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Chapter 85
~Ash’s POV~
"She’s not a property," I snapped, stepping fully between Kai and Valerie.
His aura flared. Mine did too.
The tension between us was sharp enough to cut through steel. I could feel the warning pulses of power crackling off him, his skin gave off immense heat just like his power but I didn’t care.
My wolf had already risen to the surface, pacing beneath my skin, ready to rip him apart if he touched her again.
Kai’s lip curled. "What are you even doing to her?"
I growled, the sound was low enough for only us to hear but nonetheless lethal, letting my eyes flash a deep crimson. "Not your business."
"She is my business," he shot back, jaw clenched.
"No, she isn’t," I said, barely holding myself back. "Not when she was attacked right under your noses."
His body tensed, his eyes narrowing into slits. He was offended by those words not because I lied but because it was true.
If he really was her mate, he would feel my rage and how incapable he was to protect our mate.
"You’re one to talk. Where were you when she got attacked, huh?" Kai questioned sharply.
I didn’t flinch.
I stepped closer and pulled Valerie to my side, feeling her shift slightly against me, though she didn’t resist. Kai’s hand was still locked on her wrist, and I stared him dead in the eye.
"My brother and I had already left school before the attack."
"Is that so?" he sneered, eyes scanning my face like he was trying to read something between the lines.
I narrowed my eyes. "What’s that supposed to mean?"
Kai crossed his arms and when he spoke his voice was filled with suspicion. "Isn’t it just a little too convenient that the day the Lycan brothers leave school, Valerie is attacked? How do I know you didn’t plan the whole thing?"
I blinked.
The fuck?!
My rage surged like a wave snapping free from its dam.
Valerie stood quietly, caught between us, saying nothing. Her eyes were indistinct, but I could feel her wolf flickering beneath her skin, waiting.
I stepped forward, my chest heaving. "Because she is my mate."
Kai’s eyes lit up with challenge. "Exactly."
My fists clenched at my sides. "Can you stop and listen to yourself for a second, Kai?" I said, voice tight with restraint. "She’s my mate. That means I would protect her with my life. Not harm her."
Kai didn’t back down. "What if this is all a game to you? What if pretending to care is just part of your act to take her away from here? What if your plan failed, so you came back to try again?"
I stared at him, stunned at how easily the bullshit rolled off his tongue.
He didn’t believe that. Not really but he hated not being in control and he wasn’t ready to let Valerie go with someone he did not trust.
Well, the feeling was mutual.
And Valerie had never been in his control to begin with.
He finally looked at her then, his voice softening just enough to make my skin crawl. "Don’t believe him blindly, Valerie. Just because he’s your mate doesn’t mean you know him."
I didn’t let her answer.
I moved in between them again, blocking his line of sight. "And she should believe you?"
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