Page 15 of Rejected By a Wolf
Without turning around, Antonio gripped his friend’s hand. “If you’re going to try convincing me to leave, it’s too late. The contract is already signed and it’s binding.” There was no getting him out of these games now.
“With blood magic, I know.” Simply hearing someone sayblood magicwas chilling enough. He never wanted to meet one of those rare witches who wielded that power. “I’m not here for that. I’m here to support you. You’re the most skilled fighter in the Payne clan. I know you’ll win this, but I’m going to have to ask for one thing, though. Let’s call it payment for the services I will be, uh,providing.”
Antonio glanced back at his friend, shooting him a puzzled look. “And what services will you be providing?”
As usual, Lance was beaming, his long hair almost as wild as Antonio’s. “Every good competitor needs an enthusiastic fan. I’m here to support you from the stands.”
“You’re not going to miss Annabelle?” Antonio mentioned Lance’s vampire mate. The two of them didn’t ever separate for long. Antonio longed to have a connection like theirs. Thankfully, he would soon, his happiness was right around the corner.
“Will I miss her?Absolutely.But there’s no way I’m missing this. Now, in regard to my payment…”
“I can’t wait to hear this.” Antonio didn’t try to hide his sarcasm.
Lance’s grin vanished. “I want to ask her why.”
Antonio knew Lance was talking about Giselle, but he didn’t understand what it was that Lance wanted to ask her. “Why what?”
Lance, his expression unusually grim, said, “Why she thought it was okay to break my friend’s heart.”
Chapter Nine
Sophia Brenning
“Uhhh,” Sophia groaned against her pillow as if that would take away the pounding in her head.Hangover. That’s exactly what she was feeling, and she most certainly deserved it.
Sophia was not someone who drank alcohol often. She never had time to.
She certainly found the time last night. With her emotions running at an all time high, she couldn’t think of a better way to drown out her sorrows than with eleven brew. Now she was regretting it.
Throwing on her typical outfit - fitted yet flexible tanned pants and a matching tank top - she ventured out of her room in search of something to eat, which she desperately needed.
The outside sun greeted her with a light so blinding her ears began ringing.Too bright. Too fucking bright.
“Ah, the dead finally wakes.” Conall was leaning against the wall beside her door, his blonde hair reflecting far too much sunlight for her right now.
“Very funny.” Sophia typically met with Conall and Cauladra every morning at sunrise. She might’ve been a bit late to wake up today. “Don’t tell me you’ve been waiting for me all this time.”
“No, we haven’t,” Cauladra answered. “We came here earlier but there was no waking you up. Our coming back now was just goodtiming.”
When Sophia’s eyes finally adjusted, she could see the two of them standing in front of her, the open sea behind them. They were both clad in armor. The thought of training made Sophia want to puke. “There’s no way I’m training today. I don’t want to overwork myself,” she declared, beginning to walk down the path and toward the palace’s wing that held the kitchen. “If I wasn’t so hungry, I wouldn’t even be up yet.”
Sophia gave everything she possibly could when it came to training over the last few decades. Passing on one day wasn’t going to make it or break it for her. Tomorrow, she’d see if all her training was worth it.
It either was, or it wasn’t. She had high hopes that it was, but if she said she wasn’t scared she’d be lying.
Conall broke out in laughter. “We’ve been telling you not to overwork yourself for decades! Now you decide to listen to us?”
Sophia shrugged. If it wasn’t for her hangover, she’d probably be on the training field right now.
“Oh, shut up,” Cauladra scolded her brother before telling Sophia, “We heard you had quite the night. It’s probably best that you rested up today anyway.”
Sophia cocked her head in Cauladra’s direction, surprised that they heard about her night. The only person who could have told them anything about it was Casper. She couldn’t help but wonder what exactly it was that he told them.
Trying not to sound too curious she asked, “What type of night did you hear I had?” It was a simple enough question.
“Heard you went feral,” Conall was still laughing.
Sophia’s eyes widened and her surprise caused her to slightly lose her footing, though she didn’t stop walking forward. She was too hungry to stop.