Aurelia's POV
The world seemed to move in slow motion as I watched the knife cut through the air toward my back. My heart hammered against my ribs as I realized I couldn't dodge fast enough, couldn't move out of the way in time.
Then suddenly, a strong hand shot out and caught the attacker's wrist, stopping the blade just inches from my spine.
"Like hell," Maddox growled, his tattooed fingers wrapped around the stranger's arm with bone-crushing force.
I spun around to see a hooded figure struggling in Maddox's grip, the knife still gleaming in the morning light. The attacker was smaller than I'd expected, quick and wiry, but no match for an alpha's strength.
"Who sent you?" Maddox demanded, twisting the stranger's wrist until they dropped the weapon with a cry of pain.
But before any
