Chapter 127

Chapter 127 You’re mine, Doris.

William grabbed Joseph by his arm and forced him to face him. He moved so fast, Doris barely had time to register what was going on and realized it was too late when she did.

“Calm down!” Joseph held up his hands, but William didn’t calm in the slightest. He looked close to a beast even without having to shift. She saw the murderous glint in his eyes and the growl on his lips-he was close to losing it. 1 “William ”

“What were you asking her a minute ago?” William asked through his teeth. They all knew he had overheard exactly what Joseph had asked her. He was just daring him to repeat it. Doris silently wished he wouldn’t.

“I… I just noticed she was unhappy here—”

William hit Joseph so hard in the face, it was a miracle he didn’t snap his neck from the impact. Blood poured from his nose almost instantly and dripped down his chin. “If I see you come near her again, I will rip your throat out.” William said with his hold tightening on Joseph. 1 “You don’t own her.” Joseph gripped William’s shirt and shoved him back, staining him with his blood. It was obviously the wrong thing to say, Doris tried to intervene but William was faster. 1 William grabbed Joseph by the front of his shirt and yanked him back towards him. He punched him in the face over and over until she could barely see the color of Joseph’s skin. Doris tried to pull him off Joseph, but it was as if she was doing nothing. He didn’t move an inch.

“Stop! You’re killing him!” Doris yelled. Her voice was so small compared to their sounds.

William’s face was sprayed with Joseph’s blood, it was horrifying. Doris begged her inner wolf to give her some sort of strength, and she obliged almost instantly.

Doris shoved William back with the help of her wolf. He dropped Joseph and staggered a little, looking at her in complete disbelief. Joseph was—thankfully-still alive, but he looked close to passing out. Doris kneeled next to him and hesitated. Where could she touch that wouldn’t hurt him? It looked as if he was bleeding from everywhere, the snow around him was painted a dark red.

“Are you okay?” Doris said gently. She glanced up to see William with a wild look in his eyes. He clenched his bloody fists and glared down at Joseph as if he was ready to unleash even more of his rage if he said another word. Doris prayed that he kept his Duris. mouth shut if he knew what was good for him. William was not one to be taunted, not even a little.

“I—“ Joseph coughed up a round of blood, she rubbed his back a little when she didn’t know what else to do. Were his insides bleeding out too?”I’m sorry, Doris.”

Joseph laid his head back into the snow and closed his eyes. For a terrifying moment, Doris swore he had just died. When she saw his chest rise and flow steadily, she let out a breath of relief.

“Did you want to go with him?” William asked tensely. Doris took a handkerchief out from her pocket and started cleaning the blood off of Joseph’s face. She was going to need a lot more than a small cloth to clean him.

“Of course I didn’t, William! I can’t believe you would even ask me something like that!” Doris said helplessly. She stood and pointed at Joseph. “Look what you did to him! They’re not going to start trusting you if you act like a complete animal to their people!”

“I don’t care what they think of me! They would laugh if I died right this second, I have no concern over them.” He growled and neared her. She was proud of herself for not cowering away, especially when she saw the look in his eye.

“You should start to care if you want them on your side.” Doris said calmly. She reached up to wipe some of the blood off his face. “You can’t go around killing them when you’re angry.”

“He wanted to take you away from me. Why didn’t you tell me about him?”

“I completely forgot that he existed when I saw you, William.” Doris whispered. Beneath his angered gaze, she saw a bit of vulnerability that she wasn’t used to seeing on him. Doris caressed his cheek gently. “It would be impossible for him to steal me away from you.”

William turned his head and kissed her palm, but his brows were still furrowed in anger. She wanted to smooth her thumb across his brows to make it disappear forever. Doris glanced back down at Joseph and sighed.

“We need to help him, the last thing you need is for him to die because of you right before the blood promise.” Doris bent down to try and finish cleaning him, but it only seemed to make it worse.

William bit his wrist and pushed it up to Joseph’s mouth almost as if he couldn’t stand it. He offered him two drops, but no more. It didn’t matter, it seemed to be more than enough. She could already see his wounds close just seconds after he moved away from his body.

“Will he be okay?” Doris asked.

“He’ll be fine in a few hours. He might have a bad dream or two, but he’ll be fine.” . William said bitterly.

He turned and left towards the trees. Doris could only guess that William would be the star of Joseph’s next hundred nightmares after this.

“Where are you going? We can’t leave him out here to freeze!”

“I’m getting Patrick. Stay here.”

Doris narrowed her eyes at his back and went to kneel over Joseph again. She tried not to replay the scene of William’s jealousy exploding right in front of her. She didn’t think she had ever seen him so jealous-expect perhaps the night he had gotten drunk because his brother became engaged to his ex lover.

Doris itched at the mark on her neck and pushed the thoughts out of her mind. It didn’t matter if his still harbored feelings for Lady Grace. After they returned to the palace, she would be freed and they would part ways. 1 Their love affair was passionate and hungry, but she knew better than to expect more from him. Even if he got so dangerously violent at the very idea of her leaving him.

Why did it—why did she feel a strange flutter inside her stomach? She was not supposed to be turned on by something like that.

“It’s your wolfish part of you.” Cordelia spoke up in her mind, making Doris flinch . “We like it when our men get possessive and angry at the idea of another man wanting us. William can’t help going feral for you, he thinks he owns you.”

Doris snorted. “No one owns me. It doesn’t matter if he’s our mate, he doesn’t own us.”

“You still liked it when he got violent, Doris. Don’t pretend you don’t.”

Doris ignored her wolf and tried not to glance at Joseph’s injured form.

“What the hell happened?”

Doris turned to see Patrick and William standing over Joseph. He shot a glare at William as if he didn’t even need an answer. Doris sighed as she stood and neared them.

“We had a bit of a disagreement.” William said through his teeth and matched Patrick’s glare. “I need you to take him somewhere so he can heal. Try not to get noticed by the others.”

Patrick snorted and rolled his eyes to the sky. “I had hoped for one evening without bloodshed. I suppose with you, that’s impossible.” “I didn’t bring you out here to hear you complain. Get him out of here before someone notices.” William growled.

Patrick threw a look at Doris and she only shrugged. He sighed, “Well, at least he’s not dead.”

He leaned over and hauled Joseph up over his shoulder with a grunt. Joseph wasn’t overweight, but he was still a tall man. “Try not to get into any other disagreements before your blood promise, William. I don’t want to have to find a secret room to fill with bodies.”

“You’re hilarious.” William grumbled and watched him leave. Doris started to kick around the bloody snow, but it was no use.

“Someone is going to see this eventually.” Doris said. William glanced down and kicked at the snow as well.

“With all of the war between the rogues, I doubt they’ll give it a second glance.” He shoved his hands in his pockets and glanced down at Doris. Her eyes flicked to his mouth and she had to hold herself back from kissing him.

William gripped her chin and forced her to look up at him. He pressed a little harder than usual. “You are mine, Doris. You understand that, don’t you?”