Chapter 2 What He Is

DAVINA'S POV

Before I could ask what the hell that meant, he adjusted my weight in his arms and started walking and within seconds, we'd rounded the corner, and my bookshop disappeared from view.

My mind raced. I should be screaming, fighting, doing something but my body wasn't cooperating because despite the terror, despite the insanity of being carried through the rain by a stranger who'd just taken down two men with his bare hands, I felt... safe, which was completely insane.

We reached a massive black truck, parked in the shadows, and he opened the passenger door with one hand and gently set me inside.

Before I could scramble out the other side, he was in the driver's seat, and the engine roared to life.

"Seatbelt," he said.

"You can't just…" I tried protesting again, but he cut me off.

"Seatbelt, Davina."

There was something in his tone that made me obey, so I clicked the belt into place, hating myself for it.

We drove out of the alley and within minutes, the lights of Silver Ridge were disappearing in the backview mirror, replaced by dark trees and darker roads.

My hands were shaking, and I clenched them into fists, trying to think. "Where are you taking me?"

"Somewhere safe."

"Can't you just answer the question?."

"No, so just behave."

I turned to look at him, his sharp jaw, straight nose that looked like it had been broken at least once, dark hair curling slightly at the ends from the rain, and those eyes, locked on the road ahead, burning amber in the dashboard light.

He was beautiful in a dangerous, broken sort of way.

"Who are you?" I whispered.

His hands tightened on the steering wheel. "My name is Zane Storm."

"And those men?"

"Enemies."

"Why do they want me?" I continued, desperate for answers.

"Because you're mine."

My heart stuttered. "I'm not anyone's."

Zane's eyes flicked to me for just a second, and the heat in that look made my stomach flip. "You are," he said quietly. "You just don't know it yet."

Before I could respond, before I could demand answers or threaten to jump out of a moving vehicle, Zane's phone buzzed.

He glanced at the screen, and every muscle in his body went rigid.

"What?" I asked, my heart racing. "What is it?"

He didn’t answer, he just pressed harder on the gas.

Then I saw it, headlights appeared in the side mirror, more than one and my stomach dropped.

"They're following us," I breathed.

"Yeah." Zane's voice was solid. "They are."

"Can you lose them?" I asked, my heart still racing.

But he didn't answer, instead he turned onto a narrow dirt path.

Branches scraped along both sides of the truck, the sound too loud even in the rain.

The headlights followed… of course they did.

We burst into a clearing and the truck came to a stop.

Silence crashed in, and only the rain and my breathing could be heard.

“Stay inside,” he instructed, already opening the door. “Lock it. Don’t open it for anyone but me.”

"Wait…" I started, but he was already out, slamming the door behind him.

I hit the lock button and watched through the rain streaked windshield as he walked toward the trees.

Five men stepped out of the shadows, bigger looking than the ones from the shop.

They spread out, forming a semicircle around Zane, and rather than looking scared he looked furious.

One that seemed like the leader, a man with silver hair and lifeless eyes, smiled. "Storm, hand over the girl, and maybe we let you walk away."

Zane's voice came back flat. "Not happening.”

"Then we'll take her by force."

Zane rolled his shoulders. "You're welcome to try."

I held my breath, and my heart raced as I watched.

This was insane, five against one. He was going to die, and then they'd come for me, and…

Suddenly, Zane's head tilted back and he let out a scream.

Except it wasn't just any scream, it was a deep roar filled with a fury that sent shivers down my spine.

And then his body began to change, his spine curved, his shoulders broadened, dark gray fur tore through his skin, and his hands hit the ground, transforming into something with claws, and the sound of it, the crack of bones reshaping itself was the worst sound I had ever heard.

In seconds it was over, and I watched in absolute horror at what stood in the clearing in place of the man who was there before.

A wolf, but not just any wolf… this thing was the size of a bear.

It lifted its head and looked straight at me.

Its amber eyes burned through the truck and I could still recognise him.

It was still him, still…

The silver-haired man turned too.

Then the others, one by one, until there were five wolves where five men had been, circling, and the largest one stood his ground in the center of the clearing, and the low sound coming from his chest was somehow worse than the roar had been.

A scream finally tore from my throat, and then they attacked.