READER CHALLENGE: YOU'RE ALMOST THERE! We got over 50 votes yesterday - THANK YOU! So there will definitely be two chapters posted tomorrow. If we can get another 50 reader votes TODAY (between 9am this morning - Los Angeles time - and 9am tomorrow) I will add the other two for a total of 4 chapters TOMORROW NIGHT. That will let you read all the events surrounding Aaryn's confession in one day! CAN YOU DO IT?

*****

ELRETH

"I don't think you understand—" she started.

Dargyn shook his head. "No, you don't understand. If you go after him you put the power back in his hands and he doesn't deserve it."

"Power to do what?" she said, not giving him space as he crowded her, though she suddenly wasn't so excited about being close to him just then.

"You don't have to win Aaryn back," he said, his gaze fierce. "I know you're mad. You should be. He shouldn't have done that. It was disrespectful and… and it shows that he's just selfish. So… don't go after him. Make him come after you. And make him pay."

Elreth pulled her head back. Dargyn wasn't usually so aggressive. "Any conversation I have with Aaryn won't be about paying for this. It'll be… I need to understand—"

"Do you? Isn't it enough that he did it? That he was willing to do that?"

Elreth folded her arms, torn between defending Aaryn to Dargyn, and wanting to attack him herself. "This is a huge decision, Dargyn. And I didn't warn him. If he has a good reason—"

"What reason could possibly justify him hanging you out like a bleeding pelt in front of the entire City like that?"

"I wouldn't say a bleeding pelt—"

"Well, what would you call it? I don't know what's wrong with you females sometimes, putting up with shit like this—"

"Perhaps if you let her finish a sentence, you might gain more insight, Dargyn?" His familiar voice was cold and quiet and Elreth startled. She whipped around to find Aaryn standing at the top of the back stairs.

Her mouth dropped open. But Dargyn growled.

*****

AARYN

He'd realized after a couple hours that he couldn't let her be the one to come after him. He had been the one to betray her—he needed to go to her. To offer the chance to speak. If she told him to leave, well… he could handle it. He thought...

He'd swallowed hard and begun the trip back to the market where he knew they would still be celebrating.

But he hadn't been able to stomach the idea of the looks and questions he'd receive—not to mention anger from the other Outsiders. That was a conversation he would think about tomorrow. So he snuck through the forest, avoiding the trails so he wouldn't meet others, creeping silently through the forest to the back entrance of the market where a small set of stairs led directly to the stage.

But when he stepped through the door and started up the stairs, he almost didn't speak up. He almost turned on his heel and left when he found Dargyn standing toe-to-toe with Elreth halfway across the stage, both of them speaking quietly—and passionately.

Then he'd seen Elreth pull away from him—not moving her feet, because she would not give ground. But everything in her body language recoiled. She did not like what she was hearing—and as he crept closer, he realized Dargyn wasn't letting her tell him why.

"…could possibly justify him hanging you out like a bleeding pelt in front of the entire City like that?" Dargyn snapped.

Elreth bristled. "I wouldn't say a bleeding pelt—"

"Well, what would you call it? I don't know what's wrong with you females sometimes, putting up with shit like this—"

Aaryn had heard enough. "Perhaps if you let her finish a sentence, you might gain more insight, Dargyn?" He stood casually, but left his hands loose at his sides so he could move quickly, and let every ounce of his disgust for the male bleed into his voice.

Dargyn had no right to stand over her like that—and less to keep interrupting her when she spoke. And not just because she was Queen. It was common decency.

Elreth whipped around, clearly surprised to see him. But Dargyn growled and the fire in Aaryn flared to life.

Before the male could even speak, Aaryn stepped up onto the stage and moved into his space. Dargyn was of a height with him, but they both knew Aaryn was a far more experienced fighter. And his skills had been honed since he was an outcast cub.

To his credit, Dargyn didn't back away, but held his ground. His eyes burned, though.

"You growl at me, Dargyn?" Aaryn said, very low and through his teeth. "You challenge me?"

"I challenge the way you embarrassed the Queen," Dargyn muttered. "I challenge your right to speak into this conversation when you fled like the coward you are, with your tail between your legs."

Gwyn appeared, whispering in Elreth's ear, but Aaryn wasn't taking his eyes of Dargyn, who, it appeared, had finally grown a pair of balls.

The cub needed to understand who he was dealing with.

Aaryn pressed in closer, until their noses almost touched and let himself feel his strength, his determination. Let Dargyn feel it too. Then he snorted—a universal sign of disgust at what he was smelling—and Dargyn's eyes widened slightly.

"Go sober up, cub," he growled. "There's an adult conversation to have here, and it doesn't include you."

Dargyn eyes narrowed and his lips pulled up on one side. "You're just scared because she's actually attracted to me."

Aaryn's heart stuttered and the temptation was there to look at Elreth, to see if she'd heard. But he could hear her whispering to Gwyn and prayed she was distracted enough to have missed it. But even if she hadn't.

Aaryn pulled himself to his full height and unleashed the hunter within him that savored blood and sought death. If only he could shift… but it was enough. His scent carried his dominance.

Dargyn's nostrils flared and fear entered his gaze as Aaryn snarled, "Not one thing about you frightens me, Dargyn. Not. One."

The females had gone silent, but Aaryn couldn't let himself look anywhere except at Dargyn who was wavering, but—to his credit—fighting the urge to submit.

"Do I need to show you that I mean it, welp?" Aaryn hissed.

Dargyn sneered and broke away to face Elreth. He didn't submit. He still bristled with the challenge. But as the one who broke eye contact and gave space, everyone knew who had won.

Aaryn let himself smile.