Running from His Claim (Beauty and the Beast #2)

Bonus 1

Warren

As I ran, barely feeling the wind around me or noticing the night sounds, I could not help the excitement building in my chest at the thought of seeing her, holding her...

I had spent the entire day without my love, was about to spend a much longer period protecting her from the shadows, and the idea filled me with dread.

Ashley and Kyle were adamant that this was the most plausible option if I desired to protect Annabelle from the Consulate. And I had nothing rational to offer.

I stopped smoothly, still hidden from view from her house, and heard her sweet voice. Was she...yelling?

Then I scented the bloodsucker and the beast growled territorially. He was completely against this manoeuvre, urging me to simply hold my love in my arms and fight off the world. He had never grasped politics - the jungle worked on instinct and not diplomacy. He expected a visible threat, could not recognise the threat hanging over my love like a guillotine.

"Oh, come on, Belle!" The sound of his voice only instigated me further. I shut my eyes against the reminder of him holding her as she wept this afternoon, clenched my fists and jaw tightly to keep from attacking when I heard his tone. How dare he raise his voice at my love?! "You saw the same thing I did!"

My eyes flew open. Were they discussing me? Why was my love taking so long to respond? An unusual anxiety attacked me as I waited desperately for her response. Finally, her beautiful voice came out clipped. "And?"

"He was kissing her!" His voice again. The beast clawed at me, desperate to rip his throat out. "He shoved his tongue down her throat while the whole school watched! While you watched."

The pain was indescribable. I had done that to her, hurt her in that way... Forgive me, beautiful angel!

Her voice was low and confident as she defended, "Warren would never do something like this without a reason."

He made an enraged sound and something flew through the air in her room and shattered on the wall. I jolted at the sound of glass breaking and showering the wooden floorboards. Had he hurt my love? Was she in pain? If a single shard had flown in her direction -! "Are you even listening to yourself? He's breaking up with you!"

"You don't know that!" I breathed in deeply, ascertaining that she had not been harmed, that she was not bleeding. Her staunch defence made my chest tighten. I had come to crush that unwavering trust...

"Yes, I do!" he responded, and took a few steps closer to her. I had to actively hold my raging beast back, gripping a tree trunk to keep myself from leaping through her window.

"You're just assuming -"

"His scent is off you!" He cut in.

Silence. Complete and utter silence. Then a soft, "What?"

Had I never mentioned it before?

"His scent, the one that marks you as his. Belle, he's no longer claiming you as his girl, mate, whatever. He removed it. That's why being around you just got easier for me. And harder."

The beast howled in my mind and I had to clutch my head to drown him out. Not that I wasn't uttering the same silent cry to the universe.

No, no, no! She is mine, forever mine!

"Still doesn't prove anything."

She continued to defend me? The howling stopped in my head, as did my own chanting. Belle had silenced the turmoil in my head by simply refusing to believe the obvious. I smiled in spite of the situation. My beautiful girl...