Their Secret Obsession by Pippa Moon

Chapter 0260

Chase POV

The throaty growls and the clashing of fur and fangs filled the bar, each sound echoing like a death knell in my ears. I watched, heart pounding, as Adam and Knox transformed into their wolf forms-Savage and Havoc-tore into each other with a ferocity that turned my blood to ice. The old bond I shared with Knox, built over years of childhood friendship, had lately clashed violently with the rage I felt toward him for the pain he had caused Lottie. Yet, now witnessing this brutal brawl, I feared that friendship might be at an end as I watched wide-eyed and sure I was about to see my brother's life snuffed out right before my eyes.

As the fierce battle raged, the entire bar fell into a stunned silence; every onlooker's attention seemed riveted on the violent spectacle. Patrons and staff alike were rooted to the spot, their faces etched with shock and fear, mirroring my own paralysis.

Adam's wolf, Savage, lived up to his name with every brutal move, but Havoc was a beast unlike any I had ever seen. The raw, unhinged power he wielded was terrifying to behold. My body was frozen, a statue of fear, as I desperately willed myself to move, to do something. The fear escalated into sheer panic when Lottie, in her pregnant state, pulled away from my weakening grip and hurled herself toward the struggle.

Everything seemed to move in slow motion as Havoc, with lethal intent clear in his wild eyes, charged toward his downed prey-toward my sister, who now shielded Adam with her tiny, vulnerable body. My heart stopped, the blood draining from my face as I realised it was too late to intervene. Havoc was seconds away from striking, and all I could do was watch the horrifying scene unfold.

"Do something," I begged Thor, who lay motionless under the surface of my consciousness. His presence was faint and overshadowed by dread.

"I can't," Thor's voice echoed weakly in my mind, his tone laced with shock and trepidation. The mere presence of Havoc, of anything that remotely reminded him of our harrowing time in the demonic realm, paralysed him. I didn't need a doctor to tell me we had PTSD, a shadow that had followed me since our escape from hell-a fact I shared with no one. The sound of fighting alone made me nervous and fearful; I hadn't trained or battled since, unable to face the echoes of that pain.

"We can't lose them, Thor," I pleaded again, desperate for him to find the strength to move, to act when I felt utterly powerless. Liam was rushing forward, determination etched on his face, but I knew he wouldn't make it in time. Nothing seemed capable of stopping the impending disaster.

least

all hope seemed lost, a piercing scream filled the room. Lottie's voice, desperate and commanding, somehow penetrated the chaos. Havoc's deadly charge halted slightly, but it was clear it was too late to stop the inevitable. He was abruptly enveloped from nowhere in a sudden, eerie red light

chillingly familiar to the screams that haunted my nightmares from the demonic realm. The force of the mysterious shield threw him backwards across the room. He hit the wall with such force that it

moment, followed quickly by a new wave of fear-who had the power to wield

gasped, voicing the confusion and dread that

my gaze fixed on the crumbling wall and the figure of Havoc, now still. Questions raced through my mind-had Lottie somehow summoned this force? Was there another player, another nightmare, involved now? The uncertainty of our situation,

as unsettling as ever. A wave of hatred surged within me, fueled by the manipulative games he'd played with my family and the excruciating pain he'd inflicted on me-all to coerce Lottie into his twisted deals. His actions were not just meddling; they

disdain.

as Knox, mid-transformation with his face still

smirked, turning to eye

ragged from the ordeal. Astaroth, who had nonchalantly thrown Knox aside only moments ago, turned to regard him with a look of utter

eyes were cold, accusatory. "Unlike some." The dig hit hard, and I felt

fully shifted back to his human form, began to rise, his voice thick

needed, so how about you" His words were cut short as Astaroth, with a mere wave of his hand, flung him brutally against the wall. The impact was harsh, rendering Knox silent and unconscious. Part of me wanted