My Second Chance Mate is a Barbarian (Sera and Fenris) novel Chapter 26

Sera

Taya didn't wait for me to catch my breath. She lunged, her face a mask of pure rage. I tried to brace myself, but my body was still heavy and sluggish from the springs . She slammed into me, and we both went down hard. My back hit the stone floor, and the furs we’d been bundled in scattered like leaves .

Taya was on top of me in a second. Her fingers were curved like talons, clawing at my face. "I'll kill you you hear me! I’ll kill you!!" she screamed, her voice cracking with hysteria. "I'll rip your Southern throat out!"

I got my left arm up just in time to block her hands. Instead of my eyes, her nails raked across my forearm. It burned like a line of fire. I reached up, grabbed a thick fistful of her hair, and yanked with everything I had.

Taya shrieked. Her grip loosened for a split second, and I shoved her sideways with my shoulder.

We rolled across the stone. I tried to get on top, but Taya was stronger and far more energized than I was. She hadn't spent the afternoon fighting for air in a mineral pool. She pinned me down, her knees digging into the floor on either side of my hips. She pulled her fist back, her eyes wild.

Mina tackled her from the side.

All three of us went down in a messy tangle of limbs and snarls. Mina was small, but she fought like a cornered animal . She sank her teeth into Taya's arm, actually biting down. Taya let out a guttural scream and drove her elbow back into Mina’s face. I heard the sickening thud of the impact. Mina’s head snapped back, and blood immediately bubbled from her lip.

I scrambled up, my breath coming in ragged gasps. My legs were shaking so hard I could barely stand. I grabbed Taya’s hair again, dragging her off Mina. Taya spun around, her face twisted, and backhanded me across the jaw.

The hit was hard. My vision flashed white for a second, and I hit the floor again. I tasted the sharp, metallic tang of blood in my mouth. My cheek felt like it was being pressed against a hot iron.

Taya stood over me, her chest heaving. Blood was still streaming from her broken nose, coating her lips and chin. "You’re dead," she hissed. "When my father hears about this, you're finished."

The door slammed open.

Two guards burst in, their hands on their sword hilt. They stopped dead, taking in the scene—me on the floor with a split lip, Mina clutching her bloody mouth, and Taya standing there looking like she’d crawled out of a bar fight.

"What happened here?" one guard asked.

Taya started talking immediately, her voice high and frantic. "She attacked me! The Southern bitch attacked me unprovoked! Mina helped her! They’re both savages. Arrest them! Throw them in the cells!" .

I pushed myself up onto my elbows, my arms trembling. "She came into my room uninvited," I said, my voice low and rough. "She refused to leave. She called me a broodmare."

The guards exchanged a wary look. They clearly didn't want to be the ones to settle a fight between the Alpha’s sister and his mate .

"Arrest her!" Taya demanded, stepping toward the guards. "My father will hear about this. The council will hear about this. The Alpha will—"

"The Alpha will what?"

A voice came from the doorway. It was low, flat, and carried the weight of a mountain.

Everyone froze.

Fenris was standing there. He was dressed in simple dark clothes now, his hair still damp from the springs. His grey eyes moved slowly across the room, taking in every detail. When his gaze landed on my bleeding lip, I felt a sharp, sudden burn on my collarbone scar. His eyes twitched.

"What happened?" he asked.

Taya started her frantic explanation again. "Fenris, she attacked me! I was just paying a friendly visit to check on her, and she—"

Fenris held up a single hand. Taya stopped mid-sentence.

He looked at me. "Did you throw the first punch?"

I met his eyes, refusing to look away. "Yes."

"Why?"

"She called me a broodmare."

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify