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“Yeah, because you used me as bait,” I snapped.

“Sean promised he’d get rid of you,” Blakely said. “He said after he got Ace to show up, he’d win the challenge, get rid of you, and Ace would finally be mine.”

I burst out in hysterical laughter. “And you really believed that?”

Blakely said nothing. Jesus, she really had fallen for Sean’s insane lies.

“Do you even know how a challenge works? They’re to the death, you psycho.”

“Or submission,” Blakely said meekly.

“You really think Steph would submit to Sean?” I rolled my eyes, even though she couldn’t see it. “Every time I think you can’t get more delusional, you surprise me.”

“But… That’s not?—”

“Sean lied to you,” I snapped. “The way he lies to everyone. So if Steph dies here, it’syourfault.”

“No!” Blakely cried out. “That can’t happen.” In her fear, her grip loosened on my arms. I pulled away, and she didn’t reach for me again—maybe she was in shock. No complaints here. I began to work my wrists back and forth, loosening the rope around them.

“This is all wrong.” Blakely pushed her hands through her hair and watched the fight desperately. “Sean said he’d win, that Ace would be mine! He can’t kill him! Hecan’t!”

Sean and Steph were still locked in combat. Sean had a long gash across his side. It was shallow but bleeding steadily. Steph’s front claws were stained with blood. His golden eyes burned with rage, and smoke billowed from his nostrils and his mouth. Their fighting had crushed the remains of the cabin beneath them. In the surrounding dirt, the Lakeview enforcers had Sean’s hired muscle mostly under control.

“You should’ve thought about that before you agreed to work with him,” I snarled. I pressed my back to a nearby tree and tugged hard at the ropes around my wrist. Blakely’s attention was still fixed on the fight, and she was biting her thumbnail. Sean really had her believing he might win.

Steph roared as Sean buried his claws in his side.

I swallowed hard.

No. I couldn’t be afraid. I believed in Steph. I knew he would win.

He had to. Because I couldn’t lose him.

He’d refused to claim me because the pain of his loss would be too great. But as I watched the blood seeping from his wound, I knew it didn’t matter. If I lost him, the pain would be too much to bear.

I shoved that thought away. I wasn’t going to lose him. Iwasn’t.

I wrenched my hand down, and the widest part of my palm slipped through the binding. I quickly untied the rope and dropped it in the dirt.

“This is your fault,” I said. “Every step of the way, you’ve done nothing but try to get rid of me. You’ve tried to ruin my relationship, ruin this clan, and if Steph dies here, it’ll be because ofyou.”

Blakely whirled toward me, fear and rage flashing in her eyes. “Youstarted all of this?—“

I was sick of talking in circles. I was sick of giving her chances. My arms were still prickling from being tied up, but I didn’t care. I raised my fists and punched her hard in the face.

Blakely shouted in surprise and pain, then charged at me. She hit me so hard I lost my footing, and we tumbled into the dirt. We exchanged a few blows and rolled around, each trying to pin the other. Blakely pulled my hair, making me shriek as the pain shot through my scalp. This fucking bitch. I flipped us again, pinned her, and slapped her hard. Blood trickled from her mouth as she grimaced at me.

“You bitch,” Blakely hissed as she sneered up at me. “How dare you?—”

An ear-splitting roar shook the trees. I rocked backward, losing my focus on Blakely, and she cried out and covered her ears. I clambered to my feet, a pace away from Blakely.

In the clearing, Steph had his teeth buried in Sean’s neck. Blood gushed from the wound and spilled out of Sean’s mouth as he thrashed under Steph’s hold.

This was it. I held my breath, watching Sean thrash, waiting for him to go limp as the life left his body.

Suddenly, a renewed surge of life rushed through Sean. He dug his back feet into Steph’s gut, and the pain must’ve loosened Steph’s jaw, because Sean pushed hard with both feet and sent Steph reeling backward. Steph roared again. With blood dripping from his fangs and smoke flowing from his nostrils, he looked…

Terrifying. Strong. Gorgeous.