My Second Chance Mate is a Barbarian (Sera and Fenris) novel Chapter 200

Sera

I looked at her in genuine surprise. Yvara hated my mother. She had treated her like an animal during the extraction. And yet, she defended her honor. I realized then that Yvara wasn't defending Irina, the woman. She was defending the Volkov Crown. Her loyalty was a clinical, absolute thing. She respected the rank, even if she despised the mother of the person holding it.

Torin groans, clutching his jaw. He didn't try to get up. He stayed in the dirt, sobbing quietly.

Fenris let out a low, guttural grunt. He crossed his arms over his chest, his eyes fixed on me. "He is right about the risk, Sera. I would enjoy watching him scream until his lungs gave out. I would take pleasure in the mess. But I cannot gamble the throne on your mother’s word. She is a coward. Cowards lie to stay relevant."

He let out a heavy breath, the sound carrying a weary weight. "I would cut down anyone who stands against me. I would paint this mountain red if I had to. But I am willing to take a different path. For you."

I looked at him. The bond was a warm, pulsing tether between us. He was deferring to me. The Alpha of the North was handing me the choice.

I looked at Yvara. She scoffed, her lip curling in a sneer. "Why do you always have to resort to violence?

"You're one to speak," I snapped at her.

Yvara looked at me for a heartbeat, then turned her head away. She didn't offer an apology. She didn't need to.

I turned my attention back to Torin. He was staring at me, his eyes wide and watering. I saw the tiny flicker of hope starting to bloom in his expression.

"Sign the paper," I said. My voice was quiet.

Torin scrambled to the wooden stool. He didn't waste time now. He grabbed the quill and scratched his name across the bottom of the parchment. He signed with a frantic, messy hand, the ink splattering across the wood. He finished the last letter and looked up at me, the quill still gripped in his shaking fingers.

"There," he gasps. "It's done. I signed it. I witnessed it."

I reached out and took the parchment. I blew on the ink to dry it, then rolled it into a tight cylinder. This was my insurance. This was my shield.

"Sera?" Fenris asked.

I looked at Torin. "Yes," I said. I gave a single, slow nod. "We're letting him live."

Torin’s eyes went wide. A sob of pure, hysterical joy broke out of his throat. He dropped his head to the stone, weeping openly now, his shoulders shaking with the force of his relief.

"Are you sure?" Yvara asked.

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