Three Alpha Bikers Wants An Open Marriage

Chapter 203: Chapter 203

Gunnar’s POV

Cane had already started moving before any of us could think.

I saw the shift in his body as he prepared to move, his attention locked fully on Ethan. He was ready to rush him without thinking about anything else. At that point, none of us were thinking clearly. Everything had already gone too far. hesitation.

"Take one more step," a voice cut across the hall, sharp and steady, "and I’ll slit her throat, Alpha."

Everything stopped immediately.

Cane froze where he stood. His foot was mid-step, but he did not take it any further.

I turned my head slowly toward the voice, even though the movement made the pain in my body worse. My chest tightened as I looked across the hall.

Daphne stood behind Riley.

Her arm was wrapped tightly around Riley’s neck, holding her in place. In her other hand, she held a knife pressed firmly against Riley’s throat. The blade was already close enough to cut skin if she pushed even slightly further.

Wendy stood next to her, silent and still, watching everything.

For a moment, nothing made sense.

"Daphne?" I said.

My voice came out rough, but I forced it steady.

She looked directly at me.

The expression on her face made something in my chest drop heavily.

There was no hesitation in her eyes. There was no confusion, no fear, and no sign that she did not understand what she was doing.

She looked at me like I was her enemy.

"Daphne," I said again, trying to make sense of it. "What are you doing?"

She did not answer right away.

She kept her grip on Riley firm, and I noticed the way the blade pressed just a little closer against Riley’s throat. Riley still did not react. Her body remained stiff, and her eyes were unfocused. She was still under whatever had been done to her.

Then Daphne smiled.

It was not the kind of smile I had ever seen from her before. It was controlled and cold, and it did not reach her eyes.

"Hello, brother," she said. "What a surprise, right?"

The words hit harder than anything else in that moment.

Before I could respond, the pain in my back flared sharply again.

It spread through my body quickly, forcing a reaction out of me that I could not control. My muscles tightened, and my knees gave out beneath me.

I dropped to the ground.

The dagger was still inside me.

I could feel exactly where it had gone through my body. I could feel the damage it had done, and I could feel that something about it was wrong.

Blood filled my mouth, and I coughed as I tried to breathe properly. My hand moved to grip the blade where it came through my chest, but even that movement felt slower than it should have.

This was not normal.

A wound like this should not have affected me this much.

I tried to push myself up, but my arms did not respond with the strength I expected. They shook under my weight, and I could not rise properly.

It felt like something inside me was blocking my strength.

A quiet laugh reached me.

I lifted my head.

Emberkin was walking toward me.

His face was still marked with blood from the fight we had just had, but the wounds were already closing. His skin was healing at a steady pace, as expected he was a vampire.

He stopped a few steps away and looked down at me.

"How does it feel, Gunnar?" he asked. "How does it feel to be helpless?"

I did not answer him.

I focused on breathing instead, trying to stay conscious and aware of everything around me.

"You know," he continued, pacing slowly in front of me, "you and your brothers have been a problem for a long time."

He glanced around the hall as he spoke.

The damage from the fight was everywhere. Broken tables, shattered chairs, cracks running through the walls, and blood on the floor from both of us.

"You kept Obsidian Veil standing," he said. "You made it difficult for anyone to take control of this place."

He looked back at me.

"But now you are on your knees," he added. "And there is nothing you can do about it."

Before I could respond, the doors at the far end of the hall opened suddenly.

I turned my head toward the sound.

My chest tightened when I saw who had entered.

My mother rushed in first, her face pale and her expression filled with fear. She stopped abruptly when she saw the state of the hall and the people inside it.

Behind her, Summer followed.

"Dad!"

Her voice was sharp and immediate, and she ran forward before stopping when she saw everything clearly.

Her eyes moved quickly from one person to another.

She looked at me, at the blood, at the dagger, then at Emberkin, then at Daphne and Riley.

Her body went still.

For a moment, nobody moved.

Then Emberkin laughed.

"Well," he said, spreading his arms slightly, "now the family is complete."

He turned and began walking toward Summer.

His pace was slow and deliberate, as if he had no reason to rush.

My body tensed immediately.

"Don’t you dare," Summer said suddenly.

Her voice was firm, even though I could see the tension in her posture.

Everyone paused again.

Emberkin looked at her with interest.

"If you hurt my dad," she continued, "or Riley, I will not stand here and watch it happen."

Her tone was serious, and there was no hesitation in her words.

"You bastard vampire," she added.

I looked at her fully then. I had never seen her like this before.

She was angry in a way that went beyond simple fear or frustration. She looked ready to act, even if she knew she could not win with her small body.

Despite everything happening, the sight of her standing like that made something in me react. It almost pulled a laugh out of me, even in this situation.

But the reality of everything around us did not allow that feeling to stay.

I forced myself to focus again.

Caden was still on the ground, barely moving. His breathing was uneven, and he had not gotten back up since he fell.

Cane stood where he had stopped earlier, his body tense, his eyes locked on Daphne. He was clearly trying to find a way to act without putting Riley at risk.

Daphne did not move.

Her grip on Riley remained firm, and the knife stayed in place.

Wendy stood beside her, watching everything closely.

And me-

I was still on my knees, struggling to keep myself steady.

I needed to understand what was happening.

"What do you want?" I asked.

The words were forced, but I made sure they were clear.

Emberkin stopped walking. He turned his head slightly and looked back at me. For a moment, he said nothing.

Then he raised his hand and pointed. "Her," he said.

He was pointing at Riley.

There was a pause, then I laughed.

It came out rough, mixed with the blood still in my throat, but I did not stop it.

"You want her?" I said.

I shook my head slightly, even though it made the pain worse.

"That is your goal in all of this?" I asked.

My eyes shifted toward Ethan.

He stood behind Emberkin, watching everything carefully.

"Did you tell him?" I asked him directly.

Ethan did not respond.

"Did you tell him you want your ex-wife back too?" I continued. "Or are you just working with him without thinking about what happens after?"

There was a small shift in Ethan’s expression.

It was subtle, but it was there.

"And my sister," I added, glancing briefly at Daphne before looking back at him. "How far did both of you go to make this deal happen? What changed Daphne? Did we do something wrong to you?"

The tension in the room changed.

Emberkin noticed it.

He turned slowly toward Ethan."She is your ex-wife?" Emberkin asked.

His tone was calm, but there was something under it that made the question heavier than it sounded.

Ethan did not answer immediately.

Daphne’s grip tightened slightly, and Wendy glanced between them.

Cane shifted again but did not move forward.

"Answer me," Emberkin turned cold.

Ethan finally spoke."Yes," he said.

The response was simple, but it was enough.

Emberkin went quiet for a moment.

Then he laughed, but this time the sound was different.

"Interesting," he said.

He looked at Riley, then back at Ethan.

"So you made a deal with me," he continued, "and you chose not to mention something like this."

Ethan’s jaw tightened."It does not change anything," he said.

"It changes more than you think," Emberkin replied.

His voice lowered slightly."You do not hide things from me."

Ethan did not respond to that immediately.

The room felt tense again, heavier than before.

"Does she matter to you?" Emberkin asked.

Ethan stayed silent. He did not confirm it, but he did not deny it either.

That was enough to give Emberkin what he needed.

"You should have told me," Emberkin said.

Ethan finally spoke again. freёwebnovel.com

"I made a deal," he said. "And I am still holding up my side of it."

Emberkin looked at him for a moment.

Then his gaze shifted again toward Riley, then back to Ethan.

The pause stretched long enough to make it clear that he was thinking carefully about what this meant.

"You’re not having her back, Ethan,