Chapter 11
Chapter Eleven
Violet
Darius just stands there, breathing hard, his eyes still flashing gold as he stares down at Ryker on the ground.
Then, he turns and walks away. Simply walks away, like he didn’t just attack an allied pack’s heir in front of everyone.
The training grounds erupt into chaos, people shouting as guards try to quell the disturbance.
I push through the crowd gathering around Ryker. “Darius, wait!”
A hand closes around my arm, stopping me. “Let him go.” Ethan’s voice is firm.
I try to pull away. “I need to talk to him.”
“He needs to be alone right now.” Ethan’s grip is not painful, but it is unyielding. “Trust me on this.”
“He just attacked Ryker! Because of me? I have to talk to him.”
“No, you don’t.” Ethan’s eyes are hard when they meet mine. “You need to let him handle this.”
Heat floods my face. Around us, people are still staring, whispering. Ryker is being helped to his feet by his father, his face twisted with embarrassment and rage.
“He had no right,” I hiss, trying to keep my voice down, “to make a scene like that. To act like I’m some damsel who needs saving. He humiliated me in front of everyone.”
“Are you serious right now?” Ethan’s voice drops to a growl that makes me flinch. “You’re so lost in your hatred of Darius that you don’t see half the things he’s doing for you.”
The word “hatred” hits me like a slap.
“I don’t hate him!”
“He said ONE thing. One stupid thing to his father that you overheard, and you’ve taken it and made it into a noose around his neck.
” Ethan’s jaw clenches, eyes flashing with an anger I’ve never seen him direct at me before.
“Do you have any idea the lengths he goes to for you? The things he does that you never know?”
I open my mouth. Close it. My chest feels too tight.
“No.” Ethan releases my arm and steps back. His face tightens, like he regrets the words even as he says them. “Of course you don’t. Because you’re too busy punishing him for one mistake. For saying something he didn’t even mean.”
“That’s not fair.”
“Isn’t it?” He runs a hand through his hair, his expression torn between anger and concern. “Look, I’m not trying to be cruel, Violet. But you’re being selfish. And I never thought I’d have to say that about you.”
The words still hurt, but his tone is different now. It’s as if he hates having to say what he’s saying.
Ethan’s expression softens slightly. “Go home. Let Darius handle the consequences of his actions. He doesn’t need you making it worse.”
He strides off, following the path Darius took, leaving me standing alone at the edge of the training grounds. Behind me, people are still whispering. Still staring.
I force my legs to move, heading for my car. My hands are unsteady as I try three times to get the key in the ignition.
The drive home is a blur.
“Selfish.”
“You don’t see half the things he’s doing for you.”
“One mistake.”
Ethan’s words echo in my head, over and over, until I want to scream.
It’s almost six by the time I get home. Cinnamon launches herself at me the moment I walk through the door.
The golden retriever puppy is all paws and enthusiasm, her tail wagging so hard her entire back end moves with it. She jumps up, trying to lick my face, completely oblivious to the fact that my world is crumbling.
“Hey, girl,” I whisper, my voice cracking.
She yips happily and dances around my feet, her pink tongue lolling out.
I sink to the floor right there in the entryway, and she immediately climbs into my lap. She’s still small enough to fit, with her soft puppy fur and oversized paws that she will grow into. She burrows against my chest like she can sense something’s wrong.
“Have I been cruel to him?” I ask her quietly, burying my face in her neck.
She licks my ear in response.
“You’re so lost in your hatred of Darius that you don’t see half the things he’s doing for you.”
I don’t hate him. I know that much. But maybe Ethan’s right about the rest of it.
I’ve been punishing Darius for one overheard conversation. Using it as a shield. An excuse to keep him away because…why?
Because I don’t know how to handle whatever this is between us. Because it terrifies me. Because admitting that he might actually care about me, that all those things he has done for me might mean something, feels dangerous.
It’s safer to be angry. Easier to push him away.
“God, what have I done?” I whisper into Cinnamon’s fur.
She whines softly, pressing closer.
Ethan called me selfish. It stings, but I can’t deny it. I’ve been so focused on protecting myself that I never stopped to consider what I’ve been doing to Darius.
He defended me today. Got physical with an allied alpha’s son. And instead of being grateful or concerned, my first instinct was to be angry at him for making a scene. For caring enough to want to protect me.
“I’m such an idiot,” I tell Cinnamon.
She licks my face again, her tail thumping against my leg.
I don’t know what I feel about Darius. I don’t know if I can untangle the mess of attraction and confusion and fear that knots in my chest whenever he’s near me.
