7. Mai

The gleam of Elise's blade sent a chill down my spine. Before I could even register the danger, Ryan had pushed me back and leaped toward Elise, using his body as a shield to protect me. I stumbled back into the arm of the sofa seat and flipped over it onto my ass.

Fucking brilliant.

Ryan and I were going to have to work on fighting as a team. I jumped up just as Elise slashed her knife across Ryan's chest. My wolf erupted in fury, a snarl tearing through my lips. We had to end this, but we had to keep Elise alive. The consequences of us arriving here and killing one of their enforcers were not lost on me. If we had any hope of fitting in here, we couldn't kill her; we needed her alive so she could be questioned, and there would be no doubts about our motives for this fight.

I wasted no time. I aimed a roundhouse kick at Elise's head. She managed to duck, but the motion put her off-balance. Ryan took advantage and dove at her, tackling her to the ground. She bucked underneath him, using her legs to kick up and throw Ryan off her. As he staggered back, she jumped to her feet, her eyes zeroing in on me. My heart raced as she lunged, blade aimed directly at my throat. I sidestepped, but her blade caught my arm, slicing through the skin. The sharp sting of pain was instantaneous, but it only fueled my adrenaline.

Ryan moved like lightning, his arms wrapping around Elise's neck from behind. I darted in, grabbed her wrist, and twisted. The knife fell, and it skittered across the floor. Elise aimed a powerful front kick at me. I danced back out of range. Elise was strong. If her kick had connected, it would have broken my leg. Ryan's grip around her neck was iron-clad, and I could see Elise's face redden as she gasped for air. Desperation filled her eyes, and for a moment, I thought she might relent. Then she drove her elbow into Ryan's ribs. Once, then twice. He grunted, but his hold didn't falter.

The study door burst open with a bang that resonated through the room like a gunshot. Camille rushed in first. "Let her go."

Ryan released Elise, and the enforcer slumped forward, gasping for breath.

"What is the meaning of this?" Camille's voice was harsh.

"She attacked us," I replied, pointing to the knife on the floor.

"Liar," spat Elise. "They came at me when I brought them food."

Sam charged into the room, took one look around, and, his eyes blazing with anger, positioned himself between us and the two Bridgetown wolves, his posture unmistakably protective.

Camille picked up the knife and then walked back to Elise, who was kneeling on the carpet.

"This is your knife, Elise. Why? Tell me that, at least," she said softly.

Elise knew she was out of options. "I take my orders from the true Alpha of the Bridgetown Pack. Not you," she growled, and then lunged toward Camille. I threw myself between them and took the brunt of Elise's tackle. I hit the ground hard as Elise leaped up, aiming for Camille again. She was ready, though. Camille jabbed the heel of her hand into Elise's jaw and, with her other hand, drove the knife into the enforcer's stomach.

Elise fell to the floor just as Ivan and Danni sprinted into the room.

"Take her to the med bay. Sedate her and keep her under guard."

Ivan, shock flashing across his face, bowed his head and moved quickly to pick up Elise.

Camille turned to me. "I'll find out what orders Tristan gave her, and afterward, Elise will be dealt with; I promise you that. We gave you sanctuary here, and that has been breached. I can only offer my sincere apologies and assure you that we will be looking into and interviewing each and every member of this Pack to weed out any other Tristan supporters."

"Are you fucking kidding?" Sam stepped forward. "They were attacked in your study! You promised us they would be safe here. If you can't even offer safety in your own home, then what the fuc—"

"Enough, Sam!" Ryan interjected. "We dealt with it. The message will be loud and clear: Mai and I are not easy targets. This might even help us in the long run. Discourage other half-hearted attempts to curry favor by taking us out."

Sam's whole body was taut, simmering with barely contained rage.

"Stand down, Sam," Ryan said softly but firmly.

It took him some effort, but Sam's body slowly relaxed, and he bent his head toward us both. "I should have been here."

"No," I said. "If we are going to challenge for the Alpha pair, we need to fight our own battles."

"You decided?"

I nodded.

His whole demeanor changed in an instant, and he grinned as he swept me up in a hug. "You won't regret this!"

"Yeah, but you might if you don't let go of my mate right fucking now," Ryan growled.