Derek POV:
The metallic tang of blood fills the air before I even fully register what is happening.
Alessia's gasp cuts through the heavy silence, and I pull back, my heart thundering against my rib-cage.
She'd suddenly jerk me forward, placing herself between me and the attacker, protecting me.
She'd taken the cut meant for me!
She falls into my arms, her body trembling, her dark grey tank top now soaked in crimson.
A sharp pain lances through my chest, not just physical but emotional - a pang of guilt and rage, amplified by Mason, who stirs in violent rage within me.
Protect her. Now. Mason's voice rumbles like a storm, primal and commanding.
I transform into my humano form - Half human, half wolf.
I turn my head sharply, scanning the dimly lit garden, my senses on high aler
