Aria’s POV
"NO!"
The scream ripped from my throat before I could stop it.
Cassius stumbled backward. Blood burst from his lip. He caught himself against the brick wall. Barely stayed on his feet.
But he didn’t go down.
"Is that all you’ve got?" Cassius wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. Red sared across his skin. "Alpha?"
Wrong thing to say.
Kael snarled. The sound wasn’t human. Wasn’t even wolf. It was sothing darker. Sothing primal.
He lunged.
His fist connected with Cassius’s ribs. Once. Twice. The sickening thuds made my stomach turn.
Cassius tried to block. Tried to fight back. His fists swung at Kael’s face. One connected. Snapped Kael’s head to the side.
"STOP IT!" I scread. "KAEL, STOP!"
He didn’t hear . Or didn’t care.
His hands grabbed Cassius’s shirt. Slamd him against the wall. The brick cracked behind his head.
Cassius grunted. Pain twisted his features.
But still, he didn’t back down.
"She doesn’t belong to you!" Cassius gasped. Blood dripped down his chin.
Kael’s face went dark.
"You don’t know anything."
Cassius doubled over. Coughed. Struggled to breathe.
Cassius. Kind, gentle, patient Cassius. Who had taken in when I had nowhere to go. Who had helped rebuild my life. Who had never asked for anything in return.
He was being destroyed right in front of .
Because of .
"STOP!" I threw myself at Kael’s back. Grabbed his arm. Tried to pull him away. "You’re going to KILL him!"
Kael shrugged off like I weighed nothing.
When I looked up, I saw sothing that shattered my heart.
Lina.
She was standing in the doorway. Her little face pale. Her eyes huge and terrified.
And she was crying.
Tears stread down her cheeks. Her tiny body shook with sobs. Her hands were pressed against her mouth like she was trying to hold back her screams.
"Mommy..." Her voice was barely a whisper. Broken. "Mommy, make them stop..."
My baby was watching this. Watching violence. Watching the monster I’d run away from destroy the man who’d been like a father to her.
"Lina!" I scrambled to my feet. "Baby, go inside! Close the door!"
She didn’t move. Couldn’t move. Frozen in terror.
Behind , another sickening thud.
Cassius was on his knees now. His silver-white hair matted with blood. His breathing ragged.
And Kael was standing over him. Fist raised. Ready to deliver another blow.
"Had enough?" Kael’s voice was cold. Dead. "Or do you need more convincing?"
Cassius looked up at him. Beaten. Bloody. But still defiant.
"Go to hell."
Kael’s arm pulled back.
"NO!"
I threw myself between them.
My body slamd into Kael’s chest. My hands shoved against him with every ounce of strength I had.
He didn’t budge.
Didn’t even sway.
But he stopped.
His arm froze mid-swing. His eyes—those black-gold eyes that had haunted my dreams for three years—locked onto my face.
My free hand swung up. Connected with his face.
CRACK.
The slap echoed through the street.
My palm stung. Burned. The impact sent shockwaves up my arm.
But I didn’t care.
Because Kael had finally, FINALLY let go.
He stood there. Frozen. His head turned to the side from the force of my blow.
A red mark was already forming on his cheek. The outline of my hand.
Slowly, so slowly, he turned back to face .
And what I saw made my blood turn to ice.
His eyes.
They were red.
Not black-gold. Not dark with anger.
RED.
Blazing, burning red. Like fire. Like blood. Like sothing inhuman.
He stared at .
I stared back.
Neither of us moved.
Neither of us breathed.
Behind , Cassius made a sound. Tried to stand. Fell back down.
In the doorway, Lina was sobbing. Calling for . Begging to co inside.
But I couldn’t move.
Those red eyes held frozen.
"You hit ." Kael’s voice was different now. Deeper. Rougher. Like it was coming from sowhere far away.
"You deserved it."
His jaw clenched. His hands curled into fists at his sides.
Thought everything was about to get so much worse.
But he didn’t move.
Just stood there. Breathing hard. Fighting sothing inside himself.
The red in his eyes flickered. Dimd. The black-gold slowly returned.
Like he was clawing his way back from the edge of an abyss.
"Tomorrow."
The word ca out rough. Strained.
"What?"
"If you want to protect him, then don’t flee away. Tomorrow," He stepped back. Put space between us. "I need to see you at the company."
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