登入“Did you really have to try something so stupid?” Blaise asked.
He closed and locked the door behind them. Kaela sat on the edge of the bed, then let herself fall back against the mattress, staring at the ceiling with hollow eyes.
Back in a cage. Only this time the jailer preferred sharp words and slow smiles over immediate violence. She almost preferred
The only one I’ve kept...and the only one I want here...is you.” Ronan’s eyes held hers without flinching. For a moment Kaela’s breath caught. The usual winter in those blue irises had thawed into something warmer, almost soft. It was the closest thing to genuine affection she had ever seen from him, and it unsettled her more than his coldness ever had. She dropped her gaze, breaking the contact. “Liar,” she said quietly. “Susie isn’t the only one. If you keep women like her around for whenever the urge strikes, there must be more. If she were the only one, you would have made her Luna long ago.” Ronan exhaled and pinched the bridge of his nose.
— “Keep the wounds dry,” Nicole instructed, tightening the last of the gauze around Kaela’s wrist. “If they get wet you’ll need them redressed. Come to the infirmary or find someone to help.” “Who?” Kaela snorted. “Blaise is already gone.” “He left a few days ago,” Nicole confirmed with a small, sad smile. “But the Alpha would help if you asked.” “Ronan?” Kaela rolled her eyes. “Forget it. He’s the reason I look like this.” “Only because you asked for it,” a deep voice said from the doorway. &n
Pain radiated through every inch of Kaela’s body. Her skin felt scorched; her bones ached as if they had been broken and roughly reset. She had no idea how long she had been unconscious. One moment she had been lying broken on the arena floor. The next…Where was she?A faint warmth brushed her skin. She followed it with blurry eyes until a figure seated beside the bed came into focus.“Blaise?” she whispered. She reached out, blinking hard to clear her vision. “You look different. Did you cut your hair?” A sudden fear stabbed through her. “Was it Ronan? Did you two fight?”The man stiffened. His voice came out rough. “I’m not—” He stopped, exhaled, then finished quietly, “No. Of course not. Why would he?”“I don’t know. I just thought… he might have hurt you to get back at us.
Ronan dropped her at once. His hand flew to his forehead with a sharp hiss of pain. A raw curse tore from his throat. Kaela hit the dirt hard, gasping and choking as air finally rushed back into her crushed windpipe. Every breath felt like swallowing broken glass. *Goddamn it.* His skull really was as hard as concrete. No wonder he was so stubborn. She staggered upright, rubbing her own forehead. The headbutt had probably hurt her more than him. But it still counted. She had landed a hit on Ronan Kingsley. Through the fog of pain, Blaise’s pride and fierce love flooded the bond like a river in flood, steadying
They waited for Ronan to enter the ring. Kaela stood alone on the packed earth while Blaise lingered near the entrance, refusing to take a seat. As Beta, no one could order him away, and she was quietly grateful for the solid presence at her back. Part of her still hoped Ronan simply wouldn’t show—granting her an automatic win. It was a childish wish. Even if both his legs were broken he would crawl into this arena just to put her in her place. Their shared stubbornness was one of the few things that had ever felt perfectly matched. The sun climbed higher. Sweat beaded at her temples. The crowd grew louder, openly placing bets on how long she would last. “Ten minutes!” one man shouted. “She won’t survi
“Are you refusing my challenge because you’re scared I’ll actually win?” Kaela taunted. A ripple of incredulous laughter moved through the watching wolves. The idea of Ronan Kingsley being afraid of her was apparently the funniest thing they had heard all week. She knew how insane it sounded. Winning was nearly impossible. But ever since the bonds with both brothers had settled into her blood, her strength had kept growing. One clean hit—one black eye on that perfect face—would already feel like victory. Ronan’s expression darkened. He took a deliberate step forward. “You must have a death wish.” Blaise immediately shifted,







