My Second Chance Mate is a Barbarian (Sera and Fenris) novel Chapter 362

Sera

Mina's grip on my arm was painful as she yanked me out of the hall and into a narrow storage nook beside the kitchen. The space was dim and dusty, smelling of old grain, and not quite big enough for both of us. The door scraped shut behind us, and Mina turned to face me. For a long moment, she just looked at me, hands clenched at her sides, and I wondered what I was in for.

I broke first, still running hot from the confrontation. "Fucking Taya," I muttered, shaking my head. "I know, right? I was already getting tired of that stupid fucking grin of hers, but I never would have thought she'd actually call a duel. That sneaky bitch."

I rolled my eyes at the memory and glanced up at Mina, who still hadn't spoken, waiting for some kind of response. But there was nothing on her face, just an absolute stillness, and it unsettled me.

She slapped me.

I felt the shock of the slap before I registered the sting of it. It came out of nowhere - Mina had her arm out and her hand cracking across my face before I could react. I went silent, stunned, one hand coming up to my own cheek.

"What—"

“You mean a duel you accepted?”

“I—”

"Did it even once occur to that dumb head of yours, through all of that chaos, that you are carrying a child?" Mina demanded, sharp and furious. She stood in front of me, her eyes blazing. "That you stupidly stood there agreeing to a duel with a woman who wants you dead?"

I blinked at her. She'd never hit me before. She'd never spoken to me like this before. Not with this much anger.

I had no answer.

The realisation landed in my stomach like a dropped weight, and I said nothing.

"You're not even thinking." Mina spun, eyes wide and furious.

"The oil can only hold so much, and that much depends on you being still. Not bleeding, not sweating, not straining like you would in a fucking duel. Do you know what happens when you bleed?"

I stared back at her, silent.

"You get fucking exposed. It's not perfect, Sera. The moment you start bleeding, every wolf within a mile radius of you in that dirt ring will smell the baby. And you'll be in a ring, with Taya and everyone else watching, and there will be no way to get you out of it before someone notices and starts asking questions. What the hell do you you're going to do when Fenris isn't there to protect you?"

"Stop," I said quietly.

"Stop?" Mina echoed, incredulous. "How long do you think that oil will hold if you're fighting for your life? Five minutes? Ten? How long do you think it would hold when you will be out there sweating like an idiot?" She asked, looking at me like she was waiting for an answer.

Another burst of laughter. "Oh my—fuck. Taya finally gets her field day, huh? She's going to hurt you real bad, Sera, after last time."

She went quiet, turning away with a groan. She didn't say anything for a while, and I could tell she was turning the situation over in her mind.

After a while, she turned back to me.

"You idiot," she hissed, with a real feeling behind it and not as a joke.

Then the humor drained out of Mina's face all at once. Her expression hardened. "You are not fighting her," Mina said, flatly and with total finality. "You are going to end it, and that is final."

I opened my mouth to say something in my own defense.

"I don't want to hear whatever shit you're about to say," Mina cut me off before I got more than a word out. "I'm done with this conversation."

She turned and walked out of the alcove, leaving me alone.

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