Chapter Eighteen
It was later in the evening when Sandro returned from his search. He kicked the door to his room open and headed straight for the bar. Uncapping the white rum, he poured it generously into the highball glass before him. Grimacing as the liquor scorched his throat, Sandro muttered, “Where could she possibly be?”
He had revisited the house from which he had taken her, only to find it empty. He had even gone to the place where she worked, but nobody had seen her since the day he took her. Sandro shook his head. The more he dwelled on her sudden disappearance, the stranger it felt to accept that she might have escaped without any assistance.
His instincts kept pointing toward Blaze as the possible culprit.
Despite being privy to everything that was happening, Blaze remained tight-lipped. “That traitorous bastard! I’ll rip out his heart!”
Sandro downed the remaining white rum and placed the glass on the bar counter before storming out of his room.
He forcefully pushed open the door to the large hall, drawing all eyes towards him. A meeting was in progress, but he disregarded it entirely. His sole focus was on finding out where Arabella had gone, and he believed Blaze was the only person capable of providing an answer.This is property © NôvelDrama.Org.
Grabbing Blaze off his seat, Sandro dragged him to a corner of the room. Ignoring the stares drilling into his back, Sandro maintained a firm grip on Blaze.
“What’s going on? Didn’t you see…?” Blaze began, but his words faltered as Sandro’s fist met his jaw.
“Are you out of your mind?!” Blaze staggered backward, his voice laced with anger.
Sandro snorted, retorting, “I could ask you the same thing. Where the hell is she?”
Yanking Blaze off the ground, Sandro slammed him against the nearest wall. His hand pressed into Blaze’s chest, and his gaze turned steely. “Where did you take her?”
“I didn’t take her anywhere!” Blaze yelled, pushing Sandro’s hands away. “Why are you accusing me of something I know nothing about? What does she have to do with me?!”
“She’s connected to you in more ways than you’d like to admit. I saw how you acted around her from the very start. You seemed like old friends reuniting. And the way you gaze at her, it’s as if she’s your mate. Not to mention how you’re always quick to defend her,” Sandro retorted, his voice charged with frustration.
Blaze shot back, his tone defensive, “That doesn’t mean anything! Damn it! I can stand up for whoever I damn well please. I’ve defended Janice countless times, and I don’t see you having an issue with that!”
The mention of Janice’s name caused her cheeks to redden, and she lowered her gaze to the table. A nudge from Francis brought her attention back to the conversation.
“What’s going on?” Francis whispered concern in his eyes. “Is there something between you two?”
Janice shrugged, whispering, “It’s a complicated story, and now isn’t the time to discuss it. We need to stop whatever’s about to happen.”
Glancing at the other pack members, they nodded and rose from their seats.
“Arabella is under my protection. She’s mine, and she has no business interacting with you at all! She shouldn’t be laughing with you,” Sandro asserted fiercely.
“Can you even hear yourself?” Blaze grunted. “She’s not a damn plaything. She’s a human being with feelings. She’s not a beast like you and-”
“Screw you!” Sandro bellowed, throwing another punch at Blaze’s nose.
Pain shot through Sandro’s fist as it connected with Blaze’s nose, but he paid it no mind. He grabbed Blaze by the collar, shoving him against the wall before lunging at him.
“Quit hitting me, damn it!” Blaze managed to dodge the incoming attack.
“I’m your Alpha, and I can do whatever I damn well please with you!” Sandro’s foot connected with Blaze’s gut, causing him to groan and cough up blood.
“Stop,” Janice’s voice trembled as she spoke. Her hands clenched at her sides, her body shaking.
She could see the pain in Blaze’s eyes despite his efforts to conceal it. There was something off about why he wasn’t fighting back. She knew Blaze’s strength was on par with Sandro’s, but Sandro had the upper hand in strategy.
Furthermore, she sensed that Blaze wasn’t retaliating because of Sandro’s position as his superior.
Blaze’s grunt jolted her out of her thoughts, and her eyes widened as she observed him writhing on the floor, clutching his stomach.
“Stop it!” Janice’s voice was firm as she pushed Sandro away from Blaze.
Sandro groaned, his frustration evident, and he turned to glare at her. “You little brat!”
He advanced toward her, but Francis intervened, positioning himself between Sandro and Janice.
“Leave her out of this, Sandro!” Blaze’s voice trembled as he spoke.
“You need to calm down. Yes, Arabella is missing, but taking your anger out on all of us won’t bring her back. I’ve been blaming myself all day, and I doubt that’s helping the situation,” Francis rambled.
Sandro’s response was curt, “Then do what needs to be done!”
He stormed out of the room, his glare drilling into Blaze before he left.
Once Sandro was gone, Francis released a sigh of relief and turned to Janice. “Are you alright?”
“I’m fine,” Janice murmured, her voice shaky. She took a deep breath and approached Blaze, who was still on the floor.
“Fuck,” Blaze rasped, struggling to stand. His hand went to his side, and he realized he had broken two ribs. Leaning against the wall, he let out a steady breath.
“You look like hell.” Janice said.
“Thanks to your lovely Alpha,” Blaze muttered, his eyes opening to meet hers.
“You shouldn’t have intervened. He could have hurt you,” Blaze added.
Janice rolled her eyes, retorting, “Sandro won’t hurt me.”
“You don’t know what he’s capable of when his animal instincts take over.”
“I still believe he wouldn’t hurt me,” Janice insisted softly.
Though she had been shaken by Sandro’s outburst and deathly glare, she knew he wouldn’t lay a finger on her. Somehow, he had never raised his hand against her, even when he was furious.
She didn’t quite understand why he treated her differently, but she was grateful that he wasn’t as terrible to her as others believed.
“Let me help you,” she offered as she saw Blaze struggling toward the exit.
Blaze nodded and allowed her to grasp his hand as they walked out of the room together.