Even the arm Zion had dislocated had already been reset and restored, and seeing Maxwell moving it freely as if nothing had happened.
And at some point, Zion stopped caring.
Maybe the mention of his secret had touched something deeply buried within Maxwell, a memory rooted in darkness. It could be a secret tied to a trauma, something that had carved shadows into his mind. Zion didn’t know for certain, but judging by Maxwell’s current state, the speculation didn’t seem far-fetched.
Maxwell’s behavior was too unusual, too unsettling.
It was as if he were unraveling, using pain as a way to reset his thoughts, to drown out whatever was gnawing at him. When Zion thought back to Maxwell’s reaction in the tent, the cold silence, the tension, and how he had followed him outside just to ask for a fight, the picture became clearer.
During the brawl, Maxwell had barely bothered to avoid direct attacks, throwing himself forward as though his own body were nothing more than a shield. He hadn’t seemed to care if Zion went too far, or if a single misstep might cost him his life.
And that was what troubled Zion the most.
The more Zion thought about it, the less certain he felt. He didn’t know what to make of Maxwell anymore. And yet, fighting him had helped, cleared his head, and steadied his wolf. Letting off that steam was the only way to keep Shura from spiraling into madness.
Then a thought struck him.
Maybe Maxwell was the same.
Maybe this fight was his way of venting, too, of giving his wolf and himself an outlet for all that pent-up frustration. The difference was in how they coped. Zion lashed out, hurting others when he lost control. Maxwell, on the other hand, seemed to turn that violence inward, allowing himself to be hurt instead.
Zion didn’t understand what kind of mindset led someone to choose pain so willingly. But one thing was clear, and it was that neither of them needed just fresh air to cool down.
They needed this.
So they kept fighting.
Zion half-shifted, claws tearing and fists slamming into the figure before him, while Maxwell barely bothered to evade. He took the blows head-on, countering every strike with equal force. For every punch Zion landed, another came crashing back at him; there was no walking away unscathed.
The commotion soon drew attention.
Warriors stationed not far from the riverbank rushed over, only to freeze in their tracks. What they saw made their blood run cold.
A Midnight Black Wolf and a Silver-Grey Wolf, both far larger than any of them, were locked in a brutal clash. Claws raked into flesh, fangs snapping to whatever they could bite into, massive bodies slammed into each other as if it were a fight to the death.
No one could intervene.
Those who tried were either crushed under the weight of the Alphas’ oppressive auras or dragged into the fray, only to be thrown aside and injured. All they could do was stand back and watch as the two monsters tore into each other, powerless to stop them.
Zion’s massive midnight-black form slammed into Maxwell’s silver-grey wolf, hurling him into the river. Maxwell staggered, barely managing to brace himself before crashing into the boulder behind him, and water splashed all over him. Even so, Zion hadn’t held back; the impact still sent Maxwell’s body smashing into the boulder, carving a small crater into the rock.
Had Maxwell not reacted on instinct, the full force would have shattered several of his ribs. And if that had happened, Zion could have easily followed up with an attack, pinned him down, and forced him into submission.
But Maxwell was an Alpha.
Even if he allowed Zion’s blows to land, using pain to numb his senses, that didn’t mean he would let himself be crushed or humiliated in front of everyone. His pride wouldn’t allow it.
"Grrrr..." Maxwell growled, baring his teeth at Zion. The haze in his eyes finally cleared, as if he were shaking off a trance. He no longer looked like a puppet being tossed around; something in him had snapped back into place.
Zion snarled in response, a cold sneer forming in his mind.
’About time you came back to your senses,’ he thought. ’No Alpha would tolerate being beaten senseless. Your pride must be screaming right now, being humiliated in front of all these wolves.’
Maxwell couldn’t hear him. There was no mindlink between them.
And yet—
It was as if Maxwell felt every word anyway.

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