Free Rebecca (BBW Paranormal Shapeshifter Romance) (Alpha Marked Book 4) by Celia Kyle

agreement. He stepped forward, seeming to wait and see if she remained alongside him. When she kept pace, he continued toward the elevators.
    Right, wrong, or indifferent… this was where she belonged.

Chapter Seven
     
    No one would pull, or push, Rebecca from Carson’s side again. No one. He’d stick to her like glue. The rage at almost losing her to some psycho burned him and enraged his wolf further. Even after destroying the male who’d taken his mate, the fury seared him.
    Mate. Mate. Mate. God, he’d fucked up in so many ways, but he didn’t want to let her go, let them both go. He needed to fix things.
    Except, right now, his beast wanted more blood. It wanted the man’s accomplices. The “they” and “them” he’d muttered about.
    They’d taste so good on his tongue, his teeth ripping their flesh.
    The only thing that kept him from hunting down the bastards was the woman beside him. Rebecca needed his protection even if Aidan lurked on her other side.
    Rebecca’s fingers remained buried in the fur on his back, sinking deep and fisting his strands. The hold, the sting of her tugs, kept him grounded, focused on herding her toward the elevator and not tearing into the dead wolf once again.
    She reached for the button with a still shaking hand, missing twice before Aidan reached past her and depressed the metal disc. Carson leaned against her, offering his wolf’s comfort until he was able to shift, shower, and embrace her with his human arms. Rebecca returned the press and stroked between his ears with her free hand. She didn’t seem to mind the blood and gore, but he figured fear could make a person overlook a lot.
    Finally, a soft ding announced the elevator’s arrival. It wasn’t until that moment he realized silence continued to reign behind them. No shuffle of cloth or thump of shoes on marble. Nothing.
    He’d shocked them with his ferocity and rapid destruction. Good. Maybe that’d teach others a lesson. They shouldn’t touch what belonged to him. He glanced at Aidan, at the fury coating his partner’s features. They shouldn’t touch what belonged to them.
    The low clunk and whoosh of the doors opening cut through the quiet of those gathered in the lobby remaining motionless. When the metal panels fully parted, they were faced with a familiar group of men and women. It didn’t matter that the human recognized the occupants. The wolf refused to allow others near Rebecca.
    Snarling, he pushed Rebecca aside with his shoulder, shoving her past Aidan until she was tucked into a small corner of the hallway and he was able to block the path of others. He growled low, the noise echoing off the walls and increasing tenfold. They needed to know she was his, and he would protect his at all costs.
    “Carson?” Aidan’s shout overrode Rebecca’s, but he didn’t care. Protect. He needed to protect their mate. Why wasn’t Aidan at his side?
    One of the males slowly emerged, stride fluid and body relaxed as he stepped out of the elevator and turned toward him.
    The wolf weighed the man, his nose drawing in the male’s scent and evaluating his innate power. Alpha? Definitely. Stronger than him? His beast paused, inhaling again and searching past the blood to find his opponent’s true scent. Yes, stronger than him. But was he a safe male? One who would help him protect Rebecca? Or would he turn on them as well? Was he one of the “them” and “they”?
    The Alpha dropped into a squat, putting him eye level with the wolf. “Hey, Carson. Little bit of trouble down here, huh?”
    Carson narrowed his eyes and didn’t lower his lip. The amiable tone annoyed him for some reason, and the wolf wanted to claw the Alpha’s patronizing smile from his lips. As if sensing Carson’s thoughts, Rebecca tugged on him, forcing him to ease closer to her. Force? No, it was more like a silent request he answered with his movements. He was a few hundred pounds of massive male. She wouldn’t move him unless he