The silence was deadly and Gideon stood up, leaning over the car next to him.He looked around, trying to comprehend what was going on, and realised that hewas the only person standing.

Right next to him, Reid and Maya were stillconfused, lying on the floor and trying to get up.Gradually, he started to hear the sounds of the car alarms which had all beentriggered by the explosion.Explosion! He missed a breath, looking at the shattered hotel in front of him andseeing pieces of glass that used to be its exterior everywhere.Gideon ran as fast as he could to where he had left her.

His mate, his Riannon.The woman who was his whole life now.

The woman he had just announced ashis and then so carelessly left alone.He was back at the entrance in no time, but he couldn’t see her in the clouds ofdust and smoke.

The fear seized him for the first time in his life.

Primitiveanimalistic fear.He couldn’t lose her like that.

Not when all the obstacles were finally gone.Just then, he saw something white on the ground next to the entrance andrecognised her platinum blonde hair as well.

The relief washed over him.Riannon had her head pounding from the fall and the noise made her temporarilydeaf.

The first thing that she recognised was Brayden’s scent.

He was lying ontop of her and breathing heavily.The hearing was coming back slowly as he rolled off her and then tried to helpher get up.“Are you okay?” she heard her ex-husband through muffled noises.

But shecould only nod.“Ria!” Gideon appeared out of nowhere and lifted her into his arms in less than asecond,magic

“Oh, goddess! Thank goddess that you...

I...”“I know,” she wrapped her arms around his neck, allowing herself a few momentsof weakness.

A few moments of being cuddled against his chest and breathing inhis scent to calm down.

A few moments of feeling safe.“You are welcome, you know,” Brayden said through clenched teeth, and Gideonglared at him for daring to speak to them now.

But then he noticed that the Alphawas bleeding heavily and realised that he had actually covered his mate duringthe explosion with his body.“Put me down,” Riannon tapped his shoulder and turned to face her unexpectedsaviour, “ Thank you.” but he smiled painfully.“Whatever happens, I will always protect you, Ri,” he stepped towards her,making Gideon growl, and then let out a little groan, turning his backs to themslowly and demonstrating several big pieces of glass stuck in his flesh.

His suitjacket was soaking from the blood.The lycan king had to take himself under control.

He hated that man, but hewould hate it more if one of those glass shards was now in Riannon’s faceinstead.He had responsibilities before his people.

He had to go inside and check onthem, see who was injured and who survived.Reid and Maya were running their way, the girl throwing herself in his mate’sarms.

His Beta and the king exchanged glances.

They both knew what they hadto do.“GO,” Riannon told him, and he was relieved that she understood everything aswell, “I will help Brayden to get the glass out and join you.”“No,” the king protested, “Stay here.”“Yeah, sure!” Maya snorted, rolling her eyes.

“We’ll be there helping the survivors as soon as we are done here,” his mate saidcalmly, “There are people who need our help there and we are not sitting this oneout.”“Ria,” Gideon wanted to say something, but seeing the determination in her eyes,he gave up.

The Moon Goddess sent him a Luna who wouldn’t be hiding in asituation like that and would want to help their people.

He had to learn to acceptit, even if his instinct was to hide her from the cruel world around them.

“See youthere,” he said and rushed inside.

They couldn’t waste any more time.Riannon traced him with her gaze and then returned to the back of her ex-husband, who was waiting patiently.

She took off her belt and started using it forsoaking blood as she removed piece after piece.

Luckily, he was an Alpha andshe could see that he was healing fast.“He doesn’t know you the way I do,” Brayden hissed as she got a big shard out ofhim,”No one does.”“That’s questionable,” she stated plainly, keeping up her work, “Sometimes Iwonder if you knew me at all.”“Of course, I did,” he sighed, “It’s just...

The mate bond, Ri.

It’s stronger thananything.”“I can agree with that,” his ex-wife seemed preoccupied with what she was doing,“I can”His whole body shuddered at the mention of the lycan king.“But I would still choose to handle the matter differently,” Ria confessed, “Iwouldn’t expect you two to live together, share me and be happy about it.”“I was only thinking about you,” Brayden tried to turn his head to look at his nowex-Luna but Maya stepped in closer with a menacing expression on her face.

“Oh, look! I see one!” she declared and grabbed one of the bigger shards,twisting it in his flesh and only then getting it out, “There.

We are wasting a lot oftime here!”The Alpha winced from pain but said nothing.“There is only one thing that bothers me, Bray,” Riannon said when she wasdone with him, “You talk so much about your mate and this bond of yours.

Butright now there was an explosion in the hotel we were all in and you are here,talking to me and not out there – looking for her.

How does that work?”His mouth parted slightly.

As if he had remembered something important.“I’ll see you later,” he muttered, and ran inside of the hotel.Maya and Ria looked at each other and followed him.Inside of the foyer that was sparkling and shining just seconds ago was messyand dark, because now all of the lights were down.

They could still see properlythanks to the werewolf vision though.

And Riannon did not like what she wasseeing.Disoriented people walking here and there, a familiar Alpha clenching his Luna inhis arms while the woman did not seem to respond.

And a few dead bodies...It was a disaster.

And someone planned it.From the corner of her eye, she noticed a woman dragging another woman fromwhere the restaurant was located.

She recognised the Alpha of the werecats,Ramina and went to help her.“How are you?” she asked.“What will happen to me? I am a cat,” the woman snorted, “I have nine lives.Well, eight now.

Six if I am honest.

But I was lucky that your ex caused a scene

and I went to check on my Luna.

I didn’t get there in time for the secondexplosion.”“The second explosion?” Ria looked at the werecat in shock.

“Yes,” Raminagritted through her teeth, “Whoever did this, arranged one attack for the thatcouldn’t be said about the Lunas.”.Riannon and Maya looked at each other and went inside the restaurant where,less than an hour ago, she was meeting with her friends.

And they both gaspedat the sight before their eyes...