Page 97 of Love Bites Hard

Her desperation was definitely showing.

“No. If we kill Porter, the pack kills us,” one of the gun guys said, shaking his head. “That was never the plan.”

“We took his mate. There’s a damn good chance he kills us before they get to,” another gun guy said.

“That’s what the weapons are for,” Kim shot back.

“Everyone, just—” the third gun man began.

He cut himself off when the front door near us swung open, and Porter stepped inside.

His fists were clenched, and the situation was dire, but I was still relieved to see him alive and whole.

His gaze met mine immediately, but he didn’t relax.

There was a knife to my throat, after all.

“Hands in the air,” Corbin growled. “Step any closer, and she dies.”

A vein in Porter’s throat pulsed.

He slowly lifted his hands, forcing his fists open.

“Tell your team to turn around,” Kim ordered. “We can see them on the cameras, and we don’t want them involved.”

It was a good idea, actually. Not for me—it was terrible for me. But for them, it was good.

And it wasn’t surprising she didn’t want Evan involved.

But with the pack link between them, I was sure that Porter had already told Evan exactly who had betrayed them.

I pushed against the mental bond again, and fought to hide my thrill when I finally felt the faintest of brushes.

Porter’s mind was against mine, trying to gain entry.

“Lower your weapons,” Porter said, his voice authoritative enough that one of the guys actually did lower his gun. “If you leave now, I’ll let you live.”

The guy who lowered his gun avoided everyone else’s gaze and hurried out the door, behind Porter.

My mate didn’t look back.

He didn’t look away from me at all.

“Give me your terms,” he said.

“Release the pack’s link to Evan. Step down as alpha,” Kim said.

Porter didn’t respond right away.

His mind brushed mine, and I faintly heard his voice in my mind.“Can you access your magic?”

I tried to respond, but couldn’t.

“If you can, send a small amount of it through the room. We want them to lose control without realizing what you’re doing. Slowly increase the amount,”Porter added.

I did as he’d instructed.

“Evan is a strong wolf, but he couldn’t take down Curtis. And Curt’s friends are still out there. If I give the pack to Evan, it’ll fall into the hands of someone else just like Curt,” Porter said calmly.

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