Page 168 of Power Shift

“The police are already on their way. You’re out of chances.”

There’s a deep snarl that I’ve never heard before. I freeze, stretching my arms further around Briar until she’s as covered as possible.

Her scent burns, the thick perfume being snuffed out by her instant fear. She’s in too vulnerable of a place to be here in the middle of a fight right now. And fuck me, I’m vibrating with the need to protect her from whatever this is.

I recognize the alpha pushing against Duke’s chest, trying to break past him and to where I’m standing. Thorne’s feral, his eyes narrowed and dark when he spots us. The curl of his lip forces me back a step.

“Eyes off our omega,” Ronan bites out, a growl rumbling in his chest.

Thorne takes a deep breath instead, making sure to show off the flare of his nostrils as a smirk splits his face. “You sure she’s yours? From the way she smells right now, she could very well be mine.”

I open my mouth to warn him against continuing but hesitate when Jasper takes a step toward him, already speaking.

“Say that again and the police won’t be needed here.”

Thorne’s eyes flash. “Sadie doesn’t want me anymore, which means I have no use for her. All I need is to see my daughter. Sweeten the deal right now by giving me some time with Briar.”

Landon moves too quickly for any of us to stop him. One second, he’s standing beside Ronan, and the next, he’s tearing Thorne from Duke and sending him flying back on his ass.

The weight of his dominance presses down on us like a storm about to break. My knees grow weak, the desire to submit to him a constant pressure in my mind. I glance at Jasper and see him tensing his jaw, fingers shaking out at his side.

Ronan’s the only one of us who doesn’t seem affected by the display of dominance. It makes perfect sense, considering Ronan’s always been equal to Landon.

Briar, on the other hand, whines in my arms and clutches my shirt in a tight grip. Her perfume blows away her fear, leaving the air full of sweet, ripe lemons. My cock aches in response to her change in scent.

Landon bends forward over Thorne and brings his foot to his arm, pressing when he tries to scramble back to his feet. He applies pressure to get Thorne’s complete focus.

“I know it was you who broke into her place because you wanted more information on Sadie. Your stink was all over the place; I just couldn’t place it until right now.” He presses down harder, and Thorne cries out in pain. “Desperation has never smelled more like fear than right now. But you’re going to get real familiar with the latter if you ever say her name again.”

“What kind of a pack lets their omega out of their sight when she’s in heat?” Thorne sneers, tugging his arm but failing to get it out from beneath Landon’s foot.

“The kind of pack who loves her enough to want her to keep ownership of her decisions, even when she’s in heat. The kind who loves her in a way you’d ever understand,” I declare.

Briar touches my face, stroking my chin and lips with gentle fingers. Her breaths are strained when I stare at her and let her see how honest my words were. How overdue they were.

She should have heard them from me weeks ago. Back when I met her for the first time and ignored the instincts that told me exactly who she was to me.

My scent match.The woman I’ve been fated to be with. My one in a billion.

Her blue eyes shine, a brief break of clarity appearing. “I’m ready, Dash. For all of you. Completely. Take me home.”

“Step back, Landon. The team has this. It’s our job,” Duke says.

It’s impossible to look away from Briar.

“I’ll bring the car around to the front,” Jasper says tightly.

Someone sucks in a loud breath, and I assume it’s Thorne.

“I could press charges for my injuries.”

“Go for it. My lawyers will eat you for lunch,” Landon sneers. “Though, you’ll be too busy in prison to do anything to anyone. Once you’re arrested for breaking the restraining order multiple times, there won’t be a chance in hell of you seeing anyone inside of that clinic ever again.”

“I have a right to know my daughter,” Thorne argues.

Feet scuff on the pavement, and finally, I look away from Briar to see Duke hauling Thorne to his feet and restraining his hands behind his back with zip ties.

“You have a right to nothing anymore,” the security lead says while pulling the zip ties tighter than he probably needs to.

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