*Kryzen*
After my swift but relaxing shower, I exited the bathroom and didn’t even have ti to fully appreciate how good it felt to be clean.
Raised voices t my ears, along with the unmistakable sounds of a scuffle. I rushed down the short hallway toward the noise, easily recognizing Briella’s voice as she shouted.
I knew I shouldn’t have left her alone with her supposed best friend, but I also knew that she wouldn’t have taken kindly to overstepping my bounds. It was more than obvious that she didn’t appreciate Drius hovering over her. I didn’t think I could handle it if she looked at with similar disdain she showed that guy.
I burst out of the hallway and into the living room area, my eyes widening at the scene before .
It had been obvious by sound alone that they were fighting, but I was unprepared for the extent to which the two childhood friends were currently going at one another.
My eyes flew to Briella first, who was currently lunging for Drius. Her long wavy hair whipped out behind her as she moved, her petite hand clenched into a determined fist. For a long mont, I was srized by the sure and graceful way she moved, her large green eyes trained on her opponent.
Very briefly, I was rembering the night before, how Briella’s lean fra was pressed against mine and how her eyes seed to lt as I gazed down at her with intensity.
I snapped out of my little flashback when I noticed that Briella’s expression was twisted into a burning rage that rivaled the contempt she had for over the past several years. She wasn’t just fighting him. She looked very much like she wanted to hurt Drius badly.
I smirked slightly at that realization, knowing that I wouldn’t stop her from hurting him. It would have been a nice form of entertainnt for .
What made clench my fists at my sides was when I tore my gaze from Briella’s lithe form to glance at her opponent.
Drius didn’t look as controlled as I expected him to. He blocked Briella’s punches and kicks with annoying precision. It was obvious from watching the two that they had had the sa sparring instructors growing up. Their style was similar, quick, and agile, with nearly identical forms when blocking and sidestepping.
I felt a growl ripple through my throat when I looked at Drius’ face and saw that he looked just as angry and intense as Briella.
It was obvious that he was larger and physically stronger than her too. I decided that I had to intervene. I wasn’t going to let Briella get hurt.
I stalked forward, my deep voice reverberating through the small room. “Alright, that’s enough! Both of you!”
The two had been so completely focused on their brawl that they hadn’t noticed at first, but my loud voice was enough to snap them out of it. They glanced over at , their eyes wide but still defiant.
Drius just scoffed and looked away from after a short mont, clearly not intimidated in the slightest. His shoulders rose and fell slightly from the exertion of their fight, but he was clearly doing his best to hide that from , not wanting to show any weakness.
Briella was breathing pretty hard too, but she straightened and glowered at , her jaw clenched. “Don’t interfere, Stormfall,” she snapped. She gestured at Drius. “This guy has been asking for a good beating since he got here. This is a long ti coming.”
I easily recognized the look Briella was giving . It was the sa one I tended to get when I felt strongly that I needed to get sothing done. It was the look I gave my father when I told him with conviction that I was going to beco a top general like him.
She wasn’t going to back down. Even if I tried to drag her away from this, she would have found a way back and probably fought even harder than she originally would have.
After another second of hesitation, I took a step back and crossed my arms across my chest. I would let them fight this out, but I wasn’t going to leave them alone. Briella could yell and scream at to leave, but I wasn’t going to budge.
Briella Black was stubborn, but I was even more so.
The two didn’t even seem to care that I was watching their heated sparring match. They focused on each other again, Briella looking more resigned than ever to knock so sense into her friend.
Drius actually looked a bit wary. “Bri,” he tried. “We really don’t have to do this. You’ve made your point, but it isn’t going to change my duty toward you and your father.”
Briella was clearly exasperated by his response. “Don’t give that bullshit,” she snapped. “I know you, Drius. You wouldn’t do this just because of duty alone.”
Drius’ eyes narrowed at the accusation. “Maybe I’ve changed,” he told her tersely. “And besides, you know as well as I do that I can’t go against my Alpha’s orders.”
Briella didn’t look fooled. “I know that,” she said at last. “But I also know you’ve been acting strange since you got here. There’s sothing else going on that you aren’t telling . If I have to beat it out of you, I will.”
It looked as if Briella’s suspicion was confird when Drius’ eyes widened briefly before he controlled his expression. “If that’s really what you want, Bri.”
Briella’s eyebrows rose, and she briefly dropped her fighting stance. “Of course, that’s what I want,” she snapped at him. “You’re my best friend, so maybe you acting like a freak has been concerning a little. Is that so surprising?”
Drius just stared at her for a mont, his eyes almost sad. “And what if you don’t like what I say when I tell you what’s been going on with ?” he asked.
