Chapter 42

Lorenzo POV

‘She’s so beautiful,’ Lorenzo thought warmly to himself. ‘I’m so lucky that the two of us were able to come back together after all this time.’

He had always been fully aware of the rocky and rough patches that backed their relationship. And it was still openly obvious that Eleanor still didn’t fully trust him the way he wished she would.

But he knew that this was something that couldn’t be forced. And Lorenzo wasn’t going to risk the chance of losing Eleanor again. During her earlier performance, as Eleanor danced across that stage wearing the very dress that he had fixed for her, Lorenzo made a secret promise to himself.

‘I will do whatever it takes to obtain Eleanor’s love and prove that I am worthy of being her mate.’

He’d purposely given Eleanor a much-needed head start because he wanted to give her a real moment to become acclimated with herself. How often did Eleanor get the chance to really let her wolf run freely?

A blood-curdling cry echoed through the air and struck Lorenzo like an icy bucket of water.

“Somebody! HELP ME!!”

Every fiber in his being told him that the cry for help was coming from Eleanor. His own wolf began thrashing around inside of him, demanding to take immediate action.

‘Something's wrong,’ his wolf snarled. ‘Our mate is in trouble. She’s in danger! Something is going on!’

Lorenzo scented the air and followed her through the trees. Her cries started to grow louder and more consistent, sending him into a total frenzy. His heart slammed violently within his rib cage until he came upon a sight he never wished to see.

Curled up at the bottom of an oak tree, with several dark bruises and cuts covering her arms and legs, was his mate. A paired trail of tears streamed down her face as her hands attempted to cover her neck in fear.

His voice was nearly unrecognizable. “Eleanor!”

He traced to her side and swiftly gathered her up in his arms. She winced and whimpered from the strenuous ache in her muscles. Lorenzo did his best to wipe the dirt and brush the treats away from her face.

The man was breathless but nothing was going to stop him from protecting her now. “What’s happened?” he asked.

She shook her head and kept her face hidden. “Someone attacked me.” Again, he lifted his nose up to scent the air.

His eyes glowed with fiery rage. “A rogue,” he spat.

The area surrounding them was filled with a series of venomous chuckles and cackles. Eleanor grew stiff in his arms. “Oh my God,” she whispered. “There’s more than one!”

Her eyes grew wide with fear as the two of them spotted numerous darkened figures racing right toward them.

Lorenzo refused to let another rogue lay another finger on his mate again. As much as it pained him to do so, he had to release his hold on Eleanor in order to fight back.

Before the first rogue could land a worthy strike, Lorenzo ducked and dodged the other man’s fists while bringing his claws straight to the wolf’s throat.

“How dare you attack my mate!”

Eleanor’s POV

‘Oh my God,’ I thought breathlessly.

Nothing in the world could have prepared for the unimaginable sight that was Lorenzo Sinclair’s blood frenzy. The man demonstrated an unearthly amount of physical strength that I didn’t think was possible even for an alpha.

My heart leaped into my throat as I watched him tear apart the first rogue that rushed in to attack. A few swipes of his elongated claws, and the other man fell to the forest floor in a bloody heap of broken limbs. But that was only the beginning. Watching their fellow rogue wolf fall to his own demise, the other wolves took it as a personal offensive and all began lunging at Lorenzo.

They came jumping and flying from various directions, all in pursuit of trying to get to her, and yet Lorenzo handled each one of them with artful carnality. They tried to subdue him with their own dangerous claws and snapping teeth, but he was quicker. Stronger.

But that wasn’t to say that Lorenzo was going to walk away unscathed from this ordeal. Although none of the wolves managed to cause any vital damage, the man was still going to come out of this situation covered in a decent amount of deep scratches and a few bite marks.

‘Yes, but unlike the rest, Lorenzo was going to make it out alive,’ my wolf hummed with pride.

I couldn’t explain the sensation that started to wash over me. It was like my paralyzing fear had been wiped away from just the mere sight of Lorenzo moving.

He was utterly incredible. My insides were overtaken by a warm, comforted feeling that I’d hardly experienced. It was like I’d been wrapped in a heated blanket, protected and untouchable from the world around me. And it was because of him.

Lorenzo snagged one of the rogues by the collar and brought him close to his sharpened teeth.

“If you ever try and come for her again, I will rip out your throat with my goddamned teeth!” he shouted. “You stay away the fuck from her! Understand!”

My cheeks flushed. I never expected to feel so cared for—so deeply wanted.

The two of us watched the last surviving rogue trace away, leaving us alone and surrounded by the fallen, mangled bodies of our attackers.

“Lorenzo!”

I watched the man drop to his knees in complete exhaustion. I hastily rushed to his side and pulled him against me.

“Eleanor?” he heaved. “A-Are you alright?”

“Yes,” I gasped. “Because of you, now come on. We need to get back to the fairgrounds.” We both needed medical attention as soon as possible.

As I struggled to get the two of us up on our feet, a thundering sound of heated marching made its way toward us.

“Who goes there!” a man shouted out. “State your names and remain where you are! One move and we’ll fire!”