Soren - POV

Alaric’s fists came flying at me. I dodged, narrowly avoiding the blows, and retaliated with a sharp kick to his gut. He staggered back, gasping for air, but recovered quickly. The exchange between us was savage—punch after punch thrown with reckless fury. A few of mine connected with his face, snapping his head back, and a few of his landed on me, stinging my ribs. I was done playing games.

With a calculated strike, I swept his legs out from under him, sending him ...