nearby, but he couldnât look at her. He refused. All his attention was on Larissa.
âYou need to shift back,â Teresa whispered urgently.
He ignored her. That wasnât happening. Stepping closer to Larissa, he stopped only when her body was completely under him. No one could get to her without going through him. Theyâd have to kill him first.
âAiden!â a strong, familiar voice shouted.
His head whipped around to see Connor and Noah moving around the middle bar. Connor had something in his hand. A gun. But that didnât make sense.
âAiden, snap out of it. Shift back. Now!â his Alpha commanded with authority.
Part of him was compelled to listen, but . . . no. He could protect Larissa better as a wolf. His inner animal latched on and dug deep, refusing to give up control. Aiden snarled at Connor, baring his canines in a clearly aggressive, defiant display.
The room, which had already quieted down, went deathly silent. Connorâs eyes went wide in shock before they narrowed. He thought he heard someone murmur something about him going feral.
Feral?
Thatâs when it registered what he must look like. Drawing on strength he didnât know he had, Aiden forced the change. No matter how much he needed to protect Larissa he had to explain to his pack what was going on. So they would protect her. She was all that mattered.
Agony pierced through him as his bones shifted against his wolfâs will until he was crouching naked over Larissaâs still unconscious body. He attempted to stand when something slammed into his chest. He stumbled back from the force of it and saw the raised gun in Connorâs hand.
The deepest sense of betrayal ricocheted through him until he looked down and realized it was a tranquilizer dart. Connor was trying to control the situation, not kill him. It meant he could be trusted. Something his human side knew completely, but his wolf was agitated and wanted to take Larissa far away from everyone and everything. Including his Alpha.
âBondmate,â Aiden managed to rasp out before a bitter blackness engulfed him.
Chapter 4
T eresa stared in horror as Aiden fell back, unconscious. The scent of his link to the female vampire was unmistakable. It reminded her of a cold winter night. Crisp, fresh, and . . . powerful. Whoever that female was, she retained a lot of power. Teresa didnât understand how this was possible when Aiden had never been bonded before. It was clear Connor was just as confused so she didnât question him.
Before any of them could move, six huge vamps jumped down into the middle of the dance floor from one of the balconies above and faced off with her and her packmates. She controlled her fear as the few stragglers whoâd been lingering after Aidenâs freak-out scattered toward the elevators.
âRyan?â she said quietly through the earpiece, but got no answer.
Connor, Noah, and Erin, whoâd appeared only a second ago, were the only ones here. She wanted to knowwhere Jayce, Kat, and more important, her sister Natalia were. Natalia was so young and she hated that her youngest sister had insisted on coming tonight. But their Alpha had allowed it so sheâd had no choice.
It was clear her earpiece wasnât working so Teresa did the only thing she could. She strode toward Connor and lined up next to him along with their other packmates. They were all warriors, unlike her, but that didnât mean she was going to tuck tail and run if these vamps wanted to challenge them.
Because thatâs what it appeared these vamps were doing. Their posture was tense, their vibes hostile. Of the six, one stepped forward, his boots thudding ominously against the wood dance floor as he glared at Connor. He was clearly the leader. âConnor Armstrong.â He practically spat the name, his amber eyes glowing bright and unnaturally dilated. He looked almost stoned, but she wasnât
âYou need to shift back,â Teresa whispered urgently.
He ignored her. That wasnât happening. Stepping closer to Larissa, he stopped only when her body was completely under him. No one could get to her without going through him. Theyâd have to kill him first.
âAiden!â a strong, familiar voice shouted.
His head whipped around to see Connor and Noah moving around the middle bar. Connor had something in his hand. A gun. But that didnât make sense.
âAiden, snap out of it. Shift back. Now!â his Alpha commanded with authority.
Part of him was compelled to listen, but . . . no. He could protect Larissa better as a wolf. His inner animal latched on and dug deep, refusing to give up control. Aiden snarled at Connor, baring his canines in a clearly aggressive, defiant display.
The room, which had already quieted down, went deathly silent. Connorâs eyes went wide in shock before they narrowed. He thought he heard someone murmur something about him going feral.
Feral?
Thatâs when it registered what he must look like. Drawing on strength he didnât know he had, Aiden forced the change. No matter how much he needed to protect Larissa he had to explain to his pack what was going on. So they would protect her. She was all that mattered.
Agony pierced through him as his bones shifted against his wolfâs will until he was crouching naked over Larissaâs still unconscious body. He attempted to stand when something slammed into his chest. He stumbled back from the force of it and saw the raised gun in Connorâs hand.
The deepest sense of betrayal ricocheted through him until he looked down and realized it was a tranquilizer dart. Connor was trying to control the situation, not kill him. It meant he could be trusted. Something his human side knew completely, but his wolf was agitated and wanted to take Larissa far away from everyone and everything. Including his Alpha.
âBondmate,â Aiden managed to rasp out before a bitter blackness engulfed him.
Chapter 4
T eresa stared in horror as Aiden fell back, unconscious. The scent of his link to the female vampire was unmistakable. It reminded her of a cold winter night. Crisp, fresh, and . . . powerful. Whoever that female was, she retained a lot of power. Teresa didnât understand how this was possible when Aiden had never been bonded before. It was clear Connor was just as confused so she didnât question him.
Before any of them could move, six huge vamps jumped down into the middle of the dance floor from one of the balconies above and faced off with her and her packmates. She controlled her fear as the few stragglers whoâd been lingering after Aidenâs freak-out scattered toward the elevators.
âRyan?â she said quietly through the earpiece, but got no answer.
Connor, Noah, and Erin, whoâd appeared only a second ago, were the only ones here. She wanted to knowwhere Jayce, Kat, and more important, her sister Natalia were. Natalia was so young and she hated that her youngest sister had insisted on coming tonight. But their Alpha had allowed it so sheâd had no choice.
It was clear her earpiece wasnât working so Teresa did the only thing she could. She strode toward Connor and lined up next to him along with their other packmates. They were all warriors, unlike her, but that didnât mean she was going to tuck tail and run if these vamps wanted to challenge them.
Because thatâs what it appeared these vamps were doing. Their posture was tense, their vibes hostile. Of the six, one stepped forward, his boots thudding ominously against the wood dance floor as he glared at Connor. He was clearly the leader. âConnor Armstrong.â He practically spat the name, his amber eyes glowing bright and unnaturally dilated. He looked almost stoned, but she wasnât
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