Chapter 0056

Evelyn is extraordinary. And I need her to feel that truth every single day for as long as she lives. There should never be a shadow of doubt in her mind—she is my one and only. From the second I spotted her across the campus quad, no one else has ever come close.

The song fades, but I can't resist singing the final line directly to her. She's flawless, in every possible way.

Her eyes hold me captive. We might have stayed like that forever if chaos hadn't erupted.

The patrols' warning howls shatter the moment at the same instant wolves burst into the clubhouse from all directions. I shove Evelyn behind me as two rogues charge. My shift is instantaneous, clothes tearing away as Theron takes over. The stench of rot confirms their rogue status. Around us, warriors transform, the air thick with snarls and the metallic tang of blood.

My father's command echoes through the mindlink. "Warriors, clear these rogues! Protect the vulnerable!" He's right—the room is packed with pregnant females, pups, and elders who can't defend themselves.

I broadcast my own order. "Non-combatants, move to the bathrooms. Warriors, form a shield wall!" A rogue lunges at a pregnant female clutching her pup. Her mate is pinned down. I intercept, tearing the attacker's throat out. The female meets my gaze, then bolts toward safety with her child.

Evelyn hasn't shifted, but she's holding her own—slashing rogue throats with her claws while herding others toward the back. A pup stumbles into her path. She snatches the child up, pivoting just in time to gut a leaping rogue. Then she's moving again, depositing the pup behind the warrior barricade.

Her father stands at the barrier's center, his golden eyes blazing like twin suns as he barks orders. Despite his wheelchair, Gregory Sinclair is a force of nature. I watch him casually decapitate a rogue mid-leap, Evander's power undeniable.

More rogues flood in. My father, Sebastian, Donovan, and our warriors tear through them, but the numbers keep swelling. Where are they all coming from? I'm ripping through another group when an external howl sounds. The rogues suddenly retreat.

Oh hell no. You don't get to run.

I pursue outside—and freeze. Hundreds of rogues surround the building. On a distant hill, their leader locks eyes with me. His wolf smirks before fleeing. Coward.

Theron gives chase. The rogue Alpha is fast, but we're faster. Just as we close in, he veers into bushes. We follow—straight into a clearing reeking of ambush. Twenty wolves encircle us.

Theron snarls, fangs bared. The leader shifts back, grinning. "Alpha Adrian, so kind of you to join us."

Pain erupts in my hindquarters. Wolfsbane-dipped darts. The poison floods my veins, forcing my shift as Theron collapses.

Human and helpless, I glare up as the leader approaches with silver restraints. "Now," he purrs, "we wait for your Guardian."

A trap for Evelyn???