Chapter 290: Protector
Just then Nick, who had heard about the case and had been on his way there, arrived to find Viola being dragged away from Zoe’s penthouse. He immediately stepped forward and grabbed her arm protectively, planting himself in front of Javier.
"What the hell, bro? What do you think you are doing? How could she have killed Ember?" He demanded and Zoe hurried to his side and nodded quickly.
"Nick is right, Viola didn’t do anything to Ember. I was there and saw everything that happened. Ember came here to bully me."
"Oh look who has decided to show up, my long lost brother, a fucking loser who doesn’t know when to keep his useless self out of important matters." Javier taunted, moving closer to his brother who was still holding Viola’s arm. "This has nothing to do with you, little brother, so step away from the criminal."
"It has everything to do with me because she is my best friend. You know me, if you touch my people, you touch me. I have stayed out of your way all this time, but I won’t let you take her to the first-level dungeon," Nick said, tightening his grip on Viola before turning to her.
He had overheard whispered conversations from his colleagues that Viola was going to be taken to the first-level dungeon, and he had run here with everything he had to try to stop it, because not even people with wolves survived that level of torture, and many criminals were pronounced dead even before their public sentencing.
Nick could never allow her to be taken anywhere near that place. He tightened his hold on her again and turned slightly to reassure her over his shoulder.
"I won’t let them take you away. Stay close, Vee."
Viola, who hadn’t seen Nick in a long time, looked at him and at the protective grip he had on her arm. She knew exactly what happened to people accused of crimes like hers, and she was also aware of what the first-level dungeon held for criminals.
It was every werewolf’s nightmare, and she was no exception, because she hadn’t even been sent to Moonwillow’s first-level dungeon when she was suffering there, not to mention Silver’s first level. The thought of it and the fear of the horrors inside combined made her instinctively move closer to the person trying to protect her from it, but she was immediately yanked back by the warriors.
"Don’t you fucking pull her!" Nick reached out to hit the warrior who had jerked Viola away from him, but his brother quickly grabbed him and pulled him back as well.
"Aww, little brother has a thing for taken women, doesn’t he?" Javier taunted with a smirk, watching Nick’s grip on Viola while also referencing his old feelings for Sofia. "Unfortunately, she will face her death this time and join that fucking cousin of mine. If I could forgive her, I would have gladly handed her over to you. Now step away!"
All traces of humor drained from Javier’s face as he gave the warning.
For a very long time he had been looking for a way to make this wolfless pay for humiliating him, and it seemed she had walked right into his hands again. This time he had all the power he needed to not only deal with her but take her life, and before he did, she was going to tell him exactly what witchy power she had used on Ember.
But first he needed to deal with his loser of a brother.
"Step aside." Javier warned Nick again but he held his ground without moving an inch.
"Tell your men to let her go." Nick said.
Javier ran his fingers through his silver hair slowly, and then without warning he turned and slammed his fist into Nick’s face, sending him stumbling back away from Viola. "When I speak, you fucking listen to me, little brother."
Viola’s worried eyes went to her friend on the floor, who was already pushing himself back up and still hadn’t let go of her hand, and not wanting him to take another hit because of her she yanked her hand free and told him quietly, "Nick, it’s all right. I will be fine. Don’t interfere."
If he kept interfering when not even the Beta had stepped in, he would only get himself beaten for nothing when there was no changing the fact that she was going to be arrested. It was better if nobody else got hurt because of her.
"No, you won’t be. He’s going to kill you!" Nick yelled, tears glistening in his eyes as he looked at her blue eyes that tried to stay calm despite everything he could see she was feeling underneath. Everybody was afraid of first level dungeon.
"He won’t," Viola said, allowing them to take her.
As she was pulled away, she forced a reassuring smile toward Zoe, who was crying and looking between Matt and Nick as though silently begging one of them to do something. But Viola knew there was nothing either of them could do. Only her husband could stop whatever was coming for her now.
And she had a feeling he wouldn’t allow her to be sentenced if he returned in time.
As the warriors dragged her away, Viola’s eyes lifted toward the moon’s reflection, and she prayed silently for Sebastian to come back in time, because as much as she had suffered before, she still wasn’t looking forward to more pain.
As the men dragged her away, Javier turned to his brother who was standing with his fists clenched and his chest heaving. "Next time be a real man, do something worthy with your life, and maybe you would have been important enough to stop me." He patted his back and then turned to Matt. "Come with me, Beta. We need to prepare the execution grounds because it seems these two may be involved with witches or something far worse."
Before Matt followed, he turned to Zoe who was gripping his sleeve and blinking hard against tears. He put his hand over hers. "I will try to delay any hasty sentencing until he comes back. I will do my best to lessen any punishment in the meantime. Dry your eyes. Don’t cry." He used his fingers to wipe her cheeks gently and patted her head before he turned and followed the men taking Viola and the unconscious Laila away.
Zoe hurried to Nick who was still on the floor, glaring heatedly at his elder brother’s back. "He is going to kill her..." Nick said, his fingers balling up at his sides. "He hates her that much. And I am going to fucking kill him." He jerked his hand away from Zoe’s reach and left, wiping the blood from his nose, and Zoe was left alone in the hallway hugging herself as she watched him disappear around the corner.
"Nick!" she called after him.
He didn’t turn once.
Zoe stood alone in the empty hallway, her worries for everyone she cared about mounting alongside her helplessness, and she began picking at her hair as she whispered into the mind link her brother always kept shut at this time of the month,
"Hermano, you have disappointed me time and again, please don’t disappoint me this time around and hurry back. Vee needs you. I need you..."
