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“I defended myself. I never sought you out the way you looked for me every day. I never cornered you in a hallway or tracked you in the woods. I never asked for this.” If lightning could have flashed in those pale-blue eyes, it would have. Shadows cast her face in a severe light, turning her from beautiful to an avenging angel without wings.
“I will never accept you,” she thundered, “so stop with the bullshit and reject me!”
When he didn’t respond, she pressed the knife in, drawing blood.
Markus’s lips tightened in anger. His hands shifted to claws. “I won’t be able to control myself if you don’t stop disrespecting me.”
She laughed under her breath. “If only you’d given me that courtesy the last eighteen years. You’ll have to kill me because my answer isn’t changing.” Markus shifted, and as expected, Danni lost the upper hand. He threw her off with ease before prowling forward, putting his giant paws on either side of her head and snarling—preparing to bite her neck.
To my utter surprise, Danni dropped her weapon to the ground instead of slitting his throat. She turned her head to the side and pressed her cheek to the floor, locking eyes with her wolf.
Love and regret were written all over her face. Nova let out a whine, and Adora held her close. Dannika nodded once, as if to say goodbye.
Ysa nudged me, and I shook my head slightly.
I wouldn’t interfere . . . yet.
Markus, in wolf form, let out a low growl, then moved to the side, blocking her from where Mathis stood waiting impatiently. He shifted back to human form, standing naked. He reached down, offering a hand to help her up. “I won’t kill you, just as you won’t kill me.”
She threw her head back on the ground with a loud thunk. “For very different reasons.”
He shrugged, pulling her to a standing position.
It made me wonder what exactly her reason was. She hadn’t yet stated why she was opposed to killing him. Even if she could have won, she’d made it clear she wasn’t going to do it. Now, his reasoning was expected. That made sense. But hers remained a mystery.
I liked mysteries. They were so rare after this many years.
“What are you doing?” Mathis roared.
“I won’t kill my mate.” He shook his head, refusing to do his father’s bidding. “We just need time. She can see reason. She just needs to be convinced.”
I stifled a laugh while Dannika rolled her eyes so hard she may have seen the back of her skull. Something told me when she used the word ‘never’, she meant it. She had her own mind, and it would appear that once it was made up, there was no changing that. Did he not see that she’d rather die than be mated to him? That was a pretty big way to say, “never gonna happen.”
“Fine,” Mathis said, storming forward. “I’ll do it myself.”
A vicious snarl erupted from Markus, and I raised my eyebrows. Not bad, kid. Hadn’t thought he’d had it in him. Everyone else gasped at his public opposition, while Mathis’s menacing growl matched his son’s.
“You won’t touch her,” he said, standing between Danni and his father.
“I am the Alpha Supreme!” Mathis shouted in return. Now it was my turn to roll my eyes as hard as Dannika had. When you had to insist on your authority to others, you didn’t have any. Snapping his fingers, soldiers then appeared at his sides. “Remove my sentimental son so this bitch can be executed.”
As they stepped forward, Markus began to shift. Ysa sighed, getting bored. It was time. Mathis had been digging his hole for long enough. Time for me to push him just enough to fall into it.
“Breaking your own rules, Mathis?” I asked, raising my voice so it echoed and was heard by everyone present. “Shameful.” Several shifters winced at the volume as the single word boomed across the vast ballroom.
The hushed silence told me my audience was listening.
Perfect.
“I beg your pardon?” he asked, holding his hand up for his soldiers to stop their descent.
All eyes turned to me. Watching and waiting.
“The Law of Rejected Mates is out of date, but the rules are clearly stated. They fight to the death,” I said, pausing for effect. When he was about to speak, I made a point of interrupting. “Without interference.”
“It’s not interfering. They have refused to follow the law,” he sneered.
“I’m pretty sure killing one party—the one you aren’t related to especially—would be considered interfering,” I mocked. Murmurs of agreement reached my ears, and I smiled. “Even if you were able to defend your case, you are Alpha Supreme, as you made sure to remind everyone here. The treaty states that none shall be killed on the commemoration of the Great Sacrifice. Yet you’ve ordered one of them to die tonight, after just threatening punishment for Dannika and Adora for protecting themselves.” I waved a hand, gesturing to them. “They didn’t even kill anyone, but that didn’t seem to matter, did it?”