Briella studied him. Her expression softened, but the confusion shone through the most. “It doesn’t matter,” she said finally. “I still want to know what’s going on with you.”
“Co back with then,” he said, taking a step toward her. “Co ho, Bri, and I’ll tell you everything.”
Briella’s shoulders sagged. “Drius,” she murmured. She shook her head slowly. “You know I can’t, so please don’t ask that of .”
Drius looked regretful, frowning at her. “Then I’m afraid I can’t tell you.”
Briella gaped at him for a mont before the rage returned to her eyes. Without a word, she lunged at him again with a new fury that actually had Drius stumbling backward.
Roy chose that mont to co rushing into the room. He had obviously stepped out of the house for a while. He had a couple of grocery bags in his arms but quickly set them on a nearby table as he took in the scene with growing concern.
“Stop this at once!” he yelled, moving to rush forward. I snagged him by the shoulder, holding him back. He gave a startled, almost angry look. “Why are you allowing this? It’s clear that they aren’t sparring for sport.”
“They need to fight this out,” I said, my eyes trained on the two friends as they continued their brawl. My jaw clenched when Briella narrowly dodged a fist to her cheek.
Roy saw that as well and winced. “Aren’t you concerned that he’s going to hurt her?”
“Briella can handle herself,” I snapped quietly, although I was already telling myself that if he hurt her, I wouldn’t hesitate to make sure no one found his body.
Roy’s head whipped around so he could stare at in surprise. “You just called her by her first na,” he said.
I didn’t answer, my eyes following Briella’s swift movents. She dashed forward, kicking her foot out and nailing Drius right in the chest. It sent him stumbling backward into the front door, which was thankfully open since Roy hadn’t bothered to close it in his haste when he returned from his shopping trip.
Briella didn’t react as Drius stepped backward down the short stairway leading down into the garden. She leaped over the steps and continued to swipe at him with her fists. I felt a surge of pride fill as Drius struggled to dodge and took a couple of blows to his shoulders and chest.
Roy and I followed them outside. This fight seed to be getting more heated, and I was sensing that I would need to intervene soon before Briella got hurt.
It was obvious that Drius was holding back, favoring more defensive moves as Briella ca at him over and over like a wildcat. Finally, he struck out at Briella a couple of tis, his frustration seeming to rise. He lunged suddenly, his arm swinging out, clearly about to wrap it around her.
Briella saw the move but just a millisecond too late. Drius’ arm made contact with the back of her shoulders, causing her to stumble slightly. Drius seized the opportunity and grabbed the tops of her arms firmly in his large hands, his fingers wrapping around her slim but powerful arms easily.
“Stop this now, Briella,” he said firmly. “I’m done fighting you.”
“You haven’t been fighting this whole ti,” she snapped, struggling in his hold. “You’ve spent this whole ti coddling and treating like I’m weak.”
Drius tightened his hold on her. “I just want to protect you–”
“Why?” Briella nearly screeched. “You’ve never acted like this toward before. When did things change between us? Because I left? What? Are you so bigshot soldier now, so you’ve magically beco stronger than ? Is that it?”
“No!” Drius practically roared. He seed to curse at himself under his breath before he controlled his volu slightly. “That’s not it.”
“Then why?” Briella challenged and for a mont, she stilled in his hold.
Drius clenched his jaw. “I won’t tell you unless you agree to co ho.”
Briella cried out with rage and swept her foot out, catching Drius’ ankles and causing him to fall over. Briella used the montum to push Drius down to the ground.
That was Briella’s one mistake. She might have been trained well in combat but was still the smaller and weaker fighter. Drius was much heavier than she was. If it was going to be a battle of weights, Briella did not have the advantage.
Once the two hit the ground, I almost intervened. Briella was holding her own, so I held back, watching carefully. My jaw clenched at the sight of them on the ground together. The scene looked a little more intimate than I liked.
Sothing flashed in Drius’ eyes, and he shifted his weight easily, even though Briella was struggling wildly while trying to pin the man down. He maneuvered swiftly and flipped them both over so that Briella was on her back. He pinned her down with controlled force, one knee on her stomach and his forearm pressing on her chest.
Briella squeaked at the pressure, which was when I stepped forward. “Enough!” I roared, shoving Drius off Briella and pulling the girl to her feet. I pushed Briella behind . “This match is over.”
Briella was breathing heavily, but her body shook with tension. She completely ignored and shoved past to get right in Drius’ face again. “Tell what’s going on with you!” she yelled. “Now!”
Drius gritted his teeth and grabbed her by the shoulders. I was about to punch him in the face when he snapped at her, “I love you!”
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