Page 17 of Sun's Roar

The recognition hit him like a physical blow. Victor Sulick.

The exiled pack member’s face was partially hidden in the building’s shadow, but Sol would know those calculating eyes anywhere. Their gazes met for one electric moment across the chaos—Victor’s mouth curling into a knowing smirk before he disappeared behind a nearby building. Every muscle in Sol’s body coiled with the urge to chase, to hunt, and to tear into the man who had once betrayed their pack.

Sol charged through the growing crowd, Helena’s unconscious form nestled against the hard planes of his chest. Her warmth seeped through his button-down shirt, stirring his wolf’s protective instincts into a frenzy. Even covered in soot and ash, her red hair glittered in the firelight like a banner—a declaration of what she was. What she would become. His Luna.

The fact that Victor Sulick had shown his face here, tonight of all nights, sent rage spiraling through Sol’s veins. He spotted Joshua and Mitesh rushing toward him, concern etched across their faces.

“She’s alive,” Sol growled immediately, adjusting Helena in his arms to cradle her head more securely. “But we have bigger problems. Victor was here.”

Joshua’s eyes widened. “Victor? Are you certain?”

“I’d recognize that snake anywhere.” Sol’s jaw clenched so hard he felt his teeth might crack. “He was watching from the edge of the crowd. Smirking.”

Mitesh’s face darkened. “If he’s here, then he knows what she is.”

“He’s after her power,” Sol confirmed, his voice lowering to a dangerous rumble. “He’s always wanted what wasn’t his.”

Sol glanced down at Helena, her chest still rising and falling in shallow breaths. Her lashes cast delicate shadows across her cheekbones, and an overwhelming tenderness cut through his rage. His fingers tightened possessively around her shoulder.

“I need to hunt him down.” The words came out rough, his wolf pushing to the surface. “Now, before his trail goes cold.”

“Your Luna needs you,” Mitesh reminded him gently.

Sol shook his head, his decision already made. “What she needs is for me to handle the threat. Victor won’t stop now that he’s found her.”

He transferred Helena carefully into Joshua’s waiting arms, his hands lingering longer than necessary. The separation physically hurt, a tug deep in his chest where their bond had begun to form.

“Guard her with your life,” Sol ordered, his eyes flashing with wolf-light. “If she wakes, tell her I’ll be back for her. Tell her—“ He hesitated, struggling with words that seemed inadequate. “Tell her she’s safe now.”

Joshua nodded, already scanning the crowd. “What about her human friends? They’ll be looking for her.”

Sol followed his gaze to where Helena’s coworkers huddled together, casting anxious glances toward the ambulances.

“Handle it,” Sol commanded. “Make them believe you’re authorized to care for her.”

With quick efficiency, Joshua handed Helena to Mitesh and darted toward a nearby ambulance. He returned moments later wearing a paramedic’s jacket, the ID badge conveniently flipped backward.

“This should buy us some cover,” Joshua said, taking Helena back into his arms. “But we can’t stay here long.”

Mitesh placed a steadying hand on Sol’s shoulder. “Remember who you are, Alpha. Don’t let your wolf take complete control.”

Sol rolled his shoulders, already feeling his skin prickle with the need to shift. “Victor crossed a line coming here. He’ll answer for it.”

“And if the humans see?” Mitesh pressed.

Sol’s lips curled into a dangerous smile. “They won’t.”

He bent over Helena one last time, inhaling her scent to imprint it deeper into his senses. On impulse, he brushed his lips across her forehead, a claiming gesture as old as his kind.

“Mine to protect,” he murmured against her skin.

Then he straightened, his focus shifting to the hunt ahead. Without another word, Sol turned and stalked toward the shadows where Victor had disappeared, every muscle coiled for pursuit.

Sol followed Victor’s scent with single-minded intensity, his nostrils flaring rapidly as he tracked the exiled wolf. Victor’s trail led away from the restaurant and toward the small city park that bordered the neighborhood—a perfect place for confrontation away from human eyes.

The park’s tall oaks and dense undergrowth provided cover as Sol moved with predatory grace, his footsteps silent despite his size. His skin prickled, the shift hovering just beneath the surface, begging for release. The bond with Helena pulsed in his chest like a second heartbeat, fueling his rage at the man who dared threaten what was his.

He caught movement ahead—a flash of expensive clothing disappearing behind a copse of trees. Sol quickened his pace, cutting through a thicket to intercept his prey.

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