Page 68 of Rejected By a Wolf

Ididdig it for her,Antonio thought to himself, looking at his phone again.But I’ll make things right. For everyone.

Antonio couldn’t prolong this call any longer, because if he wanted to make things right, he needed answers.

Chapter Forty

Sophia Brenning

Since the moment Sophia woke up from her nap she noticed there was something very wrong with Antonio. It looked like he was balancing on a tight rope; one misstep and he’d plunge into madness.

“Um, try not to lose control in the arena today,” Sophia commented as they were on their way to meet up with Maya. What else could she say considering how agitated he had been the last hour? Every attempt she had made to talk to him was met with either aggression or silence. Something was clearly wrong with him, but he obviously had no plans on letting her know what that was.

“I won’t.” His eyes flickered, revealing a glimpse of his beast.

“Yeah, we’ll see about that,” Sophia huffed. She was heated, and why shouldn’t she be? After such an incredible night with Antonio she expected him to act…different. Nicer, perhaps.

“I’m fine.”

Liar.“I’m going to stop acting like I care, because if I give you the opportunity to lie to me one more time I’m going to explode!” She quickened her pace, separating herself from him.

“Acting?”The rage in his voice was undeniable.

Sophia knew better than to provoke his beast, but she was so livid right now she wanted nothing more than to give him ataste of his own medicine! Truthfully, what she said was a lie. She wasn’tactinglike she cared about him, she actuallydidcare about him. But he didn’t need to know that. At least, he didn’t need to know that atthis exact moment.

Not even a minute later, Sophia found Maya. She was sitting on a log, chiseling a tree branch with the sharp edge of a blade. “Weapon?” Sophia asked.

“Boredom,” Maya yawned. But when she looked at Sophia, the boredom in her eyes faded, and after a quick glance behind Sophia, she perked up. “Not quite so bored anymore.”

Sophia didn’t understand why this woman was so fascinated with her and Antonio’s relationship. “Glad I could assist. Ready, sorceress?”

Maya narrowed her eyes. “It’sMaya.” When Antonio reached them she added, “Whatever you two are going through, I’m rooting for him.”

“We’re not going through anything,” Antonio said in a gruff tone.

“Speak for yourself.” In Sophia’s mind, they weredefinitelygoing through something. “You’ve been a dick ever since I woke up.”

Antonio stabbed his fingers into his hair. “I don’t mean to be. I’m preoccupied.”

“Withwhat?” She couldn’t understand why he wouldn’t let her know what was troubling him. She only wanted to help. He should know that.

“Details,” he muttered to himself. “I don’t want to upset you. I just have a lot to sort through.”

Maya began laughing, her violet eyes glowing with amusement.

Sophia glowered at her. “I’m glad you’re entertained by this.”

“Of course I am. He’s obviously sorting through how seriously fucked you both are. There’s no way fortwoparticipants to find a way out of this tournament. Sothis,” she waved her hand between the two of them, “can never be. It’s impossible. That’s why it’s so entertaining.”

Sophia ground her teeth together. “You’re sick.”

A shrug. “I’ve been called worse.”

Sophia hated to admit it, but Maya was right. Antonio had told Sophia to trust him, promising her he’d figure everything out. His current state of distress would make a lot of sense if he was realizing hecouldn’tfigure this out.

“Is she right?” Sophia looked over to Antonio, who was still teetering on the edge. “Did you realize there’s nothing we can do?” One or both of them would have to die.

He squeezed his eyes shut, and when he opened them again he seemed much more lucid than he had been for the past hour. “No,Fia.” He ran his knuckles over her cheek. “I told you to trust me, didn’t I?”

“Yeah, but-”

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