Chapter 75

Kayla

Nicholas shoved me out of the way just moments before Noah collided with him, the force of the impact nearly knocking me to the floor.

“Nicholas!” I gasped, but the two of them were already locked in combat. Fists flew, curses echoed through the room, and the air became a flurry of rage.

I stumbled back, my heart hammering wildly in my chest, and watched in horror as they shifted mid-fight. Nicholas’s massive black wolf pinned Noah’s tawny one down with relative ease, his fangs bared just inches from Noah’s throat. But Noah twisted, using his hind legs to shove Nicholas off and sent him sprawling against the far wall with a growl that vibrated through my chest.

“Stop!” I shouted, but the words barely left my mouth before they were lunging at each other again, slamming into the ground with enough force to crack the stone tiles beneath them.

But as I watched them, I knew that this wasn’t normal. This wasn’t just a fight. There was something… off about the way Noah was moving—he was more erratic than I had ever seen him, and his snarls were just a little too wild, a little too feral for his usually-calm and collected demeanor.

That was when I saw it.

Foam. White, frothy foam was collecting at the edges of his mouth. He looked rabid, like a sick animal. Not at all like his usual self.

“Noah,” I whispered, taking a step forward, but I stopped myself before I could get too close. But I didn’t need to, because Nicholas was already noticing it, too. His wolf hesitated, his hackles rising, his golden eyes narrowing sharply as he circled Noah like he was suddenly unsure if this was even a fair fight anymore.

But before either of them could make another move, the doors burst open and two guards stormed in.

“Enough!” one of them barked.

Nicholas snapped his head toward them and immediately shifted back, kneeling on the tiles and raising his feet in surrender. Noah, on the other hand, staggered back as he shifted. His head jerked to the side, like he was trying to shake something off, and for a second, his legs buckled beneath him.

I didn’t even realize I was holding my breath until the guards finally managed to separate them, forcibly dragging them toward the holding cells at the back of the guild hall. As I watched them go, my gaze kept flickering between them—Nicholas, his shoulders tense, and Noah, his legs barely holding him upright.

Something was wrong here. I was sure of it. But what, exactly? Was Noah really that angry that I had chosen Nicholas over him during the test, or was it something else?

“Are you alright, Miss Sterling?”

The sound of Mr. Gray’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts, and I turned, seeing him standing in the doorway with his arms folded across his chest. Despite the way my heart was hammering too fast for comfort, I nodded.

“Yes, but Noah looked—” I began, but the guildsman cut me off.

“A fated mate bond can be a vicious thing,” he said with the utmost calmness in his voice. “It’s likely that Mr. Baker saw you two together and lost control of himself.”

I snapped my mouth shut, figuring that he was probably right, but my mind kept whirling. Somehow, this felt like more than just jealousy. Noah was usually a calm, logical person, judging from what I’d seen so far. Even that day in the alley, Nicholas had been the aggressive one, not Noah.

This just didn’t seem right. But I decided to keep my thoughts to myself when the guildsman gestured for me to follow him to the cells.

By the time I entered the jail a few minutes later, the two men were sitting in separate cells, and the air was quiet and tense.

Nicholas was sitting on the bench in one cell, his elbows resting on his knees and his head bowed. Noah, on the other hand, looked almost dazed. His head leaned against the bars of his cell, his eyes glazed over. But he was awake and calm, which was a good thing, even if he looked a little… out of it.

Mr. Gray entered quietly, his hands folded behind his back as he glanced at the scene with faint disinterest.

“Well, that was dramatic,” he remarked. “I’m sorry to say this, Noah, but Miss Sterling has chosen Nicholas whether you like it or not. We’ll begin the process of severing the bond between you two immediately.”

And with that, the guildsman was gone.

My heart twisted in the silence left in Mr. Gray’s wake. I glanced over at Noah, guilt pooling in my stomach like lead. He looked like he was about to keel over.

For a moment, I wondered if this was the right choice. If Noah truly was my fated mate, then severing our bond could have severe consequences. He might resent both me and Nicholas forever, and he might never get over it.

But at the same time, I couldn’t just sit here and try to force a relationship with him if I’d so willingly chosen Nicholas. It wasn’t fair to Noah. He deserved to have someone who loved him with all their heart, not a wolfless girl with conflicting feelings for another.

I crossed my arms over my chest, stepping closer to Noah’s cell. “I’m sorry,” I said softly through the bars. “I didn’t mean for it to happen like this. But if I chose Nicholas… I think it’s better to let the bond go. It isn’t fair to you.”

Noah finally lifted his head, his eyes glassy as he stared at me through the bars. But something was wrong. His pupils were blown wide, his skin pale. He didn’t appear to be looking at me, but rather through me, as if he couldn’t fully make my form out even though I was standing mere feet away.

And then, without warning, his eyes rolled back and his body crumpled into a heap on the floor.

“Noah!” I gasped, grabbing the bars. Nicholas shot to his feet in an instant, his own hands curling around the bars of his cell.

“Call the ambulance!” he barked, his voice taking on an urgent tone that was a far cry from his earlier anger toward Noah. His eyes were wide, his fists shaking, clearly terrified for his friend. Hell, I was terrified, too.

I whirled around to see the guards standing nearby. Mr. Gray was with them. The guildsman looked as unbothered as ever, even though a man had just collapsed in the cells.

The guards exchanged uncertain glances, but Mr. Gray remained completely unmoved.

“He’s fine,” Gray said with a dismissive wave of his hand. “He’s simply exhausted from the fight, that’s all. Or trying to cause a scene. I assure you, if there were an issue, our medical professionals on staff would be here already.”

Nicholas slammed his fist against the bars, rattling the entire cell. “I said, call an ambulance.”

“Nicholas is right,” I snapped, glaring at Gray. “There was something wrong with him before the test even started. He was foaming at the mouth. I saw it.”

Mr. Gray arched a brow at me. “I saw no such thing.”

I froze, glancing over at Nicholas. He looked like he was about to shift again, his eyes glowing with that same intensity they’d had when we had kissed earlier. I turned toward the guildsman once more and felt my stomach drop when I saw the cold, unfeeling look in his eyes.

Something was wrong here. That guildsman was hesitating for far too long, his eyes flickering to me more than they should.

He was testing me.

No. Not just testing me, but hoping for something.

And I had a feeling that I knew what he was waiting for. I didn’t know why he cared, or why it mattered so much to him, but I knew that Noah wasn’t going to get the help he needed unless I said those words.

So, despite everything inside of me screaming not to, I pulled my shoulders back and took a deep breath.

“I love Noah,” I said, “and I believe he is my fated mate. If you take him to the hospital, I won’t have you sever the mate bond. I’ll renounce my relationship with Nicholas.”

The room fell silent, save for the soft sound of Nicholas’s sharp intake of air.