19:35 Tue, Jan 6 T\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Biker Alpha Who Became My Second Chance Mate\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 78\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cTrust him, Tristan whispered in my ear, his breath warm against my skin.ust that he knows when to stop.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
44%\u00a0<\/p>\n
As if he\u2019d heard those words, Orion suddenly pulled back from the killing blow. Instead of ending Daxon\u2019s life, he grabbed him by the throat and hauled\u00a0<\/p>\n
him to his feet like he weighed nothing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have ten seconds to start running,\u201d Orion said, his voice carrying across the beach with deadly calm that made my blood run cold. \u2018If I ever see you near my sister again, if I even hear rumors that you\u2019re in the same state as her, Iwill finish what we started tonight. And next time, I won\u2019t be feeling\u00a0<\/p>\n
merciful.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
2\u00a0<\/p>\n
He dropped Daxon to the sand where he crumpled like a broken puppet, gasping and wheezing as he tried to get air back into his lungs.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cRun, Orion commanded, his voice carrying all the authority of an alpha who expected immediate obedience.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Daxon scrambled to his feet and started stumbling across the sand toward the parking area, limping and clutching his ribs.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He looked exactly like what he\u2019d always been underneath all his manipulation and control \u2013 a coward who only felt powerful when he was hurting\u00a0<\/p>\n
someone weaker than himself.\u00a0<\/p>\n
One minute Tristan\u2019s arms were wrapped securely around me, and the next minute I felt his absence like a sudden chill. I turned around, confused by\u00a0<\/p>\n
his disappearance.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I followed his movement with my eyes and watched in shock as he intercepted Daxon\u2019s escape route. Without any warning, without any words, his fist connected with Daxon\u2019s jaw in a punch that looks like it carried years of suppressed rage behind it.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The sound of bone meeting bone echoed across the empty beach like a gunshot.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Daxon dropped to the ground, his body going completely limp as he hit the sand face\u2013first. He didn\u2019t move. Didn\u2019t even twitch.\u00a0<\/p>\n
A gasp escaped from my lips as I stared at the motionless figure, then up at Tristan who was standing over him with a satisfied smirk that sent chills down my spine. I\u2019d never seen that expression on his face before cold, calculating, almost predatory.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2013\u00a0<\/p>\n
I never expected Tristan to do something like that. And I was certain Daxon hadn\u2019t been expecting that punch either, judging by how completely he\u2019d\u00a0<\/p>\n
been caught off guard.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018I\u2019ve been wanting to do that for weeks, Tristan said, his voice carrying a sinister satisfaction that made my stomach flutter with something that definitely wasn\u2019t fear. \u201cYou don\u2019t touch her and walk away free.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
My hands started shaking as I stared at Daxon\u2019s still form, memories flooding back like a dam had burst in my mind. All those years of pain came rushing to the surface the times I\u2019d laid on cold floors begging for his mercy, the nights I\u2019d curled up in bathroom corners waiting for the bruises to heal, the mornings I\u2019d stared at my reflection and wondered what I\u2019d done wrong to deserve such treatment.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2013\u00a0<\/p>\n
But as the memories crashed over me, I realized something surprising. I did want him to die. Not like this, unconscious on a beach without even understanding why he was being punished. As much as he\u2019d hurt me, as much as he\u2019d stolen from me, I didn\u2019t want his blood on my family\u2019s hands.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When I looked over at Orion, I caught a small smile playing at the corners of his mouth. He was looking at Tristan like a proud father watching his son take his first steps. Like he\u2019d expected Tristan to do exactly what he\u2019d done, like hey\u2019d planned this whole thing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Like he\u2019d never intended to let Daxon just walk away.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou killed him,\u201d I whispered, my voice shaking.\u00a0<\/p>\n
|||\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u0433\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\/2\u00a0<\/p>\n
19:36 Tue, Jan 6 T\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 78\u00a0<\/p>\n
44%\u00a0<\/p>\n
Orion was already moving toward me, his arms wrapping around me in the miliar comfort I\u2019d relied on my whole life. Meanwhile, Tristan grabbed Daxon\u2019s lifeless form by one leg and started dragging him across the sand like he was nothing more than driftwood.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI really wish I had, sweetheart, Tristan said without looking back at us.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The casual endearment made my stomach do a little flip despite everything at was happening. Even in my shocked state, even while shivering from adrenaline and old trauma, I couldn\u2019t stop my body from reacting to the way he called me sweetheart like it was the most natural thing in the world.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I turned my face away from Orion, hoping he wouldn\u2019t notice the blush that ad appeared on my cheeks. But when I glanced at him, he wasn\u2019t looking at me anyway. His eyes were fixed on Daxon\u2019s form with an expression that suggested he was seriously considering finishing what he\u2019d started.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Then his attention shifted back to me, and his whole demeanor changed. He moved me away from his chest and held me at arm\u2019s length, his eyes scanning my face and body like he was looking for injuries.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cAre you okay? Did he hurt you?\u201d The concern in his voice was so intense it made my throat tight.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I shook my head quickly. \u201cNo, he didn\u2019t touch me. You got here before\u2026\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cGood,\u201d Orion said, pulling me back into his embrace. \u201cI promise you, Athena. He will never hurt you again. Never.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
I melted into his familiar warmth, drawing comfort from the steady beat of his heart against my ear. But part of me couldn\u2019t help wishing those protective arms belonged to someone else. Someone whose voice had just called me sweetheart and made my knees go weak.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLet\u2019s get you home,\u201d Orion said, his hand moving to my shoulder as he guided me toward the parking area.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When we reached the cars, Tristan was already waiting beside his motorcycle I could see a large, still form in the trunk of Orion\u2019s car and quickly looked away. I didn\u2019t want to think about what they were planning to do with him, whether he was unconscious or worse.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m going home with Tristan,\u201d I said, surprised by how steady my voice sounded.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Both men looked up at me with identical expressions of shock. I knew they were expecting me to want the comfort of family tonight, to need Orion\u2019s protection and Sarah\u2019s mothering while I processed what had just happened.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I caught the disappointed look that crossed Orion\u2019s face and felt a stab of gut. I knew he wanted to spend time with his sister, wanted to take care of me the way he had always wanted to, since our parents died.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But not like this. Not when I was broken and shaking and reminded too muc of the girl who\u2019d ran away and returned broken.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2018I\u2019m sorry,\u201d I said, my voice barely above a whisper. \u201cBut I don\u2019t want Lily and Liam to see me this way. I don\u2019t want them to see this weak, broken\u00a0<\/p>\n
version of their aunt.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Memories Drifted Into Soft Silence by Kyx Frost 78 19:35 Tue, Jan 6 T\u00a0 The Biker Alpha Who Became My […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[77],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26235","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-second-gear-of-love-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26235","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26235"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26235\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26235"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26235"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26235"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}