Page 62 of My Brutal Alpha

“Neither of you is going to do anything to Zoe,” Ezra stated firmly, unwavering in his conviction. “And I will not take Nora as my mate, regardless of what you want. Not while I already have one.”

I felt our bond lightened from his words as if satisfied by being acknowledged again. My heart squeezed, and more than anything, I wanted to be back with him. To have the chance to go back home and sort things out between us properly. I didn’t want to leave things the way they were.

I was angry and upset with him before, but hearing his declaration and knowing that he still recognized our connection meant more to me than he could ever know. All those negative emotions went away, and all that remained was my affection for him and the desire to be reunited with my mate—free of struggle and distractions.

“Beyond that, I’m ready to do whatever it takes to end this,” Ezra said, gaze full of challenge and conviction.

Dane sneered at him. “And how do you plan on doing that?”

Lifting his chin slightly in an act of defiance, Ezra returned, “By proposing that we leave Zoe out of this, regardless of the outcome. I’ll fight you for my complete freedom and ability to choose, but if you win, I’ll agree to the arrangement.”

My heart immediately clenched at the thought of him losing and being forced to accept Nora. While I didn’t have any reason to believe he’d lose to his dad, I still couldn’t discount that possibility completely.

It made me anxious, but at the same time, I knew he had no other choice. It was the only way he’d ever get his dad off his back and be given the chance to move on finally.

I heard Dane quietly growling his consideration, then with the slightest reluctance, he forced out a breath.

“All right then, I accept,” he said, rolling his shoulders as he prepared himself. “We’ll fight to settle this. If you win, you can do whatever you’d like while I face Kody myself…and if I win, you’ll take Nora as your mate and cast this one aside.”

Even the mention of it made my end of the bond tighten uncomfortably, but I urged myself to ignore it. I had to focus my energy on supporting Ezra, not dwelling on that grim possibility.

Stepping forward, gaze set on his dad, he and Ezra began circling each other, wearing a determined expression. “It’s about time I proved I have the chops to be an alpha.”

Dane snapped at him, showing no love to his son. Instead, there was only resentment, anger, and the intention to cause whatever harm was necessary to get his way. “We’ll see about that.”

With my heart in my throat, I could only watch as Rory’s grip tightened on me in anticipation, surely aware that if his alpha went down during that fight, he’d be the only one left surrounded by Ezra and the others. One beta against a handful of alphas didn’t stand a chance.

The wolves lingering in the woods seemed restless as they prepared to support their alpha from a distance. A sense of anxiety along with anticipation lingered around them, needing to find out who would win the fight after all.

Without warning, the two of them sprung into action, clothes tearing as they shifted mid-jump, only to collide in a mess of fangs, fur, and claws. Jaws tense, they snapped and snarled at each other, causing an immediate orchestra of aggressive sounds that seemed to echo hauntingly around us through the dark.

The sound of it was brutal, especially while knowing that my mate was in the middle of it, and I couldn’t do anything but watch.

The others watched closely, eyes trained completely on the fight, waiting for the outcome. We were all anxious, even if we had complete faith in Ezra.

With my gaze fixed completely on the violent scrap between the two shifted wolves, my attention snagged when I felt Rory’s fingers tighten against my shoulder before they went away completely.

At once, I spun around to find Sebastian standing there, expression furious as he looked down at Rory who suddenly seemed no stronger than a child in comparison.

A loud crack came from one of Rory’s bones as my brother snapped his arm in an unfortunate position while he glared at him, teeth clenched. A low growl resonated within his chest.

The fight mostly drowned out Rory’s cries, but I took slight satisfaction in being close enough to hear just how pathetic he sounded.

Sebastian moved his face closer, pinning him to the spot. “If you ever,everlook at my sister again, I’ll do more than break your bones.”

Sharp, pained breaths were sucked in through his teeth as Rory looked back at him, wide-eyed and surely wishing he had never said a word to me before.

When he didn’t say anything, his arm was twisted further, causing him to scream out. Sebastian snarled, “Am I clear?”

“Yes!” Rory managed, voice trembling. “I understand…”

“Good,” Sebastian snapped, releasing his arm with a shove in the opposite direction. “Now get the hell out of here.”

At once, life surely flashed before his eyes. Rory caught himself before he could fall, then stumbled away, doing his best to run through the trees despite his fresh injury.

As Sebastian focused on me then, he shook that fury away from his features and replaced it with concern instead. He gently put his hands on my arms to keep me steady. “Are you all right?”

With the tape over my mouth, I nodded as grateful tears filled my eyes.

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