We stared, the four of us not believing what we were hearing.
“It’s the way it has always been done,” Elder Jacobs clarified. “Be happy you’ll have an Elder for company. They’re only allowed during unfriendly times.”
“The way things have always been done is archaic,” I said heatedly, not wanting any of us out there, much less with only one Elder per ‘retriever’ against all the hostile Coms.
King Kincaid’s expression cracked so he could glower. “You know not what you speak of. You are still too young and inexperienced to have an opinion on that.” He growled at me. “So keep your fucking mouth shut before you embarrass yourself.”
My wolf snarled at him, tired of his demands. Yes, the majority of the time he acted as more of a father figure, but there were plenty of other times he acted the righteous King. “Kiss my ass.” My mouth snapped shut.
Not soon enough.
“Oh, Christ,” Elder Merrick breathed.
Everyone in the room got a first-class view of what happens when two alphas lose it.
King Kincaid stood from his seat, leisurely taking his jacket off, then vaulted over the table at me, not backing down because I had pretty much challenged his authority — in front of a power group. I grunted as his massive shoulder hit me square in the chest. My chair toppled backward, taking us both to the ground as his fist swung at my face too fast. Jerking my head to the side, I managed to take the blow as it glanced off my cheekbone, instead of hitting me squarely on my nose. Fury ripped through me as I cried out, pain throbbing at my cheek.
“One of you stop him!” Pearl shouted. “He’s going to hurt her.”
I lifted my legs and thrust with all of my Shifter strength as another fist aimed at me. He flew straight up in the air, not touching me this time. He grunted as his back and head slammed into the ceiling, and I jumped to my feet, whirling and kicking out as he fell. My blow landed smack in his gut, and I watched as if in slow motion as he bent over my leg before the force tossed him through the air and across the room, slamming into the bar. The harmony echoing throughout the room was a combination of shared growls.
And the goddamn man stayed on his feet when he landed, charging at me again. I crouched and sprung at him, letting my nails shift to claws. He saw that and quickly did the same. We met somewhere in the middle of the room with fists and claws and legs being thrown, all our shots missing their marks as we each evaded the other.
“Goddamn it,” Jack shouted. “You are the fucking Kings and Elders! Get in there and stop this! If he hits her, he could kill her!”
And he did hit me right then as I paused, distracted by Jack’s words. I took a brutal blow to my ribs, feeling and hearing at least two crack as his foot connected. I choked in agony as he followed through, flinging me through the air. My right shoulder and head crashed against the rock wall, and my vision went to a black void of oblivion.
When I blinked my eyes open, I was lying on my stomach. I quickly re-positioned to my hands and knees at hearing footsteps pounding toward me, only to fall again as I screamed from the sharp stabbing in my ribs and shoulder, tears instantly flowing down my cheeks. But he didn’t care, grabbing my throat and jerking me into the air with one hand. I grunted a high-pitched sound as my body straightened out, and I instantly grabbed his wrist to take some of the weight off my neck.
My back was slammed against the wall as he growled, “I said to shut your fucking mouth.”
I gasped, pulling in as much air as I could, my cheeks wet. “And I said to kiss my ass.” I swung as hard as I could on the side he held me, which had left him open. My blow was just shy of its true mark because my ribs screamed at me, but I did land the punch well enough to hear and feel some of his ribs break, too.
Just returning the favor, bitch.
King Kincaid stumbled back, shouting and releasing me so that I fell to the floor again, my own agony-induced cry ringing throughout the room.
Elder Merrick was suddenly between us. “That’s enough.” His eyes were glowing with the command in his tone. “You two may be damn animals, but act like the fucking Rulers you are.”
I growled even as my head hit the floor, but unable to resist his command, being hurt as I was.
“Get over here and help her,” Elder Merrick growled at someone, catching King Kincaid as he started to fall. “And keep her quiet.”
King Venclaire was instantly next to me, kneeling beside my head. “How badly are you hurt?”
“Broken ribs and dislocated shoulder,” I murmured, blinking up at the ceiling where I could see a crack in it. I jerked my head at it. “Did King Kincaid’s body put that there?”
King Venclaire didn’t even look. “Yes.” His hands were roaming over my body before he peered away. “Get a medic in here fast before she heals like this.”