Page 50 of Reckless Royalty

MIHAI

Ican’t sleep. I’ve been pacing around my room for what feels like hours, my mind refusing to shut off. It’s been happening more often lately—this restlessness, this gnawing feeling in my gut that I’m not doing enough. Not for Maddy, not for this situation.

I keep thinking about her, about that small smile she gave me earlier at the bonfire. It was real, genuine, and it made my fucking heart race. I’ve spent so much time keeping my distance, telling myself it’s for the best, that I need to maintain control, that she’s just a responsibility.

But that’s bullshit, and I know it.

I’ve got to step it up with her. She’s been through hell, and if I’m going to get her through this, I can’t just stand on the sidelines watching her struggle. I need to be there—really be there—if I want to see any real change between us.

My thoughts swirl around her, tangled up in everything—her silence, her trauma, the way she used to be before all this. The girl I saw in those photos online— the one who smiled so easily and lived without hesitation.

That’s who she really is, and I can’t stop thinking about how I can help her get back to that.

But fuck, it’s more than that. It’s the way I feel when I’m around her, the way my heart tightens in my chest every time I see her retreat into herself when all I want is to pull her out and bring her closer. I’ve never cared like this before, not even about Sofia, and it’s messing with me.

I run a hand through my hair, sighing, ready to drop down onto the bed when I hear it—a scream.

“Mihai!”

The sound rips through me like a bullet, freezing me in place, my pulse pounding in my ears. For a split second, I’m paralyzed, every nerve in my body straining to listen. And then I hear it again—louder, raw, desperate.

It’s her.

My chest tightens with a surge of rage and terror, and before I can even think, I’m moving, tearing down the hallway like a predator scenting blood. My feet pound against the floor, my mind a frenzy of violent possibilities.

I don’t stop to plan. I don’t stop to breathe. I don’t fucking stop.

I reach her door and burst through it, the wood crashing against the wall with a thud, and the first thing I see is him.

A man, pinning her to the ground like he has any right to touch her, his hands where they should never fucking be. My vision tunnels, my mind blank except for one word.

Kill.

I launch myself at him, grabbing him by the back of his shirt and yanking him off her with a force I didn’t know I possessed. He stumbles, but before he can even react, my fist connects with his face. Hard.

He grunts in pain, but I don’t stop. I can’t stop. My fists keep flying, each hit landing with a sickening thud, and I can barely see through the haze of rage that’s taken over. All I can thinkabout is what he was doing to her. What he would’ve done if I hadn’t gotten here.

If she hadn’t screamed my name.

He tries to fight back, but he’s no match for me. Not when I’m like this, not when the only thing in my head is to hurt him, to kill him.

I slam him into the ground, pinning him beneath me as I throw punch after punch, feeling his nose crack under the weight of my fists. He’s barely conscious now, his body limp and useless, and for a split second, I consider finishing it—ending him right here.

But then I hear it.

A whimper.

I snap out of it, my vision clearing, and I turn my head to see Maddy curled up on the floor, bleeding and her body trembling. She’s sobbing, her hands covering her mouth, her whole body shaking.

I let go of the guy and rush over to Maddy.

“Hey,” I whisper, my voice hoarse. “Hey, it’s okay. It’s me. I’ve got you.”

She doesn’t respond, just keeps shaking, her breaths coming out in short, panicked gasps. She’s clutching the fabric of her shirt, her eyes wide and filled with so much fear that it makes my stomach twist.

I pull her into my arms, holding her tight, trying to calm her down, but she’s still shaking, her breaths still coming too fast, too shallow.

“You’re safe now,” I whisper, brushing a strand of hair away from her face. “You’re safe. I’ve got you.”

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