Red fills my vision. My feral self is fully present now, demanding blood, demanding punishment for touching what’s ours.
I lift Ryker partially off the ground, my hands fisting in his shirt. His eyes go wide with shock and what I can only assume is fear.
Good. He should be afraid.
“Darius!” Ethan’s voice, somewhere distant. “Stand down!”
I don’t heed him. I slam Ryker down onto the training mat hard. Feel the impact reverberate up my arms. Feel the satisfaction of it in my bones.
Not enough. Not nearly enough. He touched her. He held her when she wanted to pull away. He—
“Darius, stop!”
Her voice. Violet’s voice cutting through the red haze like a blade. Ifreeze, one hand still gripping Ryker’s shirt. My body still coiled to strike again.
But her voice stops me.
“Please.”
This time, it’s quieter. More desperate. I look at her and see the alarm on her face. The confusion. The fear.
Fear of me.
Reality crashes down like ice water.
The entire training ground has gone silent. Everyone staring. Ethan white-faced beside me. Ryker on the ground, chest heaving. And Violet looking at me like she doesn’t recognize me.
My hands release Ryker’s shirt as if it is burning me.
I stand abruptly. Take a step back. Then another.
What did I just do?
I attacked an allied alpha’s son. In front of both our packs. Over my stepsister.
The whispering starts, hushed and shocked and spreading like wildfire.
I can’t stay here. Can’t face the questions. Can’t look at Violet’s face and see that fear of me.
I turn and walk away. Each step feels wrong. My wolf howls inside me, clawing at my chest, demanding we go back to her.
But I can’t. Because the look on her face, that fear…That is what happens when I lose control. When I let the truth show.
She’s better off without me.
The lie burns, but I force my feet to keep moving. Away from the training ground. Away from the whispers. Away from her.
Chapter Eleven
Violet
Darius just stands there, breathing hard, his eyes still flashing gold as he stares down at Ryker on the ground.
Then, he turns and walks away. Simply walks away, like he didn’t just attack an allied pack’s heir in front of everyone.
The training grounds erupt into chaos, people shouting as guards try to quell the disturbance.
I push through the crowd gathering around Ryker. “Darius, wait!”
