Chapter 120: Daniel Brahmore

Cecilia

"Stop!" I shouted again as I rushed forward. "Rex, that's Daniel Brahmore—Richard's son! You can't just—"

Rex didn't even look at me. His fist connected with Daniel's jaw again, the sound making me flinch, and Daniel's head snapped back hard enough that I heard him cry out.

"I said stop!" I grabbed Rex's arm, trying to pull him back, my fingers digging into the expensive fabric of his suit jacket.

He shook me off like I was nothing, barely even registering my presence, and raised his fist for another blow.

That's when the wolf moved.

The massive silver-gray beast stepped between me and Rex, its lips pulling back to reveal teeth that looked like they could tear through steel, a low growl rumbling from its chest that made every primitive instinct in my body scream at me to run.

My heart hammered against my ribs, my breath coming in short, panicked gasps, but I forced myself to stand my ground. Daniel was still on the ground, blood streaming from his nose and mouth, and Rex looked like he had every intention of beating him to death right here on the pool deck.

"Rex." I kept my voice as steady as I could manage despite the terror flooding through me. "That's Daniel Brahmore. Richard Brahmore's son. Arthur's cousin. You can't just—"

"I know exactly who he is," Rex said, his voice cold and flat in a way that made my stomach drop. "And I don't give a single fuck."

He moved around his wolf, reaching for Daniel again, and I did the only thing I could think of—I stepped directly between them, putting my body between Rex's fist and Daniel's battered face.

"Get out of my way," Rex said, his eyes finally focusing on me with an intensity that made me want to take a step back. But I held my ground, my hands clenched into fists at my sides.

"No."

"Cecilia—" Daniel's voice came from behind me, weak and slurred. "I’m sorry. I was just—"

"Shut up, Daniel." I didn't take my eyes off Rex. "Rex, I don't know what he did, but you need to stop. Right now."

Rex's expression shifted into something ugly, his lip curling with contempt. "Oh, I see how it is. You're so desperate to defend him. What, is this your side piece? Is that why you're so worried about his pretty face getting messed up?"

The words hit like a slap, and I felt heat flood my face—not embarrassment, but pure, white-hot anger.

"What the fuck did you just say?"

"You heard me." Rex took a step closer, and his wolf moved with him, still growling low in its throat.

"You're out here throwing yourself between me and this creep, acting like you'll do anything to protect him. Makes a guy wonder what kind of relationship you two have. Does Arthur know you're out here defending some other man? Or are you the type who likes to play both sides?"

"You piece of shit—" I started forward, my hands coming up, but Alice was suddenly there, grabbing my arm and pulling me back.

But Alice's intervention only seemed to make things worse. Rex's attention shifted to her, his eyes narrowing with something that looked almost like recognition.

"Oh, look who's talking," he said, his voice dripping with false sweetness.

"A social climber." He said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "A nobody from nowhere who latched onto my brother because she saw an opportunity. You think you're so special because Max lets you hang around? You think you've made it because you get to attend galas like this?"

"Fuck you," Alice said, her voice shaking with rage.

"I know enough." Rex's smile was cruel. "I know you're not family. Not really."

Alice shot back, her eyes blazing. "At least I'm not a violent psychopath who brings a fucking wolf to charity events and beats people up for taking photos."

I saw Rex's expression change.

"What did you just say?" His voice was low, dangerous, and I felt my heart start to race for an entirely different reason.

"I said you are a violent psychopath" Alice said, apparently deciding that if she was going to do this, she might as well go all in. "Normal families don't produce people like you. Normal families don't—"

"You don't get to talk about my family." Rex's voice had dropped to something almost feral. "You don't get to say a goddamn word about where I came from or what made me this way. You're just some orphan who got lucky—"

"Rex!" I shouted, trying to cut him off before he could finish that sentence, before he could say something that would shatter whatever fragile peace existed between him and Alice.

But it was too late. Rex moved so fast I barely saw it coming. One second he was standing there, his face twisted with rage, and the next his hand was flying toward Alice's face.

I tried to grab him, tried to pull him back, but I wasn't fast enough. His palm connected with Alice's shoulder—not her face, thank god, but hard enough to send her stumbling backward with a cry of pain.

And then Max was there.

I didn't see him approach, didn't hear him coming. One moment the space beside me was empty, and the next Max was between Rex and Alice, his fist already swinging.

The sound of impact was sickening—bone on bone, brutal and final. Rex's head snapped back, and he went down hard, his wolf immediately moving to stand over him protectively, its growl escalating to something that sounded like it might actually attack.

"Touch her again," Max said, his voice so cold and controlled it sent chills down my spine, "and I will fucking kill you."

Rex pushed himself up on his elbows, blood streaming from his nose—the second time tonight he'd been hit, I realized distantly—and laughed. Actually laughed, the sound wet and slightly manic.

Max left him behind and hurried over to Alice.