Page 63 of My Brutal Alpha

His expression was softer than before. He reached for a corner of the tape and carefully pulled it away from my skin.

I winced from how it pulled my skin, but the moment it was off, I drew in a deep breath and managed to regain my bearings as Sebastian wasted no time getting the chains around my wrists undone.

“I’m sorry,” he said immediately the moment the chains dropped, and he collected me in a tight squeeze, resting his cheek against the top of my head while I hugged him back with an equal measure of relief. “I never should’ve said those things to you or Ezra…I never should’ve gotten in the way. You were right—I was a hypocrite. I’m sorry.”

“I know,” I murmured against him, comforted by the thought that we didn’t have to end things the way we left them. “It doesn’t matter right now. Not anymore.”

Sebastian nodded as he pulled back slightly, clued into the fight unfolding nearby. “You’re right. I’m just glad you’re safe…and I’m not letting you out of my sight until this is over.”

Unwilling to disagree with him, I nodded and stayed close as I returned my attention to Ezra and Dane while they pushed back against each other, looking for anywhere to bite and scratch.

It didn’t matter that they were blood—not while they both had something to lose.

All the while I watched, I silently rooted for Ezra, aware that he could use every ounce of support to his advantage.

Regardless of his father's threats, I had faith in him, and through our bond, I let him know that I was on his side. That no matter what, I believed in him.

In us.

Chapter 29 - Ezra

I never thought I’d ever find myself fighting my dad directly.

There was a time when I wanted nothing more than to have that chance, but now, it is strange to be in that position.

It felt more like fighting an enemy than my own kin. The man who spent my childhood forcing me to fit into a mold I never wanted to be in. The man who had no problem laying a hand on his son whenever he saw fit.

In a sense, he didn’t feel like my father at all.

That thought alone made it possible for me to keep going and to push through the idea of attempting to draw my own father’s blood. Not to mention the risk of what I stood to lose if I didn’t.

Whether he intended to eliminate Zoe completely or not, it didn’t matter. Either way, I wasn’t going to let it happen. That was a promise I silently made for the both of us.

Even if the whole thing seemed like a blur as we snapped at each other, biting and scratching with urgency, it moved in slow motion for me. Every move felt calculated, whether it was made first or a retaliation, no matter who dealt it.

Despite focusing on the task at hand as he continuously reached for my neck, snapping and trying to take hold, I was aware of Zoe’s presence.

Having her near was enough to send those surges of conviction through me, unwilling to lose and leave her alone. To leave her heartbroken and without a mate. Knowing she was there and watching encouraged me, and I was determined to prove to her with every movement that I was deserving of her. That I was strong enough to protect us both, along witheverything and everyone we’d reside over, despite how I had been a coward before.

The thought alone made me surge with intensity, pushing against him.

There was no mistaking Dad’s anger. It came from a place of desperation since he was terrified of Kody contesting his position and taking his alpha status away. On top of that, his rage was derived from my insubordination—I had refused to follow his orders for years.

To him, he would always be my alpha and superior. Just because we shared blood and I was born an alpha’s son, he assumed I would always see him as such, and because of that, I would bend for his every whim.

But that was far from the truth.

Even if he demanded my respect despite never earning it, he was willing to fight me and maim me if necessary to keep his status. He also went to great lengths just to do it, and because of that, it told me everything I needed to know about him and what he thought of me.

Regardless of his rage for losing control over me and how he tried hard to push against me, I could feel how my younger, bond-filled strength drove me forward and gave me an edge he didn’t quite have.

That was when I remembered what he said about older alphas being susceptible to younger ones. Even if he had time and maturity on his side, his age was reaching a point of pushing him into a weaker state, and soon enough, it was bound to catch up with him.

He had a relentless fighting style, as he didn’t pull back. Instead, he kept striking, trying to pin me and land as many devastating blows as possible.

But figuring that out offered me another angle to work from.

While he tried to keep us close in one place, I did my best to dodge and thrash away from those bites, only to pull back and start circling again or using the space around us to my advantage. Regardless of what I did, I had to keep him moving. I needed him to chase me in a sense to wear him out.

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