Chapter <b>204 </b>


    Amber’s POV


    “I think they are all idiots,” I said into the phone. “It’s not about favorites.”


    On the other end of the call, Annaughed. “Challenges aren’t for the faint of heart but –”


    “Anna, the winner has to walk away from me,” I said. “The winner gets to pursue me romantically.”


    “So… who do you want to win?”


    “Neither! I don’t know!” I sucked in a breath, trying to calm my fraying nerves. “I don’t want things to be


    decided this way.”


    “Tell me what’s been going on,” Anna said. “Maybe what you really need is an objective third–party


    perspective.”


    As my best friend, Anna was anything but objective. But as I started to tell her what had been happening, I found that I couldn’t stop. Eventually, after an hour, she had the full story of everything that happened after our leaving the clinic I shared with Anna, from Olivia’s attack to Julian and me sleeping together to Roman kissing me to now this ridiculous challenge…


    “So you want Julian to win,” she said simply.


    “I’m furious at him for agreeing to this,” I said.


    “Yeah, but it’s done now. You said no one is backing off, so it’s time to take sides. Even if you want to stay out of it, your heart has already decided. You don’t want Roman. You are mad at Julian but you don’t


    want to reject him.”


    I slumped down onto the couch in the living room and rubbed my fingers over my forehead. I had a


    headache brewing.


    “Everything about this is soplicated,” I said.


    A smile in her voice, Anna said, “Amber, if you didn’t wantplicated, you would have settled for Roman a long time ago. Your heart has never been with the easy answer. You were always holding out for


    something more.”


    “Julian has always been the worst choice,” I said.


    “Yeah, probably,” Anna said. Her tant honesty startled augh out of me. Gods, I was d she called. I really needed my best friend right now. I had been spiraling in my own thoughts, caught in an endless downward slope. Anna could take my thoughts and put them all in perspective.


    Things wereplicated. They didn’t have to be, but they were because I chose them to be.


    Anna was right, I could have picked Roman years ago, and we would have had a quiet simple life.


    But I hadn’t. Again and again, I ran away from him and straight to the man that made everything moreplicated, more difficult.


    But part of why it was soplicated was because I loved Julian so damn much.


    Yeah, most days it seemed like all we could do was hurt each other, intentionally or no. But in truth, I was only hurt by him because my feelings for him were so raw.


    The truth was so in to see, when Annaid it all out like this.


    There wasn’t even a contest here of who I wanted to win this fight.


    “I think you need to be more open with your feelings for both men,” Anna said. “Stop ying nice. Look inside of yourself and trust your heart. What does it tell you?”


    My heart, as it had always done since I met him, whispered Julian.


    “What a nightmare,” I grumbled, dreading the fight toe. “What do I do if he doesn’t win?”


    “He’ll win,” Anna said. “If he knows you believe in him.”


    I wasn’t so sure, but maybe there was something to those words.


    Unfortunately, the fight was that night. Julian was likely already at Rafael’s, preparing, and we wouldn’t have time to talk beforehand.


    “What do I do?” I asked Anna, because I was so confused, so lost on my own.


    Sheughed a little, warmly. “You already know, Amber. Just stop fighting it.”


    I couldn’t do anything until Gail arrived to watch Alice.


    “No television, please,” I said.


    Gail smiled. “I wasn’t nning on watching the fight anyway.”


    I nodded, thanking her, when she touched my arm.


    “Go,” she said. “Go get him, and don’t let go.”


    That surprised me and I looked into her face. Her smile was warm, her expression soft.


    Did everyone know which of the two I wanted to win? Was I the only one who had been kept in the dark?


    Alice gave me a hug then. “Please cheer for Daddy,” she said, then scurried off before I could scold her for talking about the fight again. I wouldn’t have though, not this time.


    I didn’t want her to associate her father and Roman with violence, but I couldn’t be mad at her for siding


    with Julian.


    After all, that was what I was about to do.


    I drove my rental car to Rafael’s estate. By the time I arrived, there were cars parked all along the road and across his frontwn. Not caring if I blocked anyone in, I drove right up to the front door and parked my car in the middle of the driveway.


    Rafael must have been alerted that I wasing when I was spotted because he was out of breath when he personally met me at the door.


    “Amber, you arete.”


    “I thought about noting.”


    “Don’t be ridiculous,” he said. “You are the guest of honor. Please,e with me.”


    He started walking and I hurried to keep up with him, not wanting to be left behind. When I saw he was leading me to the balcony that overlooked the courtyard, I said, “Wait. I want to talk to Julian before the fight.”


    “There’s no time for that,” Rafael said. “He and Roman are already almost ready.”


    Rafael led me out to the balcony which had totally transformed since the party the other night. Now, there were seats in a long line, facing the balcony. Two chairs were slightly lifted above the rest and looked the mostfortable. They were currently empty, but that was where Rafael was leading me.


    “Rafael,” I said more firmly. “I really need to talk to Julian.”


    “No time,<i>” </i>he said again. “Look and see for yourself. The fighters are at the ring. The challenge is about to


    start.”


    Moving to the stand up on the small stage, I could clearly see down into the courtyard, and the makeshift ring assembled there. Roman and Julian were both there, on opposite sides, just outside the clearly


    marked circle.


    Both men were dressed to fight, in exercise shorts and tank tops. They were barefoot, with their knuckles


    wrapped with white tap.


    Roman was steady, calmly stretching, while Julian seemed more energetic, shuffling as he threw


    punches into the air.


    Behind them and around the ring, hundreds of people were standing, ready to watch.


    ncing up, I saw the camera crews standing at windows and at the far end of the balcony. As expected, this was being broadcasted.


    The crowd was already cheering, with warring chants of Roman and Julian’s names. Then someone


    loudly screamed, “Go Mad Wolf<b>!</b><b>” </b>


    <i>” </i>


    Beside me, Rafael chuckled. “Little Alpha Julian might be over his head in this one,” he said, delighted. “ No wonder you wanted to talk to him, sister. I imagine you wanted to talk him out of this before he could get hurt.”


    That hadn’t been what I wanted. I knew there was no going back now.


    But, from all the way up here, how was I ever going to be able to talk to him? To tell him he was the one I


    wanted to win?


    Had I missed my chance?