Chapter 238

Alexander POV

Without thinking, I stepped forward, placing myself between Ella and Ironfang, my body a shield in front of her.

My eyes met Ironfang’s, and I knew that he could see the fear there and that he knew the cause of it.

The silence between us was thick with tension, and in that moment, the whole room seemed to freeze.

“You’re not touching her,” I said, my voice a low growl. My hands clenched at my sides, my knuckles white, but my stance was firm—I was ready.

Ironfang’s lips curled into a wicked smile, the knife in his hand gleaming in the dim light. “You’ve chosen her over your own blood, then,” he sneered. “You’ve made a mistake.”

Before I could respond, Ironfang lunged. The speed with which he moved was terrifying. His blade flashed through the air, aiming directly for my chest, but I was faster.

With a grunt, I sidestepped the attack, grabbing Ironfang’s arm mid-swing and twisting it with a brutal force. The knife clattered to the ground, but Ironfang was undeterred.

He was relentless, and the sheer ferocity in his movements made it clear that this wasn’t just a fight—this was a battle to the death.

I forced him back, moving us across the room as far as I could. I had to keep him away from the others.

Ella POV

The two men clashed, their bodies a blur as they grappled, each trying to gain the upper hand as they moved away from us.

Ironfang was older, stronger, and infinitely more experienced, but Alexander was driven by something more—something primal, a fire that I hadn’t seen in him before.

I stood frozen, my heart pounding in my chest. I had never seen Alexander like this before. His movements were calculated, precise, but there was a raw desperation behind them.

He wasn’t just fighting for his life—he was fighting for ours.

But in the chaos of the fight, Diana saw her chance.

With swift, nimble movements, she darted toward the door, her eyes flicking to me only briefly as she made her escape. But I couldn’t let that happen. Not now.

"Diana, stop!" I shouted, my voice sharp with a mix of fear and fury. I rushed forward, grabbing Diana by the arm before she could reach the door. “You’re not going anywhere.”

Diana snarled, her expression twisted with contempt. She spun around, trying to break free from my grasp. “Let me go, you foolish girl!” she hissed. “You have no idea what you’re dealing with.”

I held tight, my grip strong, but I hesitated to do anything more. I didn’t want to hurt Alexander’s mother.

Despite everything, I didn’t want to be the one to strike first, to cross that line. But Diana wasn’t having it. She lashed out, slapping my hand away with a force that sent me stumbling back.

“You’re just a pawn, Ella,” Diana spat, her voice venomous. “You think he sees you as family? You’re nothing to him. Nothing.”

She took advantage of me being off balance to strike, sending a punch towards my face.

I managed to block the blow, pushing her hand away at the last second, her knuckles brushing my ear. I straightened up and held my fists in front of me the way I had learned in my training at the gym.

“I am his family,” I said, my voice trembling only slightly. “I know who I am to him. You don’t get to tell me who I am.”

Diana’s laugh was cruel, ringing out through the room like a jagged, broken thing. “You really think you’re his family?” she mocked, stepping closer with a dangerous glint in her eyes. “You’re nothing but a pawn he has to protect. Your marriage is a sham. You’ll never have anything real.”

My hands clenched, my nails biting into my palms as anger surged through my veins. How dare she speak to me like that? Diana had no idea what she had just ignited inside of me.

“Don’t you dare talk about me like that,” I snarled, my voice low and dangerous.

I moved forward quickly, sending a jab into her stomach. She stumbled back on her heels, taking a sharp breath as the blow forced the air from her.

“It may have started as a sham, but I am his family. I am the one he cares for. And if you think for one second you’re going to tear that apart, you’re gravely mistaken.”

My wolf was ready to act. The threats and disrespect to our mate had brought her to the surface. Just like in the fight with David, I could feel that she wanted to take control It would be so easy to let her.

I could let myself go and allow her to tear into Diana, but this situation was too delicate. I had to keep my logical mind focused, no matter how difficult it was.

“You’re so naive,” she sneered. “You think he loves you?”

She kicked her shoes off then flew at me.

I had practiced sparring, but this wasn’t that kind of fight. Diana grabbed at my hair, lashed out with her nails.

I blocked and dodged, using every bit of my focus just to avoid her wild attack.

“You think he’ll choose you over his own blood? He’s the heir to the North, even a foolish child like him can’t deny that legacy forever. You’re nothing! And when the truth comes out, you’ll be the one left in the ruins!”

My stomach twisted with a sharp pang of doubt, but I pushed it aside. I wouldn’t let Diana distract me. I managed to land a powerful right hook to the side of her head, sending her spinning away.

She looked at me with rage in her eyes and I could already see that a bruise was starting to form under the red, irritated skin.

I kept my fighting stance firm and slowly moved closer to her, putting myself between Diana and Lexie.

This whole scheme of theirs was falling apart. This confrontation was a desperate attempt to undo all of the good that Alexander and I were doing. I wouldn’t let us fail now.

Still, there was something real in all that she was saying. Alexander’s reactions proved that. There was a greater truth about him that was just below the surface.

Suddenly, a shout interrupted our confrontation. The sound of steel clashing against steel rang out through the room.

I turned my head just in time to see Alexander and Ironfang still locked in brutal combat, their bodies moving in a deadly dance of strikes and counterattacks.

Alexander’s face was set in a grimace of determination, his eyes fierce with a fire that refused to be extinguished. But it was clear—he was struggling.

Diana saw it too.

Her eyes flickered from Alexander to the knife still lying on the floor, glinting in the light. I moved swiftly and stepped in her path before she could make a move to pick it up.

“You’re going to lose, Alexander,” she whispered, her voice dripping with malice. “He’s nothing but a traitor. He’s always been nothing to me.”

My blood ran cold. My instincts screamed at me to stop this madness before it was too late, but the anger surging within me—anger at Diana, at the situation, at everything—kept me rooted to the spot.

"Stay out of it," I said, my voice cracking under the weight of my fury. “Finish what you started with me.”

But Diana only laughed again, a hollow sound that echoed through the room like a funeral bell.

"You really are a fool," she said, her words venomous. "You’re nothing but a child in this game, Ella. And when you finally realize the truth, it will be too late.”

I gritted my teeth, every inch of my body ready to strike. I wasn’t going to let Diana win this. Not now. Not when everything we had fought for was hanging in the balance.