What I do know is that he doesn’t deserve the way I’ve been treating him.
My phone buzzes in my pocket. I pull it out with one hand, the other still wrapped around Cinnamon.
Anne’s name flashes on the screen, and I open her text.
Violet, I just heard—They’re punishing Darius at the main house. In front of the Ravenhood Alpha. Are you okay?
I stare at the message, reading it over and over until it actually registers.
Punishing him. At the main house. Because of me.
My blood runs cold. My fingers are unsteady as I scroll to Ethan’s contact and call him. It rings once. Twice. Three times.
“Hello?”
“Is it true?” My voice comes out strangled. “Are they punishing him right now?”
A pause. Then: “Yes.”
My head starts to spin.
“Alaric is furious,” Ethan continues, his voice tight. “The attack threatens the alliance. He’s making an example of Darius to appease Ryker’s father.”
My stomach drops. “I have to see him.”
“Violet, don’t. There’s nothing you can do. It’s already happening.”
“I don’t care.” I jump to my feet, and Cinnamon tumbles out of my lap with a yelp of surprise. “I need to be there.”
“Your showing up will only make things worse.”
I end the call.
“I’m sorry, baby. I’m so sorry.” I scoop Cinnamon up quickly, making sure she’s okay before setting her down gently. “I have to go.”
I grab my keys, my pulse racing.
The guard at the gate waves me through without question. My hands grip the steering wheel tightly as I park haphazardly in the circular driveway and sprint up to the front door.
The house is eerily quiet.
But I can hear voices coming from deeper inside. Raised voices.
One of them is Alaric’s.
I pause as I reach the base of the grand staircase, my heart pounding so hard that it hurts. The door to the main hall is slightly ajar, and I can see shadows moving inside.
I should announce myself, walk in properly. But instinct tells me to stay hidden in the shadows where the hallway meets the foyer.
Through the crack in the door, I can see them.
Alaric stands at the center of the room, his posture rigid with authority. My mother is there, too, off to the side, her expression blank. Ryker and his father, the Ravenhood Alpha, are standing near the far wall.
I see Ryker’s lips curve into a smirk. His eyes sweep the room, then land on me.
He sees me. Standing here in the shadows, watching.
His smirk widens.
Hatred surges through me, and my breathing quickens. I want to march in there and claw that expression off his face.
Then, I see Darius.
He stands in the center of the room, shirtless, his back to the door. Two guards flank him, each holding a whip.
No!
My hand flies to my mouth, muffling the sound that wants to escape.
“Ten lashes,” Alaric’s voice echoes through the hall. “To remind you of your place. And to show the Ravenhood Pack that we take our alliance seriously.”
Darius doesn’t argue. Doesn’t speak. Just stands there with his shoulders back and his head high.
The first strike lands with a crack that reverberates in my ears. I flinch as if I feel it myself, my hands curling into fists at my sides.
A red line appears across his back, blood welling immediately. But Darius doesn’t make a sound. Doesn’t even tense up.
The second strike falls. Then the third.
My nails dig into my palms hard enough to break skin, but the pain is nothing compared to watching him stand there and take it.
By the seventh strike, I’m biting my lip so hard, I taste copper.
By the ninth, there are tears streaming down my face. I don’t remember when they started.
When it’s finally over, Darius’s back is a mess of crisscrossing welts, some already starting to heal but others still bleeding freely.
“Violet is family and nothing more,” Alaric says, his voice carrying across the room with absolute authority. “She is strong enough to handle herself. She doesn’t need her brother fighting her battles like she’s still a child.”
The word “brother” makes something twist violently in my chest.
“Get out of my sight,” Alaric says coldly.
Darius bends to retrieve his shirt, then walks toward the side door. His steps are unhurried. Controlled.
He doesn’t look in my direction. Doesn’t seem to know I’m here. But as he passes near where I’m hidden, he slows just slightly. His jaw clenches even harder.
He senses my presence.
The side door closes behind him, and I’m left standing in the shadows, unable to move.
I have to follow him. Have to see him. Have to make this right.
A hand grips my elbow. I jump, spinning to find Ethan beside me. His expression is grim.
“Come on,” he says quietly, pulling me away from the door. “Before someone sees you.”
“I need to talk to him.”
“No.” Ethan’s grip is firm as he guides me toward the front entrance. “Darius wouldn’t want you to see him like this. And he definitely doesn’t want you chasing after him right now.”
“But I have to.”