Chapter 30 030
~LYKA~
I stormed out of the room the moment Phoebe finished speaking, my feet barely touching the ground as I rushed toward the arena she had mentioned. My heart pounded violently against my ribs, each step fueled by dread and anger twisting tightly in my chest. I wanted to believe she was exaggerating. I wanted to believe this was another misunderstanding....another rumor spiraling out of control.
But the moment the arena came into view, my breath hitched painfully in my throat.
Phoebe hadn’t been lying.
Aiden lay sprawled on the cold stone floor, unmoving, his body twisted at an unnatural angle. Blood stained the ground beneath him, and his chest rose and fell weakly, unevenly. The scent of pain, iron, and humiliation clung thickly to the air.
My vision blurred with rage.
Someone had assaulted him.
“What is going on here?!”
My voice echoed loudly as I marched straight toward Derrick, my fists clenched so tightly my nails dug into my palms. Heads snapped in my direction, murmurs rippling through the arena like disturbed water. Derrick turned, clearly startled to see me there, but I didn’t care....not even a little.
“What are you doing here?” he asked sharply, stepping toward me. “You should be resting....”
He reached out to touch my arm.
I jerked away instantly.
“Don’t touch me.”
The words came out harsher than I intended, but I was far beyond caring. Anger bubbled violently beneath my skin, fueled by fear and helplessness I refused to acknowledge.
“Don’t try to play cheeky with me,” I snapped. “Why are you treating him like this? Why are you treating my people like animals?”
A heavy silence fell over the arena.
“If you wanted to train them....if this was about getting them to be part of your military....don’t you think there are better ways to do it than beating them half to death?” I puffed out angrily, my chest rising and falling rapidly.
Every pair of eyes in the arena turned toward me.
The looks weren’t just shock....they were disbelief, as though I’d committed some unforgivable crime by speaking. My stomach twisted uneasily, but I refused to back down. I hadn’t done anything wrong.
Derrick stared at me, his expression darkening.
“Military?” he repeated slowly. “Where did you hear that from?”
I scoffed bitterly.
So that wasn’t even the plan.
“You didn’t even intend to recruit them?” I shot back. “Yet you dare let them get beaten like this?”
I could feel the rage boiling over now.
“Why are you being like this?” I demanded. “I didn’t bring my members here so they could be mistreated. I didn’t beg for their lives just so they’d end up broken on your arena floor.”
My voice trembled, not from weakness....but from barely restrained fury.
“No matter what you’re doing, I’m going to protect them,” I continued, stepping closer to him. “I will save them over and over again if I have to, so don’t you....”
“How dare you raise your voice at me!”
His roar shook the arena.
The sheer weight of his Alpha command slammed into me like a physical force. My knees nearly buckled as fear surged uncontrollably through my veins. My heart skipped violently, and my voice died in my throat.
“I… I didn’t.... I wasn’t....”
My words came out broken, shaky, humiliating. I hated it. I hated that he could silence me so easily, that his anger could unravel me in seconds.
“Did you really think I bullied them?” Derrick continued coldly, his eyes burning into mine. “What a joke.”
He turned away sharply, disgust evident in every movement.
“Since you’re so keen on saving them,” he said over his shoulder, “then keep trying. Because I’m not going to stop.”
He walked away without another glance.
I stood frozen, baffled, my chest aching painfully.
How could someone be so thick-skinned? So cruel?
Clenching my jaw, I rushed to Aiden’s side and knelt beside him. His face was swollen, bruised, and bloodied, a stark contrast to the proud, disciplined warrior I had always known. My chest tightened painfully as I cupped his face gently.
“Are you okay?” I asked softly. “Why would you let yourself be treated like this?”
My voice came out grave, heavy with disappointment and worry.
“I think you should be asking a different question.”
Scott’s voice came from behind me.
I stiffened instantly.
“Like why he challenged the Alpha,” Scott continued calmly, “when he knew very well he couldn’t win.”
My eyes widened in shock.
Was that what Derrick meant?