Page 175 of Inside the Sun

Even Anzo seems tense. Poor Summer really has to work for it. When Anzo finally comes, he suddenly spins around and slaps Summer across the face so hard the young omega hits the floor.

Rage erupts inside me. Seeing Summer’s small body crumpled like that, my hatred for Anzo spikes again, worse than ever.

"You’re fucking useless," Anzo growls, then kicks him in the back.

But Summer is my… family now, the brother of my True Mate, and I need to protect him. I am still an alpha by birth and my instincts are healthy.

"Please don’t do that! He’s too small, hit me instead!" I blurt.

Yeah. Those reckless words actually came out of my mouth. Even though I know how this ends. I just… can’t take it anymore. Watching Summer get hurt for nothing.

Anzo turns, and a disgusting smile spreads across his face.

"If that’s what you want," he says, and then kicks me in the jaw. The toe of his boot hits me right under the chin and sends me flying backward.

My head spins. But that’s not the end, he keeps kicking me. I can barely raise my arms to shield myself.

Then… suddenly he freezes.

Like someone pressed pause. His hands shoot to his temples. His eyes widen.

A low growl escapes his throat, and the next second, both Summer and I get hit with a jolt of electricity that knocks the air from our lungs.

What the hell just happened?

Anzo whips around and glares at Summer.

"Whatever the fuck you’re trying to pull, you little shit, you’d better think twice before you try that again!" he snarls. And even through the pain, even in this daze, I get it.

Anzo felt something.

The pressure in his head shifting? Did Summer try to use his power to pull Anzo off me, to make him dizzy? Something probably subtle, but… Is Anzo finally putting the pieces about Summer’s power together?

Next, he kicks the small omega again. And again. Shit.

"Please!" I groan out, feeling a chilling wave on my back. "Leave him be!"

"And you, slut," he growls at me. "If you think you can wriggle out of our little deal, you’ve got another thing coming. Iwill get what I want out of you, sooner or later. And the longer it takes, the more it’s gonna hurt."

He follows it up with a kick to my ribs that knocks the wind out of me.

"Why are you such a fucking bastard, Anzo?" I spit, because at this point, everything already hurts anyway. I may as well add a bit to the pile.

"You’re the goddamn boss of a mafia! You’ve got more power than most people could ever dream of. You could have everything, along with the most beautiful guys by your side. So why the hell do you do these evil things?" My voice cracks, pain cutting through every cell in my body.

Anzo stops and curls his lip.

"Don’t try to psychoanalyze me, Sun. You’ll always come up short. You’re missing the one piece of the puzzle that would actually let you understand."

"So tell me, I want to understand! I want to know why! Because there’s always something behind people’s actions. Monsters are raised, not born."

Anzo chortles and drops into a chair.

"Monsters…" he mutters, his face strangely broody. Then he rubs his face and looks up at the ceiling.

He’s different today. Frustrated. Angry. The energy coming off him is all jagged. Maybe it’s the tension of whatever’s about to happen in the next few days, or maybe it’s something else? He’s definitely off.

"You want to hear the story of my life? You’re not ready for it, Sun. Your sweet little life, the pampered youngest son of a loving dad who actually gives a shit about you, who’s," he taps his pocket, "texting you right now because he senses you’re hurting. And you think you’ve had it rough? Just because some punk broke your heart, your life was tragic? You don’t know the first thing about tragedy."

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