Chapter <b>205 </b>


    Julian’s POV


    “May I have your attention please,” Rafael said into a microphone, gaining the attention of the crowd and the fighters, Roman and me. He stood at the center of the balcony, in front of what looked like a throne.


    I had to look twice when I realized the person next to him was Amber.


    She came.


    I didn’t think she would, with how angry she’d been about this challenge. I’d been hoping she would, but <b>I </b>


    hadn’t thought to hope she might.


    Yet here she was.


    “She’s here for me,” Roman said, loud enough for me to hear.


    I red over at him at the other side of the ring.


    “For this challenge,” Rafael continued, “Try not to kill each other. And for the sake of the audience, we would prefer you not shift into your wolf forms until at least the three minute mark. A bell will be rung to


    indicate when that three minutes has passed.”


    Try not to kill each other. Such was the harshness of the werewolf world. Sometimes death just happened, and everyone had to be ready for it. But I wasn’t going to be the one who died today<b>, </b>not with Alice waiting for me back at the hotel. And I wasn’t going to kill Roman either.


    As pissed as I was at him, as much as I wanted to bring him down, I wasn’t going to kill one of Amber’s friends, especially right in front of her.


    This man was an asshole and a half, but I was permanently indebted to him for what he had done for Amber after that ne crash. He saved her life, helped her pull herself back together, and helped set her on her path of being such an influential Healer.


    I couldn’t hate him, even though I really wanted to punch him.


    But then, of course, was the issue of him being a professional fighter. Gods knew if I’d actually be able to win this fight. I wasn’t feeling confident at the moment, at least not as confident as I had felt earlier.


    There was nothing to be done about it now.


    Instead, I had to focus on my rage, tapping into that possessiveness I tried to keep a lid on. What had


    Roman said? Amber was here for him?


    Like hell. Amber was mine.


    Rafael turned off the microphone. Roman and I both stepped into the ring. A bell chimed, indicating the


    start of the fight.


    For a moment, Roman and I simply circled around each other, moving slowly, as if trying to take in the measure of the other.


    Roman was older than he’d been in that video, but he still clearly took care of himself. The muscles on his arm were thick. He had a boxer’s build, stocky but solid.


    I was muscled too, but taller, with longer limbs. I hoped that meant my wingspan was longer. If I could punch him without his reaching me…


    No, I didn’t think I was that much taller. Any time I would try to throw a punch, I would leave myself open.


    Roman kept his gaze on my face, but I could see the way he tensed whenever I moved. He was focused on my face but studying the rest of me too.


    He was fighting like someone trained for this.


    And I was running scared. I couldn’t keep this up. The only way to win was to be bold, to let the rage take


    hold of me.


    To my disgust, I allowed myself to think of the moment Roman kissed Amber. How it made me feel, the way my stomach twisted, my anger spiked…


    If I lose this fight, he will try to do that again. I couldn’t let that happen. I had to protect Amber.


    I had to protect my family and my future.


    Blinking, red filled my vision as my rage finally flooded through me.


    Roaring, I rushed forward.


    My wild strength met with his tempered endurance.


    He blocked every punch, but did so with a grunt of exertion. I kept the blowsing, not giving him any chance for recovery, hoping not to give him any openings.


    But then, he dodged, and one of my punches went wide.


    Like a precision strike, hended a hard blow right to the side of my rips. I swore, I heard a crack as I flung to the side. I hit the ground hard, rolled some, but pushed back up to my feet.


    The crowd roared, but it sounded somewhat muted, like I had blood in my ears.


    Roman hadnded the first punch but this was far from over.


    This would only end with one person knocked out or surrendered. That person wasn’t going to be me.


    <b>It </b>couldn’t.


    I spit out some blood and rushed back it.


    Amber’s POV


    I knew watching this fight was going to be heart wrenching, but that knowledge still hadn’t prepared me for actually being here, actually watching as Julian tried tond punches on Roman, only for him to block


    one after the next.


    And then, worse, when Romannded punches of his own, each one hitting Julian with enough force to cause him to stumble backwards.


    The fight wasn’t over, things weren’t lost yet. But it was clear Julian was on the losing side.


    If things continued like this, he was going to be seriously hurt, werewolf healing or no.


    Rafael grinned, leaning forward. His chosen side was Roman, and he could see the victory like a shark would detect blood in the water.


    I couldn’t just sit back and allow this to happen. But what could I do? I was all the way up here, and I wasn’t any fighter.


    But then… maybe there was something I could do.


    Julian was acting wild, and as he was taking hits, he was losing his already scattered focus.


    If there was something I could do, something to motivate him into pulling himself back together.


    Did he think he was going to lose, just as everyone else did?


    Maybe what he really needed was for someone to believe in him.


    That someone could be me.


    No. That someone was me.


    I stood up from my chair, gripped the railing, and inhaled a deep breath.


    “What are you doing?” Rafael asked.


    Ignoring him, I screamed, “You can do it, Julian! Kick his ass!”


    A silence fell over everyone, even the crowd, as everyone looked up at me.


    But I didn’t care about them. I only cared about Julian, I only saw him as he looked up at me too.


    Even at this distance, I felt something pass between us, an understanding. He had to know now that I was on his side. I was cheering for him, depending on him to win.


    As he lowered his gaze away from me and back to his opponent, he spit on the ground, adding more


    blood to the battlefield of two.


    Then, roaring, Julian tore forward again with renewed force and speed. He caught Roman off–guard and


    finallynded a blow, punching Roman straight across the face.


    Roman stumbled back, his hand going to his cheek in surprise.


    Rafael looked at me. “Are you sure you know what you are doing?” he asked.


    In truth, no. I didn’t have a clue. But if all I had to do was believe in Julian, then I would do it. “I do,” I lied,


    and hoped Julian would win.