My Second Chance Mate is a Barbarian (Sera and Fenris) novel Chapter 78

Sera

Fenris took a slow breath in through his nose. His massive fists clenched at his sides.

"The alliance between Ironmaw and Valdris was supposed to be simple," Kael continued. He pushed his luck. He pushed right against the blade. "Dimitri understood that well enough. If Dimitri were here right now, he certainly wouldn't allow a southern princess to disrespect his elders. He wouldn't parade her in the council chamber like a trophy. This is a profound disrespect to everything this pack built."

Kael let out another dry, bitter chuckle.

"But I can see the problem," Kael said. He looked back at Fenris, his eyes flashing with mocking pity. "The princess finally has your balls in her hands."

Everything went silent. I could hear my own heart beat.

Fenris swung his right arm.

The blow landed straight on Kael's face. The impact sounded like a heavy iron mallet hitting wet meat.

Kael’s feet left the stone floor entirely. He flew backward and slammed directly into the heavy wooden door. The thick oak cracked violently under his weight, splitting right down the center.

The damaged door flung open.

Two Ironmaw guards standing in the corridor immediately looked inside. Their eyes went wide at the sheer chaos.

They looked down.

Kael lay crumpled on the stone floor. He was wheezing. The sound was a wet, horrific gurgle. His neck was twisted at a completely unnatural, crooked angle. His head rested against his own shoulder.

I stood up from my chair. I looked at the floor.

A jagged, white piece of bone was sticking directly out of the torn flesh of Kael’s throat. Dark, thick blood pulsed out around the bone, rapidly pooling on the grey stone.

I shook my head.

"You gave him exactly what he wanted," I said quietly.

Yvara looked up at me from the floor. Her hands were slick with red. She looked at Fenris. She shook her head in grim agreement.

Kael had baited him. He pushed every single button. He used Viktor, he used Dimitri, and he used me. He wanted Fenris to snap. He wanted Fenris to attack him unprovoked so the rest of the council would have a legitimate, legal reason to challenge the Alpha's sanity and his rule.

One of the guards in the corridor turned and sprinted away. He came back less than a minute later, dragging a pack healer behind him.

The healer rushed into the room. He dropped a heavy leather bag onto the stone floor and fell to his knees beside Yvara.

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