A roar shattered the tension, primal and furious, like thunder cracking through the room. The door burst open again, and Elias was there, my nightmare incarnate, moving like a shadow unleashed. He crossed the bar in three strides, his alpha aura exploding outward, thick and suffocating, making everyone freeze.
The assailant barely had time to turn before Elias tackled him, the impact sending both crashing to the floor in a tangle of limbs and overturned stools.
"Get your filthy hands off her!" Elias bellowed, his voice a guttural snarl that vibrated through my bones.
The burly alpha swung wildly, but Elias was faster, stronger—his fists landing with precision, cracking against the man's jaw, his ribs. He pinned him down, knee on his chest, and delivered a swift kick to the side
