Chapter 27 What’s His Deal?
SERAPHINA
Alpha Asher’s jaw clenched the moment his eyes found me. The same cheek I had pped yesterday was still faintly pink, and his <b>re </b>burned like wildfire.
He stepped back, his expression <b>twisted </b>in fury, as if he were staring at his sworn enemy.
“You <b>blind</b>, you little bastard?” he <b>snarled</b>, voice low and dangerous as he stormed toward <b>me</b>, murder in his eyes. The clearing fell into a tense silence, every Alpha pausing mid–bite, mid–<b>word</b><b>. </b><b>All </b>eyes turned to us.
“You think you’re a hero because I let you live after <b>you </b>smacked me?” He grabbed me by the cor, yanking me forward. Some of the <b>Alphas </b>around <b>us </b><b>lit </b>up with excitement, cheering quietly as if waiting for blood to spill, and hoping it would be
mine.
“Now that you’ve touched me like you used me of touching you yesterday,” he growled, his voice sharp as broken ss,
shouldn’t I repay <b>you </b>a <b>hundredfold</b><b>?</b>”
His hand began to shift–muscles tensing, ws extending toward my <b>jaw</b>.
But before I could even react, a hand darted between us–stealing thest piece of <b>steak </b>from my te..
Asher’s w froze mid–air.
“Mm…” Ronan took azy bite of the steak, chewing slowly as every <b>Alpha </b>gaped in stunned silence. Then, with maddening nonchnce, he nced at me and murmured, “Since you’re about to die today, I figured this would go to waste.”
He licked his <b>lips </b>with a bored expression.
My lips twitched. What a great <b>man</b>.
I ignored the gasping crowd and turned back to the Alpha still gripping my cor, One problem at a time.
“I’m sorry, Alpha Asher,” I said <b>calmly</b>. Asher’s scowl flickered into something closer to confusion. “I was wrong.” I continued, raising my
<b>voice </b>so everyone could hear. “I believed something that wasn’t true. <b>And </b><b>I </b>acted without hearing your side.”
The air shifted, curious murmurs rippling across the clearing. Asher blinked, clearly not expecting this.
“<b>You </b><b>didn’t </b><b>touch </b>me. <b>You </b>didn’t deserve what I did.” Then my eyes flicked past him, past his shoulder, straight to the one <b>who </b>had “But someone else did.”
Reed.
His eyes widened. The color drained from his <b>face </b>as the attention slowly shifted toward <b>him</b>, <b>like </b>a tide of judgment. Whispers <b>began</b>, usations cloaked in gossip
“You using me now, you little <b>bastard</b>?” Reed barked, his voice sharp and defensive.
“No,” I said with a tight smile. Im exposing you, dirty little mutt.”
Reed’s expression twisted in rage as I barely contained my fury I couldn’t reveal the truth, not yet, not without admitting I was the she–wolf in the forest. But I could warn him.
“Do <b>you </b>have <b>any </b>prout?” he <b>demanded </b>
“No, that’s why <b>you </b>are still breathing. I remarked, ring at him. “This is your first andst warning” I said coolly. “Stay away from me Don’t cruss my path again”
“Or what he spat, stalking toward me
I smiled coldly “Or next ti
I’ll shove that filthy hand of yours down your own i
own throat a
and twist your pretty little neck until
Chapter 27 What’s His Deal?
Reed stopped dead in his tracks, face pale.
A few Alphas snorted behind their hands, amused at his hesitation. That only fueled his rage
This does not end here,” he turned sharply and stormed off into the trees–furious, humiliated.
But he didn’t go unseen
+8 Pearls
A little farther out, under the shade of an old pine, stood <b>Dante</b>. He watched the entire scene unfold while sippingzily from <b>a </b>silver sk.
“If I were you, Dante said, voice dry. “I’d either kill him or <b>kill </b>myself after being humiliated like that in front of the entire Academy
Reed clenched his fists, practically vibrating with fury
“I’m going to kill <b>that </b>little mutt,” <b>he </b>growled. “The only <b>reason </b>he’s still breathing is because Ronan’s always hovering aroun like <b>a </b>damn shadow. But that <b>ends </b>now. His countdown has started. I’ll gut him when no one’s watching, when he least expects <b>it</b><b>.</b>”
Dante let out <b>a </b>disappointed hum<b>. </b>
“Such an easy death for such a grand humiliation,” he said quietly, almost with pity.
Reed turned, confused. “Then what? What do you suggest if not death?”
“Humiliation,” Dante replied smoothly.
Reed’s eyes gleamed <b>with </b>renewed interest “How?”
Dante tossed him a thick, dark berry–one Reed caught midair. This. His grin curled wickedly.
“A death by humiliation, Dante murmured, “just like Seth Darven brought low by his <b>own </b>shadow protector.”
Reed studied the berry, and a cruel smile spread across his face. He already had a n. Dante, however, turned his gaze back to the clearing–to Ronan and me. “As I said,” he murmured to himself, “uneptable.”
<b>Back </b>in the clearing, I <b>exhaled </b>slowly and focused once more on Alpha Asher
“Sorry for the interruption. As I <b>was </b>saying–here and now, in front of every Alpha who saw me strike you–I was wrong. And if a punch is what it takes to settle the matter, I’ll take it.”
There was a stunned silence.
To my surprise, Asher’s ears flushed red. He looked like apletely different person.
He slowly let go of <b>my </b>cor. His gaze dropped, avoiding mine.
“I’ll let <b>you </b>off this time,” he muttered, voice gruff.
I blinked
Was he shy?
A small smile crept across my lips. “<b>Thanks</b>, <b>that’s </b>very kind of you”
His <b>checks </b>flushed a deeper <b>red</b><b>, </b><b>and </b>I couldn’t help but <b>think </b>he <b>was </b><b>kind </b>of cute <b>when </b>he was flustered.
But beside me, someone wasn’t amused
Ronan’s expression <b>darkened</b>. Without a word, he tossed the <b>half</b>–eaten steak <b>back </b><b>onto </b>my te <b>and </b>stormed <b>out </b>of the clearing his aura simmering with fury
1 watched him go, frowning
What’s his deal? I muttered