For a species as rigidly hierarchical as ours, there was nothing more humiliating, and it was only when Carlos materialised out of the crowd to pull me out of the way that I realised just what I had done.The weight of my actions slammed into me, forcing the breath out of my lungs, and when I turned
Beside me I felt Carlos grow tense, but around us the hall broke into a smattering of optimistic cheers.Xavier didn’t look away from Hector, but his lips quirked slightly as a slow chant of his name picked up. But none of this seemed to register with my mate, who simply righted himself.The only di
Layla’s POVThe sound of the loud and desperate scream filling my ears split my attention in half as I watched Hector face plant directly into the floor after the kick.As it continued, I felt a flare of irritation go through me, but this emotion was short-lived because I soon realised that the soun
Then the sound of a sharp, sickening crack echoed through the gym. Xavier didn’t immediately react, but when a second crunching followed—Hector fracturing his tibia—he let out a low groan, stumbling to put some distance between them. My mate wouldn’t allow that though. With all the focus and inte
Layla’s POVIn the moments that followed Hector’s exit from the gymnasium, not a single one of us seemed to know what to do with ourselves. There was a sense of general disbelief at what had just happened, and I could see why that was the case as I sifted through the room of mostly bewildered expre
Michael didn’t miss a beat.“And why is that so, Miss Fabrini?” he asked as his features tightened. “According to our customs, Hector was well within his rights to take Xavier’s life for the act of trespass—”“That’s BULLSHIT!” I cut in, throwing my hands up above my head in frustration. “The custom
Layla’s POVI could feel Michael’s eyes on me, tracking each move I made as I traced a straight path out of the room, leaving him behind. When I got to the entrance though, I paused as I discovered that the hallway outside had been cleared out too (per their Alpha’s orders.)This was all fine and go
Nothing here had been touched recently, and as I shut the door softly behind me it registered that the only sound I could make out was that of a steady clock ticking away, coming from some corner of the room.There was no sign of Hector, but as I traced my fingers across rough leather bindings, rubb