-Valerio-
Octavia wasn’t holding back once she started to fight. She didn’t care that I told her to stop or that I was only evading her attacks, refusing to strike back. There was no way I was going to lay a hand on my mate, but she didn’t seem to share that hesitation.
Her determination to make me fight her was relentless. She kept coming at me, punch after punch. The crowd cheered with every blow she landed, thrilled by her fire, but I hated every second of it.
I couldn’t believe she had decided to go through with Zane’s twisted plan. This was insane, and I refused to be a part of it. Regardless, I knew why she was doing this—so I could live, so I could lead the pack. But she didn’t understand: if she died, I wouldn’t be able to focus on anything else. I couldn’t lead without her by
