered like glass. She was exquisite, and my wolf had roared with approval, demanding that I claim her right then and there. But I could not let her do this. She was desperate, and desperation made people make choices they would regret forever. I knew this from experience.

I had a daughter of my own. I knew what it was like to watch someone you loved struggle. I knew what it felt like when they made bad choices to survive. I would not allow Aria to become one of those women who sold themselves for money. She deserved better than that. She deserved better than me.

I returned to my desk and pulled up her file on my computer. Her father, Daniel Martinez, had made a bad investment and lost everything. Now he was in prison. She was in school, studying to become a Gamma warrior. She had potential, raw talent, and intelligence. She deserved better than selling herself to a man like me.

My phone rang, interrupting my thoughts. It was my assistant, Andrew Chase.

"Sir, there is an incident happening outside the hotel on Fifth Street. It appears to be your ex-fiancée's father's pack. We have reports of violence."

My blood ran cold.

"What kind of violence?" I demanded.

"A woman is being attacked. The witnesses say she is being choked by a man."

I did not need to ask who the woman was. I already knew.

I grabbed my coat and headed downstairs immediately. My driver was already waiting by the car. As we approached Fifth Street, I saw a crowd of people gathered around something. Through the windshield, I could see Aria standing with a man who was gripping her throat tightly.

The man was Marcus, her ex-fiancé. He was choking her, his face twisted with rage.

"Stop the car," I ordered coldly.

The driver pulled over immediately, and I got out without waiting for him to open the door. I walked to the driver's seat and without hesitation, I honked the horn loudly. The sound echoed through the street, startling everyone. Marcus dropped his hold on Aria, and she coughed violently, rubbing her sore neck. I could see fear in her eyes, and something inside me snapped.

I opened the car door and looked directly at her, my jaw clenched.

"Get in," I ordered, my voice leaving no room for argument.

She stared at me, disbelieving, her body trembling from shock and fear.

"I will not ask you again, Aria," I said through my teeth, my patience wearing thin.

She quickly hurried toward the car and got in, closing the door behind her. Her hands were shaking, and I could smell the fear rolling off her in waves.

"Drive," I ordered the driver, my voice cold and dangerous.

The car started to move, and I could see Marcus standing on the curb with his friends, all of them shocked. His mouth was nearly dropped open, his face turning red with anger and embarrassment. He had been challenged and had lost. In the werewolf world, that meant something.

I glanced at Aria, and she felt my gaze on her. Her cheeks were turning red from embarrassment, and she was avoiding eye contact with me. She kept her gaze fixed on her hands, which were folded in her lap.

"Using me to make your ex-fiancé jealous, are you?" I asked.

She looked at me with wide eyes, clearly caught in her own game. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. I could see the fear and shame warring in her expression.

But I did not care if she was using me. I did not care about her motives or her reasons. All I cared about was the fact that her ex-fiancé had his hands around her throat, trying to choke the life out of her, and I could not allow that to happen again. Not now. Not ever.

My wolf was roaring inside me, demanding that I go back and rip that man apart. I wanted to tear him limb from limb for daring to lay his hands on what my wolf considered to be ours. I had to take deep breaths to control the beast inside me, to keep from shifting right there in the car.

I had not felt this possessive about a woman in years. It was dangerous, and it was unwelcome. This kind of attachment could be used against me. It could be used to manipulate me. I had learned that lesson the hard way with Isabella.

But I could not deny the truth, no matter how much I wanted to.

When I saw Aria in danger, my world had stopped. Time had frozen. Everything else had become irrelevant. All that mattered was protecting her, saving her, keeping her safe.

And nothing would ever be the same again.

I looked at her trembling form, at the red marks on her neck where Marcus's hands had been. Rage coursed through my veins like molten lava. I wanted to go back and finish what I had started. I wanted to make sure that Marcus never touched her again.

"Where are we going?" Aria asked quietly, her voice hoarse from being choked.

"Somewhere safe," I replied, my eyes still fixed on the road ahead.

I did not know what I was going to do with her. I did not know how to explain the possessiveness that was consuming me. All I knew was that I could not let her go back to her apartment alone. I could not let her face Marcus again without protection.

My phone buzzed with a message from my assistant. I ignored it. Nothing was more important than making sure Aria was safe.

My wolf was satisfied for now. He had protected what he considered to be his mate. But I knew that this was only the beginning of something much bigger, something much more complicated.

Aria Martinez had just become the most important thing in my life, whether I liked it or not.