Chapter 136. The Beast Unleashed

Rasmus’s POV

The air was thick with her absence, suffocating. Xerina was supposed to be here. She wasn’t. They had played us. My pulse thundered in my ears, my vision narrowing until all I could see was red. Zane. That bastard. My fingers curled into fists so tight my nails drew blood from my palms. He had her. He had my mate. My everything.

A deep growl rumbled through my chest, vibrating through the room. Everyone flinched, but I didn’t care. No one mattered but her. My wolf stirred, muscles tightening, bones straining, begging to rip through flesh. I needed her. Now.

I whirled, teeth bared, eyes scanning the empty space. My claws unsheathed, ripping through the leather couch beside me as if it were paper. It wasn’t enough. Nothing was enough.

“She was supposed to be here!” I roared, voice cracking like thunder. The walls shook, as though even they trembled at the storm building inside me.

Ruka stood in the doorway, her arms crossed, lips purse