Scarlett’s POV

​Leo didn’t leave. Instead, he stepped closer, his chest nearly touching mine. He was vibrating with a dark, heavy energy. His eyes weren’t human anymore; they were the glowing amber of a wolf that wanted to tear the world apart.

​"I have a wife to keep up appearances," he growled, his voice dropping to a terrifyingly low pitch. "But your soul is tied to mine. Your scent is mine. And right now, all I smell is Leonard."

​He reached out, his large hands grabbing my shoulders. He pushed me back against the door I had just locked. He pressed his face into the crook of my neck and let out a sound that was more of a snarl than a breath.

​"I’m going to mark you and claim you as mine," he hissed. "Something I should have done a long time ago."

​My eyes widened. He was losing it. Jealousy had snapped his mind. He started to pull at my robe, his movements rough and out of control. He wasn’t seeing Scarlett; he was seeing something he thought he owned.

​Slap!

​The sound was sharp, like a bone breaking in the quiet room. My palm stung with white-hot heat. I had hit him with every bit of strength I had left.

​Leo’s head snapped to the side. He went completely still. The growling stopped. The only sound was the heavy thud of my heart. The silence in the room was heavy, thick with the scent of his shame and my fading adrenaline.

​"Get out, Leo," I said, my voice sounding small but sharp in the quiet room. "I mean it. Leave now."

​He didn’t move toward the door. Instead, he let out a broken sound—a half-sob, half-choke. He slowly turned his head back to me, and the glowing amber was gone. His eyes were wet, filled with a raw pain that made my chest tighten despite my anger.

​"Scarlett... God, Scarlett, I’m so sorry," he whispered, his voice cracking. He reached out a hand but stopped before he touched me, his fingers trembling. "I lost it. The smell of him on you... it drove my wolf insane. I didn’t mean to hurt you. I would never—"

​I didn’t want to hear it. I turned my back on him, my fingers shaking as I pulled my robe tight around my body and tied the belt in a hard knot. I felt exposed, even though I was covered. I felt like I was breaking into a thousand pieces.

​"I’m sorry, please," he pleaded, stepping closer. I could hear the desperation in his breath. "I’m a fool. I’m a mess. I know I have no right to be jealous, but seeing you with him... it felt like my heart was being ripped out."

​"Leo, just leave," I said, staring at the wall.

​"No, please, listen to me," he begged. He moved around to face me, sinking to his knees on the floor. An Alpha, a powerful man who led others, was kneeling at my feet, looking up at me with eyes full of regret. "I can’t lose you. Not again. I’ll do anything. I’ll make it right. Just don’t look at me like that. Don’t look at me like I’m a monster."

​I kept my eyes fixed on the ceiling, ignoring the way his voice shook. He kept talking, kept begging. But the more he spoke, the more hollow it felt. He still had a wife. He still had a mate.

​"I said leave!" I finally snapped, looking down at him.

​He looked like I had slapped him again. His shoulders slumped, but he didn’t get up. He just stayed there, begging for a forgiveness I wasn’t ready to give. I ignored him, walking past him to the bed and sitting down, wrapping my arms around my knees. I stared into the distance, shutting him out completely, letting the silence be my only answer.

​But the silence in the room was suddenly broken by a sharp, heavy knock. My heart jumped into my throat. We both froze. I knew that scent—it was Leonard’s.

​"Open the door!" Leonard’s voice boomed from the other side, sounding raw and full of fury.

​I went into a full panic. If he saw Leo in my room, everything would blow up. I scrambled off the bed, grabbing the red wig from the floor and shoving it onto my head. My hands shook so hard I could barely tie the strings of the silver mask back into place.

​"Calm down," Leo whispered. He stood up, his face becoming hard and serious again. He looked like an Alpha ready for a fight.

​Leo walked to the door and unlocked it. Leonard practically broke the door down as he stormed in. His eyes were glowing, his chest heaving. He looked like he wanted to kill someone.

​"Leo? What the hell are you doing in here?" Leonard growled, his voice vibrating in the small room.

​Leo didn’t back down. He stood tall, his hands in his pockets. "Calm down, bro," Leo said, his voice smooth but cold. "I saw her running away from your suite. I followed this dancer to know who she is. It seems you two fucked, and I wanted to see what the prize was."

​Leonard’s face turned a dark shade of red. He stepped right into Leo’s space, the two brothers standing chest-to-chest. The air in the room became heavy and hard to breathe.

​"It is none of your business, Leo," Leonard hissed. "Get out of her room. Now."

​"I told you to calm down," Leo replied, his eyes narrowing. "I’m just looking out for the family. We don’t know this woman."

​"No!" Leonard roared, shoving Leo back a step. "I know what you are trying to do! You’ve always been like this. You want to fuck her just because I did. You want to have what I have—even a stranger! You can’t stand that I found something you didn’t."

​Leo’s wolf pushed to the surface. He snarled, his lips curling back to show his teeth. "You think this is about you? You’re the one who brought a random girl from a club into our private suite. You’re the one being sloppy!"

​"Don’t talk about her like that!" Leonard screamed. He raised his fist, his muscles bulging.

​They were inches away from a full-blown Alpha brawl. The power coming off both of them was terrifying. The furniture in the room seemed to rattle from their energy. I stood in the corner, pressed against the wall, watching the two men I loved about to tear each other apart over a lie I had created.

​"Stop it!" I cried out, but they didn’t even hear me.

​Leonard grabbed the collar of Leo’s shirt. "If you touch her, if you even look at her again, I will forget you are my brother," Leonard warned, his voice a low, deadly promise.

​Leo laughed, but it was a dark, mean sound. "You’re already losing your mind over a girl in a mask, Leonard. Look at yourself. You’re pathetic."

​Leonard pulled his arm back, ready to swing.