BLAZE POV
It took everything in me not to launch that mutt through the goddamn wall.
The way he sat there—like he had any right. Like he cared more. Like he knew her.
Fuck him.
The moment we stepped into her apartment, my entire body tensed. I could smell him before I saw him—Reed. The wolf. The other mate. My every instinct screamed to dominate, to crush, to tear. But Clare was fragile, still trembling, and I had promised her safety. Peace. Comfort.
So I stayed still. Barely.
He had the audacity to look calm. Legs stretched out, arms folded, back resting against the couch like this was his territory. He didn't speak. Just watched me with those calculating, simmering wolf eyes. No doubt ready to rip me apart if I made one wrong move.
He wasn't there when she screamed like the world was ending. He wasn't the one who held her while she thrashed, covered in sweat and tears, begging for mercy from dreams that were far too real.
So why the hell was he here?
