His Trouble Maker

Two minutes. That's how long they gave them to knock each other out of the circle,

Shit.

The fight rages on. My body’s on edge, every muscle twitching like it’s ready to leap into the fray, but | stay

rooted in place, eyes locked on the chaos before me.

Logan's breath is ragged, his chest rising and falling violently.

Con, Logan.

| can’t stop myself from muttering it under my breath, even though no one can hear it. Vex... Goddess, Vex is a

fucking monster. Logan ducks a punch, but Vex doesn’t give him tto recover. He lunges forward, landing a hit

square to Logan's ribs. The sickening crack is loud, and I flinch, my stomach flipping. Shit, that sounded like

broken bone.

Logan stumbles back, gasping for air. | always knew Logan wanted to be a warrior, but this is an unfair fight. Vex

is just too strong for him. | mean, Logan is fast as hell, but Vex is too damn large.

His body's already taken punishment-his lip split open, his ribs likely bruised—but his eyes? His eyes are locked

on Vex with a dangerous calm that sends a chill up my spine.

Vex charges, all muscle and aggression. His hands are like weapons, fists flying, aiming for Logan's face, his

chest, his ribs.

Bam.

Vex lands a hit on Logan's side, and | hear the sickening crack of bone. My breath catches in my throat.

Logan stumbles, his knee nearly buckling beneath him, but something flickers in his eyes-something darker.

Something stronger. He recovers in a heartbeat, his arms snapping up to guard his face.

Con, Logan.

The crowd is loud, but it feels like all the noise is muffled, distant. Everything insideis focused on what's

happening in that ring. Every strike. Every move. Every breath they take. It's only a matter of tbefore one of

them goes down.

Logan's struggling to get up, his hands trembling, and | want to scream for him to get up-please get up, Logan.

Don’t stop fighting. But | stay

silent. Watching. Waiting.

Vex’s shadow looms over Logan as he stumbles back to his feet, a smug grin spreading across Vex's face.

“What's the matter, pup? Running

out of steam?”

Logan's breath catches in his throat, and for a split second, | think he’s going to give up. | hold my breath.

Logan steps forward the, “Holy shit.”

| blink, almost not believing it..

His fist connects with Vex'’s jaw so hard | feel it in my teeth. The force of the punch reverberates through the air,

and for a split second, | see everything freeze. Vex’s head jerks back, his feet skidding across the dirt, his body

crashing into the ground with a heavy thud.

Before Vex can recover, Logan's already on him-fists flying like a hurricane, each blow faster, harder, more

vicious than the last. Bam. Bam.

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Chapter 47

Bam. Every punch lands with brutal precision, breaking through Vex’s defenses like they're made of paper.

70%

(23)

Vex tries to shield himself, hands coming up in a desperate attempt to protect his face, but Logan is

unstoppable. Bam! The sound of bone meeting bone. Crunch! The sick sound of knuckles slamming into flesh.

| watch, my heart hammering in my throat, my fists clenched at my sides. Yes. Yes.

Vex gurgles, blood spilling from his mouth as Logan drives him back, step by step, each punch stronger than the

last. His breath is ragged now, his eyes wild with pain, but Logan is a machine. Relentless. He doesn’t even seem

to be thinking anymore. His body moves on instinct, his rage carving through Vex like a blade.

One final blow.

Crack.

Vex's body goes limp, his head snapping back at an unnatural angle. His eyes roll back into his head as he

crumples to the ground in a heap.

Silence.

| hear nothing but the ringing in my ears, the sound of my own breath, shallow and ragged.

Logan stands over him, chest heaving, his fists still clenched like he’s ready to throw another punch-but there's

nothing left. He's breathing

hard, every inch of him bloodied and bruised.

For a second, everything is still. | stare at him, my heart pounding so loudly in my ears | can’t hear anything else.

His eyes meet mine across the arena, and there's something in them-something raw, something fierce-but it's

not victory. It's relief.

Relief that it’s over.

The crowd's eruption snapsback to reality. The cheers are deafening. Bodies press in from all sides, shouting,

clapping, hollering for the victor. But | can’t hear them-not really. | only hear the steady, broken rhythm of

Logan's breath.

I'm not sure who moves first, but I'm suddenly at his side.

“Logan,” Igasp, my voice rough from the adrenaline and fear that’s still coursing through me. | reach for him, my

hand brushing against his

arm. “You are you-?"

“Yeah.” He coughs, wiping blood from his lip with the back of his hand. His eyes flicker over me, and his lips twist

into something that might almost be a smile, but it's strained. “I'm fine.”

| don’t believe him. | can see the pain in his eyes, the exhaustion weighing him down, but | don’t push. Not now.

| want to say something-anything-but the words don’t come. So | just stand there, watching him, feeling the

blood rush through my veins, the raw energy still coursing between us.

| see Grayson'’s eyes onfrom across the arena. He's standing still, rigid, his gaze locked on Logan.

Before | can even process what's happening, | hear it. My name.

“Jessica Wilkinson.”

| freeze.

Everyone looks at me. My boots feel najted to the ground, but my legs start moving on their own. One step. Two.

The circle feels like a pit, a mouth waiting to swallowwhole. Logan's still there, just barely out of it, his fists

slack, face wrecked. He meets my eyes for a breath.

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11:16 Tue, 12 Aug.

Chapter 47

He doesn’t smile. Just nods.

“Kael.”

Fuck.

| whip my head toward the announcer like | misheard. | didn’t.

Kael steps forward like a wolf let off its leash-shirt off, arms slick with oil and sweat, his face already grinning like

he smells blood. Mine.

He's taller. Wider. Older. Muscles like stone carved by war. His knuckles are still raw from his last fight. There's a

cut over his brow, crusted with someone else’s blood.

The crowd roars.

J

| don’t hear them. | hear my pulse. Loud. Violent. Kael cracks his neck and steps into the circle with the kind of

confidence that says he’s done this before. Too many times. His eyes rake over me, and he actually laughs.

“Should be an easy fight, eh?” He spits to the side, wipes his mouth with the back of his hand. “Didn't know they

let little girls in.” He steps closer and | fucking swear, at the end of this day, I'm going to rip his head off.” Hope

you scream.loud.”.

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