Stolen Fate: Bound to Seven Alphas

Chapter 22: Say that again

ERIC

The arrogant son of a bitch.

I glared at Kol, who was still standing behind Elyse like he had every right to be there, ignoring everything Headmaster Alaric had said.

My fingers curled tightly at my sides. My wolf, Raze, surged forward, pressing hard against the barrier I held in place.

"Get our mate out of here, Eric," he snarled. "Blood. I want blood."

"Pipe down," I muttered under my breath.

Not yet. Not now.

The urge was there, strong and relentless, pushing me to step forward, to drag Kol away from her and return every hit he had landed yesterday.

But I didn’t move. I couldn’t. Not because I didn’t want to but because he was here. The Cassian House head, Nelson Bentone.

One of my father’s loyal watchdogs, placed here to keep an eye on me.

"Be a good boy, Eric," he murmured, patting my shoulder.

I shrugged his hand off immediately, shooting him a glare.

He didn’t even acknowledge it.

Instead, he walked past me and took his seat among the committee, his gaze settling on me the moment he sat down, as if I might vanish the second he looked away.

"Kol Archer," Headmaster Alaric snapped, his authority carrying through the room.

"Why should I?" Kol shot back. "It’s not like I’m disturbing anyone."

I scoffed. Kol turned toward me, his glare sharp, and I returned it without hesitation.

"Are you planning to fight here as well?" another voice cut in.

The head of House Aurelian. Coach Riley of the swim team. He sat beside the Garrick House head, Benson Lovey, both watching closely, waiting.

"Such a cowardly display. All over a girl," he added, shaking his head in disappointment.

Just a girl?

"She is my mate," I hissed.

Elyse wasn’t just a girl. She was my mate. Given to me by the goddess herself. And I didn’t care who I had to fight to keep her. I would do it. Even if it cost me everything.

I sounded like a possessive lunatic.

I had never thought of Elyse that way before. Not once. To me, she had always been a quick fuck. Someone who would allow anyone entry without expecting anything in return.

And I had taken advantage of that. Of course I had wanted to have a taste of her. Anyone would. It was effortless, and I hadn’t seen a reason to hold back.

If anyone had told me we were mates, I would have laughed in their face. I would have rejected it without a second thought.

But now, all I wanted was her. Only her.

To keep her close. To protect her. To mark her so no one else could even think of touching her.

This feeling...Maybe it was my wolf’s doing. Maybe it was what this bond was doing to me.

Because everything inside me shifted when I was near her. Every instinct intensified, every emotion dragged to the surface whether I wanted it or not.

I hadn’t slept at all last night. Not because of the rock hard infirmary bed. But because of her.

Elyse Maddox. My mate. Damn it.

She was driving me insane. Even now.

I drew in a slow breath, her scent filling my lungs. Honeysuckle mixed with frost-bitten pine, something unfamiliar yet addictive.

I wanted more. Far more than I should.

My nostrils flared as I drew in another deep breath, greedily taking in her scent along with two different fragrances. Kol and Lance.

Their scents tangled with hers, pungent and unwelcome.

I exhaled through my nose, forcing myself to steady, resisting the urge to cough.

"Who is going to tell us what happened between the three of you?" Headmaster Alaric asked.

I glanced at him briefly before shifting my gaze to Kol, only then realizing he had moved farther from Elyse and was now standing closer to me. That explained why I could pick up his scent so strongly.

No one spoke.

Headmaster Alaric raised a brow, his gaze sweeping over us. "Do you usually resolve things by hitting each other?"

Still, silence.

No one was willing to speak, and honestly, I didn’t even know what I would say if I did. The truth was simple and complicated at the same time.

All three of us had claimed her. Impossible.

I could understand Kol doing it out of rivalry, out of sheer stubbornness. But Lance? I didn’t understand him.

I turned to look at him. He stood there, quiet, detached, like none of this concerned him. If anything, his attention seemed fixed on the gold Rolex wrapped around his wrist. His thumb brushed over its surface absentmindedly.

"Mr. Beckett," Headmaster Alaric called when the silence stretched too long.

Lance’s head snapped up.

"According to witnesses, you initiated the fight. Care to explain why?" Headmaster Alaric continued. "Perhaps it will help us understand this situation better."

"I did?" he pointed at himself, his voice edged with disbelief.

"According to the witnesses," Headmaster Alaric repeated. freёwebnoѵel.com

Lance let out a short laugh. "If protecting my stupid cousin and her best friend—who I just found out is my mate—from this fucking loser..." he jerked his head in my direction, his jaw locked, "...counts as starting a fight, then sure. I did."

"A loser?" I sneered, my face twisting as I stepped toward him, my fists clenching at my sides.

"Yes, Callahan," Lance replied coolly.

I closed the gap between us, stopping just inches away from his face. "Say that again," I challenged.

Raze stirred instantly, restless and agitated, feeding the storm already building in my head.

"Blood," he growled.

Lance’s lips curled into a smirk. "You fucking pussy."

Heat surged through my veins.

"Let it spill, Eric," Raze pushed. "Teach him a lesson."

No. I forced myself to hold back. Elyse was here. What would she think if I lost control again?

I had already done enough damage last night. My hand had acted before I could stop it, and instead of protecting her, I had hurt her.

That wasn’t happening again. If I was going to deal with him, it would be somewhere else. Inside the arena.

I dragged in an even breath and glanced toward Headmaster Alaric, wondering how he planned to handle this.

More points deducted from House Cassian?

Yeah, I could get those fucking points back.

I gazed at Nelson. He was already taking notes.

Everything that happened here would make its way back to my father. Maybe that would finally push him to back off when he realized I had no intention of becoming whatever he wanted me to be.

The rest? I didn’t care about them.

"I’m calling you a fucking—"

Lance’s voice broke through my thoughts, biting and grating. Before I knew it, he was right in front of me, close enough that I could feel his breath.

"You’re nothing but a daddy’s boy," he went on, his voice rising. "A weak little puppet who does whatever he’s told, who runs at the slightest—"

My hand moved before I could stop it.

The crack of my fist against his jaw echoed through the room, cutting him off mid-sentence.