Chapter 218

Amber’s POV

I grabbed one of the lower bars of the railing at the last moment. While this saved me from freefalling down into the seats below, I was left dangling over the side of the rafters, holding on for dear life.

I had the strength, with the help of my wolf, to pull myself back up. Yet, before I could even attempt it, Olivia stepped up against the railing and peered over the side, looking down at me with cold, viscous eyes.

She had tried to have me killed before, but I would have never thought she would have the nerve to attempt it herself.

I should have known better. I never should have turned my back on her, no matter how amazing Julian had been in the moment.

“You should have died in that plane crash,” Olivia said, her voice like ice. “You keep coming back, like a bad rash. But this time, you won’t. This time, you’ll be nothing but a blood splatter on concrete.”

“You don’t have to do this,” I said, trying to reason with her.

“This is your fault,” she countered. “You led me to this. You brought this upon yourself.”

She lifted her foot and placed the tread of her show directly over my hands. The sharp heel dug into my knuckles.

I tried to fight through the pain and hold on. But she only put more weight down, sending pain through my hands.

“Stop it!” I pleaded, my voice sharp. “Please!”

“I’ll only stop when you are dead,” Olivia growled. She lifted her foot and with one quick movement, slammed her heel into my hand even harder than before.

I couldn’t hold on anymore. The railing slipped away from me…

And I fell…

Julian’s POV

The debate had been turning in my favor. Everything had been going rather well.

But then I heard Amber’s frightened voice.

“Stop it! Please!”

I looked up and my heart squeezed tightly as I saw her dangling from the rafters above.

I wasn’t the only one looking. Her cry had seemed to claim the attention of the whole of the crowd as everyone looked up. A few people gasped. A few more even stood up.

No one would reach her in time.

Not as she slipped and started to fall.

The world seemed to slow down around me.

I wasn’t going to lose my mate, not like this, not ever. But I had to be careful here. I didn’t want anyone in the crowd getting hurt either.

In a split second, I calculated everything that I would need to do. My protective instincts – for my mate, for my pack – were pinging off the charts.

Trusting my instincts and my wolf, I shoved aside the podium, dashed toward the edge of the stage, and leapt.

Amber was screaming as she fell, her arms flailing, her hair whipping around her face.

Did she think she was going to die?

Did she not trust that I would never let her fall?

Midair, I collided into her, catching her in my arms. I tucked her safely against my chest, then rolled myself protectively around her.

The momentum of my strong leap continued to carry us forward so that we flung straight over the people in their seats and did not crash down onto them.

Instead, as I turned to take the brunt of the impact myself, my back smacked the wall at the back of the auditorium. We hit the wall with such force, it left a dent. Then, we bounced forward and down to the ground. I tensed my arms, to brace myself, to take the burden of this hit too, as well as to keep my weight off of Amber.

The force of the collisions knocked my thoughts around and it took several long moments for those thoughts to clear. As I blinked a few times, I realized I was on the ground, looking up, with Amber worryingly looking down at me.

She was saying my name. It took a minute for me to hear it since I had some ringing in my ears. I most have broken a few bones, but I felt them all popping into place now, the speed of my werewolf healing helping tremendously.

“Julian?” Amber asked. There were tears in her eyes, as well as some hints of fear.

What was she afraid of? I had caught her. She didn’t need to cry.

Lifting my hand, I cupped her cheek and wiped away some of the tears with my thumb.

“I’ve got you,” I told her. “I’ll never let you fall.”

“Julian,” she said again, with so much emotion in the single name. She seemed to be struggling with any other words but that. This was fine with me. I understood what she was trying to say.

By now, my bones were mostly together again, so I sat up and cupped her face with both hands now. Then, I leaned in and softly kissed her, placing my lips gently to hers.

She placed her hands over mine. When we broke for air, she finally found her voice. “I love you, Julian. I love you so much.”

The words filled my chest like air, as vital and important.

“I love you too, Amber. So much.”

It was then that I heard some aww noises from the crowd. Amber’s cheeks turned red at once, and I too felt some embarrassment as we realized we were being watched.

I lowered my hands from Amber’s face, down her arms, to hold her hands.

I still wanted to touch her, even if we had an audience now.

“What happened?” I asked.

“Olivia pushed me,” she said.

At once, we both looked up. There was no one standing on the rafters now. Wherever Olivia was, she had made a dash for it.

I started to stand, and helped Amber up to. Turning to face the crowd now, I searched for the head of the council’s face. When I found him, I demanded.

“We know Olivia is responsible for this attack on my wife. We have to send the guard after her.”

The head of the council seemed concerned. He might have even agreed with me.

Yet, before he could speak, Tony stepped forward.

“Wait!”

Everyone in the room turned to look at him.

“There is no time to wait,” I said. “Olivia is making her escape even now. She needs to pay for what she’s done.”

“I don’t care about Olivia,” Tony said. “Quit trying to steal the spotlight, Julian. Amber. This is a debate between the two of us, and we need to finish it.”

“There is no time for that!” I said, raising my voice now in my anger. Every moment wasted was one where Olivia was getting even further away. Ignoring Tony now, I turned once more to the head of the council. “We have to mobilize at once.”

“Don’t change the subject!” Tony growled. He stepped closer to me, getting right up in my face.

I was taller than him, and broader too. I didn’t know who he thought he was, to get into my face like this.

I glared at him, allowing my full anger as Alpha to shine through my eyes, my posture, every square inch of me.

Tony, the fool, didn’t see this as the warning it was meant to be.

“You are always stealing the spotlight, cousin,” Tony demanded. “You always got the most attention, the most love. Well, I’m sick of it. I’m sick of you. I say we end this once and for all.”

“How?” I growled.

“I demand a challenge,” Tony said. “You and me. Like the way our ancestors did. The winner gets to be the Alpha.”