Chapter 2

The blinding headlights tore through the rainy night.

The man who stepped out of the truck was so tall he was almost suffocating to look at, like an imposing black wall.

A black tank top soaked with motor oil and sweat clung tightly to his broad shoulders. Thick veins stood out along his powerful forearms, and he held a heavy pipe wrench in one hand.

Rainwater streamed from his disheveled black hair and traced the rugged, aggressively handsome features of his face.

His jaw was tightly set.

And his dark-gold eyes glowed with a terrifying ferocity in the night.

"Who said you could touch her?"

His low, gravelly voice echoed through the rain, carrying a chilling stillness.

"You… the mechanic from the end of the street!"

One of the Rogues recognized him. He shuddered before baring his teeth.

"Stay out of this! A nobody without even a Pack dares interfere with us? You're asking to die!"

The two Rogues exchanged a glance, crouched low, and lunged at him from opposite sides.

"Watch out!" I blurted.

But the man didn't retreat even half a step.

The instant the stench of the wolves reached his throat, he moved.

He was so fast that my eyes couldn't follow him.

"Bang!"

The pipe wrench carved through the air and smashed into the left wolf's jaw.

A sickening crack rang out.

The wolf's jaw was crushed, and its several-hundred-pound body was slammed violently into the ground by sheer force.

It twitched once in the mud and went completely still.

The wolf on the right let out a terrified howl and turned to flee the moment it landed.

But the man's massive hand had already clamped around its neck like an iron vise.

He flexed one arm and effortlessly lifted the enormous wolf into the air with one hand.

"Whimper…"

The Rogue kicked helplessly with all four legs, terror finally filling its eyes.

"Trash."

The man coldly spat out the word as his fingers tightened.

Crack.

Its thick neck snapped.

He tossed the corpse aside like a bag of garbage.

From the moment he stepped out of the truck until now, barely ten seconds had passed.

All three bloodthirsty Rogues were dead.

I collapsed into the muddy water and looked up at him.

The smell of motor oil mixed with blood hung around him, forming an oppressive Alpha aura.

He turned around.

His dark-gold eyes locked onto me from above.

His gaze swept over my bloodless face before finally fixing on the mangled wound where my Mate bond had been severed.

For an instant, I clearly saw a violent fury rise in his eyes.

But he forced it back.

He strode toward me.

I instinctively tried to move away, but he was already dropping to one knee.

He tossed aside the bloodied pipe wrench, tore off his warm, rough work shirt, and firmly wrapped it around my trembling body.

"Can you walk?"

The killing intent had disappeared from his voice, but the absolute possessiveness remained.

I shook my head.

The broken bond had drained the last of my strength.

Without another word, his powerful arms slid beneath my knees and behind my back, lifting me effortlessly.

His chest was hard as steel, yet burning hot.

Pressed against that wild, powerful body, the nerves I had kept taut on the edge of death finally began to relax.

He placed me in the passenger seat of the pickup, his movements efficient but careful.

Then he walked around to the driver's side, slammed his foot on the gas, and sent muddy water spraying as we left the dead-end alley behind.

"My name is Fenrir."

He kept one hand on the steering wheel, eyes fixed on the road.

"Mechanic at the end of the street."

"Yvaine…"

I weakly leaned against the seat.

"Thank you for saving me. But it's pointless. I've lost my Pack, and the broken bond will kill me soon. You should dump me here."

"I need a Mate."

Fenrir suddenly spoke as the heavy tires crushed through puddles.

"With my mark, you won't die."

I whipped my head toward him, wondering if blood loss had made me hallucinate.

"What?"

"Carl's a blind idiot."

Fenrir glanced at me from the corner of his eye, a dangerous fire burning in his golden gaze.

"Be my woman. I'll keep you alive."

I was completely stunned.

A lowly mechanic was actually courting a former Luna who had just been cast out?

"You're crazy?"

I forced out a bitter smile.

"Carl will never forgive anyone who takes me in. And besides, I can't bear pups. What do you want from me?"

"You."

The pickup screeched to a halt in front of a massive warehouse door.

Fenrir turned his head, his beastlike gaze locking onto me.

"I don't need a breeding machine. I'm a Lone Wolf. I need a Mate to keep my wild nature under control. And you need an Alpha strong enough to get you through tonight's bond backlash."

He paused and gave a cold scoff, bloodlust spreading through his eyes.

"As for that idiot Carl… if he dares step onto my territory, I'll rip out his spine with my own hands in front of everyone."

"One question. Are you coming with me?"

A desperate bargain for survival.

I stared into those fearless eyes.

My Mate had betrayed me.

My Pack had abandoned me.

And the rough outlaw standing before me had not only handed me the key to survival, but had also placed himself between me and every threat.

The wolf instinct remaining inside me screamed wildly.

The man before me was a hundred times stronger than Carl.

"Yes."

I heard my own hoarse voice answer.

Fenrir's golden eyes instantly darkened, as if he had finally claimed his prey.

He opened the door, swept me into his arms, and strode toward the warehouse.

"From now on, you're mine."

He lowered his head, his powerful arm shielding me tightly against his solid chest.

"Anyone who touches you dies."