Page 39 of Pack to the Wall

"You have no idea who you're threatening," Zev snarled.

"Oh, I think I do. One reclusive Alpha wolf with a soft spot for pretty humans." Marty's voice oozed smug satisfaction. "Just imagine this, thousands of fans arriving by boat and seaplane and helicopter, desperate to see the magical place where Chrissy created her 'jungle escape song.' Your precious isolation destroyed overnight."

Zev was just about to deliver a counter-threat—one involving what happened to rogues who challenged pack territory—when a soft voice interrupted.

"I'll come home."

Zev whirled around to find Chrissy standing there, her green eyes wide and resolute. His heart plummeted as she stepped forward, close enough to speak into the phone.

"Marty, I'll be back in time for tomorrow's press."

"Chrissy—" Zev started, but she shook her head slightly.

"Excellent decision," Marty purred. "My jet is already en route to the closest airfield. It lands at 6 PM. Be on it, or I release the coordinates. Oh, and wear something presentable—the paparazzi will be waiting at LAX."

He rattled off a string of instructions about upcoming interviews and appearances before hanging up abruptly.

Zev stared at Chrissy, unable to process what had just happened. His wolf howled in furious protest, demanding he stop her, mark her properly, and refuse to let her walk back into that man's clutches. Every instinct screamed that his mate was slipping away.

"Why?" The single word carried the weight of his confusion and pain.

The afternoon sun cast a golden glow across her face as she stepped closer, reaching up to touch his cheek. "Because he'll destroy everything you've built here."

"I don't care," Zev growled, capturing her wrist. "Let them come. This island has survived hurricanes and invasions—it can survive tourists."

"But can your pack?" Her voice was soft but unwavering. "Your people didn't ask for this. They don't deserve to have their home exposed because of me."

Ewan tactfully stepped away, giving them privacy in the middle of the sunlit grounds.

Zev's chest tightened painfully. His mate was choosing to sacrifice herself to protect his pack—a more Alpha move than many born wolves would make. Pride and anguish warred within him as he pulled her against his chest, burying his face in her hair to inhale her scent one more time.

"This isn't over," he promised, his voice a rough whisper against her ear. "You're my mate. No contract or threat will change that."

FIFTEEN

CHRISSY

As Chrissy stood in the middle of the resort grounds with her head against Zev's chest and his strong arms wrapped around her, she breathed him in—that intoxicating scent of sea salt, cedar, and something wild that was uniquely him. His heart thundered against her ear, strong and steady, while hers felt like it was shattering.

When he'd uttered the word 'mate,' something broke inside her. Chrissy tried to keep her composure and to be strong the way she'd been forced to be for the past year, but her walls crumbled. Tears spilled down her cheeks, hot and unstoppable.

"I don't want to go back," she confessed, her voice cracking. "God, Zev, I don't want to leave you. But I heard them—your people—whispering about me. They were right to worry."

She pulled back just enough to look up at his face. "Those first few days, I overheard the staff talking when they thought I couldn't hear. They were afraid I'd bring trouble, that someone like me—tied to powerful men in the entertainment industry—would endanger everything. And they were right all along."

"Chrissy—"

"I won't be responsible for exposing centuries of your pack's secrets." Her fingers clutched at his shirt. "I won't let paparazziand fans swarm this place, risking everything that makes it wild and beautiful."

Zev's hands framed her face, his thumbs wiping away her tears with a gentleness that belied his strength. "That won't happen. We'll protect our home." He paused for a heart beat. "We'll protect you. The pack will stand by you when I tell them you're my fated mate."

Chrissy shook her head, her dark hair falling across her shoulders. "They don't even know me, Zev. They haven't seen my heart the way you have." Her laugh was brittle. "They just see a human celebrity who's bringing a wolf shifter avalanche down on their heads."

The reality of what she had to do hit her with full force. She needed to be alone, to pull herself together before she faced Marty again. Before she had to pretend that the most beautiful five days of her life hadn't just happened.

"I need to go," she said suddenly, stepping back. "I have to get ready for my flight."

"No." Zev's hand closed around her upper arm, not painfully but with unmistakable authority. "We're not done talking about this."

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