Chapter Twelve
-Noelle
I was buzzed, but I wasn’t buzzed to the point that I couldn’t notice that Royal was about to do something he would only regret. My fingers dug into the flesh of my hand, nervous knots forming in my belly as my eyes shifted between Dom and Royal. I was shocked, flabbergasted that he just came out of nowhere and hit him.
He was being barbaric; an alpha when he didn’t have to be, nor did he have a right to be. I wasn’t his. If anything, he did nothing but warn me to stay away from him. So why was he now acting like I belong to him or like he has to protect me.
It’s all for you. The conscious part of my brain knew that, but the part that wanted to protect him from everything bad didn’t want to admit it.
“Royal, this is uncalled for…” I started but froze mid-sentence. He narrowed his eyes at me in rage, the look alone terrifying me and rooting me in place.
“Noelle.” There was a warning to the way he said my name; it was like he wasn’t the same person anymore. The pale blue color of his eyes growing so dark that they looked almost black. I couldn’t swallow past the lump that formed in my throat. Did I even want to answer him? I knew I went against what he wanted, but I was an adult and just because he told me not to go somewhere didn’t mean I couldn’t.
“God. What a fucking douche bag,” Dom groaned, one of his buddies helping him up off the ground. I wanted to tell him to stay down because it would be less of a fall for him, but didn’t knowing if I spoke directly to Dom that Royal’s switch would flip.
“Me the douche bag?” Royal cackled, the sinister laugh echoing throughout the backyard. Everyone stopped dancing, talking, and drinking to see what it was that we were doing. All the attention was on us, and it made my skin crawl with anxiety.
“I’m pretty sure I’m not the one that attacked someone from behind so yeah…” Dom held his side like he was hurting, and I was sure after the kicks Royal landed on him that he was.
“Don’t. Fucking. Touch. Her. Ever again, and you will never have to deal with me again.” Royal cracked his knuckles, clearly ready to uppercut Dom straight in the jaw. There was no way I could let him fight someone over me, someone that wasn’t his, or over something that had nothing to do with him.
“I don’t belong to you, therefore you’re out of line. This whole fucking thing is out of line,” I piped in, forcing my voice not to wobble. You could hear the audible gasps filling the air as everyone waited to see what Royal would do about me disobeying him.
Royal turned his black orbs to me. He flexed his neck back and forth, the bones cracking loudly. This wasn’t happening. We had already gotten in more trouble than needed, and I refused to let Royal take another black mark to his record just to prove his point to all these people; just to prove that I belonged to him.
“You heard her…” Dom snickered, laughter in his eyes. He laughed like he already won the fight. Air filled my lungs but refused to escape. I reached forward to stop Royal from his next move but knew there was no point in even trying. I couldn’t even take a step forward or mumble the word no before his fists were landing against Dom’s face. Blood splattering everywhere as bone hit bone, the distinct sound of said bone cracking as it resonated throughout the air. A shudder ran through me as fear threatened to consume me.
Their bodies clashed and tumbled to the ground, fists being thrown in every direction. Royal was on top, his knuckles slamming against Dom’s cheek, all while Dom tried to push him off. They were nothing but a mass of bodies, with blood flying around them.
“I. Told. You!” Royal screamed the words, his voice menacing. You could feel the pure rage rippling from deep within him.
“You. Don’t. Fuck. With. What. Is. Mine.” Each word spoken was met with a punch to the face. It was like someone or something possessed Royal’s body. Taking the fragile rough man I had gotten to know and turning him into the monster he always claimed to be. He was out of his mind.
His sole focus was on destroying the person beneath him and causing as much damage as possible. Dom tried to fight against Royal, but there was just no point in trying. Royal kept swinging, each hit landing with a deafening blow to Dom’s face, body, and head. Nothing seemed to be off limits to the living, breathing monster inside of him.
I cringed knowing no matter how many times Dom tried to get control, Royal was always going to be quicker making him better at avoiding the hits that came his way. Royal was far stronger, much more aggressive in his movements, and clearly way more motivated for a taste of blood.