CHAPTER 47Akira froze, watching Lord Ragnar slam against the wall and fall to the floor.

Her eyes went wide, her heart racing in her chest. She had heard Lord Ragnar call the beast his brother, but it seemed the creature wasn't extending him the same grace of brotherhood.

The strength he had used in shoving Lord Ragnar away and slamming him against the wall was enough to kill anyone who wasn't strong enough or didn't have a wolf to back them up.

The beast's ears twitched as Akira drew her feet forward. All she needed right now was to leap and run far away from there.

She didn't care if Lord Ragnar died or survived; in fact, she wished he would die from whatever injury he had just sustained.

It was not clear to her what his true motives were. Madam Estelle had yet to show up.

The beast’s nostrils flared as he sniffed Akira's scent. He slowly turned to her, and a very low, almost joyful growl escaped his chest. But Akira’s throat tightened at once. Staring at the beast, she was already saying her last prayers. Not even the goddess would save her if he decided to pounce.

She knew nothing about him, but from the furs, she could tell he might be carnivorous in this state.

With that, the beast struggled to move one of his feet. Once he looked down, he realized Lord Ragnar was holding down one of his legs, his grip relatively tight to prevent the beast from getting closer to Akira.

He stared down at Lord Ragnar, and a deep silence followed.

It was as if he regretted his earlier actions against his brother. He looked down at Lord Ragnar and said no words—just silence.

Seizing the opportunity, Lord Ragnar coughed, and it was blood. His grip on the beast's legs increased as he propped himself up, using his left hand to wipe away the blood dripping from his nose—apparently, the beast's massive forelimb had slammed into his chest when he tried to push it away.

Once Lord Ragnar stood up, he swallowed hard, biting down on his lips and trying to control himself, resisting the urge to transform into his wolf form.

Even in his wolf form, he wasn't a match for Grand Alpha Kaelen, but he knew he could stop him from touching Akira. His eyes narrowed as they met Akira's, and her body jolted into motion.

Her eyes locked on the exit, her heart pounding. Maybe just a few more steps, and she'd be out.

But before she could make a move, the beast swung again, this time shoving Ragnar out of the way. Ragnar staggered sideways but stood firm, blocking the beast's path. His massive body obstructed the way, and the beast growled again—this time very loud, more like a warning to his brother to leave his path.

Well, Lord Ragnar wasn't one to take orders from anyone, especially not from a beast that had gone feral.

He coughed and spat blood into the dirt, then stood his ground again.

"She's not your blood host, brother. We can get as much as you wish to have, but not this one," he told the beast, but it only growled and began to look over him.

Akira swallowed hard, her eyes darting from the door back to the two beasts standing in front of her. To her, Lord Ragnar was also a beast for bringing her here to be raped.

Her fingers clung tightly to the fabric that barely covered her shoulders. Lord Ragnar's rough tear had made her clothes almost useless. She wondered how everyone would look at her once they saw her, but that was a minor issue compared to the major one: leaving here alive.

Next, she took another step forward, her feet dragging over the floor. She didn't make it sudden, so the beast wouldn't notice.

But still, the beast's eyes tracked her every movement from the way her shadow moved in front of him.

His nostrils flared again; he was memorizing her scent and trying to claim it. Next, he growled again—a soft one this time, but still a warning—and saliva dripped down from his mouth.

Akira stood there, scared, though the door wasn’t far any longer. It was just a few breaths away if she bolted out right now.

Once the beast looked away, she tried again. Her toes curled against the floor; she was almost ready for a sprint. But then the beast snapped his jaw in the air, and her entire body froze immediately. It was tracking her every movement…….how was she supposed to escape?

If she moved, it might tear her apart. She still didn’t understand why the beast wanted her so badly.

Her eyes flicked toward Lord Ragnar’s fragile body standing in front of the beast, despite the injuries he had incurred.

“Run, girl!” he whispered. She could only understand by reading his lips.

The beast tilted his head, turning his focus back to Lord Ragnar, and before it could turn back to her, Akira bolted outside immediately.

Akira left in a frantic sprint. Once she got outside, she took the next route. She was twice as fast,her wolf helped her out, even if it had gone silent a while ago.

The instant Akira bolted out, the beast’s ears shot up. A loud growl erupted from his chest, and he moved to go after her, but Lord Ragnar spread his hands, obstructing the beast from taking another step forward.

The beast let out a loud roar—something primal, something more than his regular growl. His jaws split wide, strings of saliva flying as he snarled.

He lunged forward, but before he could move an inch, a pair of bloodied hands clamped hard against his forearm—it was Lord Ragnar.

He was bleeding, but he wasn’t ready to let his brother have the slave he had always wanted. With the last of his strength, he threw his body against the beast, his arms straining to hold him back while his face twisted in agony.

The beast growled, jerking forward and dragging Lord Ragnar along. Meanwhile, Lord Ragnar’s boots scraped against the floor, using every ounce of his wolf strength to resist the beast from going after the girl.

For seconds, he held tight; his veins bulged in his neck, but he refused to let the beast go.

After a while of struggle, the beast finally let out a furious roar before unwrapping Lord Ragnar’s hands and smacking him to the floor.