Chapter 173: Episode 172: Let's not do this here.

Onyx got mad. He decided to throw hands right then and there.

“What do you mean? Why would I care about that?” Onyx shouted.

He stepped closer to his twin brother. His hands curled into tight fists. The thick leather of his gloves creaked under the strain. He hated the soft pity shining in Axel’s blue eyes. He didn’t want anyone feeling sorry for him. He was a fierce Northern warlord. He commanded respect. He didn’t need his brother treating him like a fragile, broken toy.

Onyx took a deep, angry breath to yell again.

He froze.

The cold mountain wind blowing through the broken window brought a mix of heavy scents straight into his nose. He smelled the sweet, milky scent of Rue’s rabbit blood. It was intoxicating. But it wasn’t alone.

He smelled dark smoke. He smelled old magic and warm earth. That was Drax.

Then he smelled sharp winter pine. He smelled freezing snow and wild woods. That was Axel.

The scents didn’t just hang loose in the cold air. They clung tight to Rue’s pale skin. They were woven deep into her silver curls. They sank right into the soft green wool of her dress. The male marks were heavy, fresh, and undeniable.

His brothers marked her. They claimed her.

Onyx felt a sick, violent twist deep in his gut. His silver eyes blew wide open. The wild wolf inside his chest slammed against its mental cage, howling in pure agony. The magical mate bond tied him to her, but his own blood got there first.

His jaw dropped. He pointed a shaking finger at his twin.

“You two already fucked her?!” Onyx roared.

The loud, harsh words echoed off the stone walls. They bounced around the cozy nursery, ruining the quiet peace of the room.

Rue gasped.

Her pink eyes flashed with fierce, instant anger. She didn’t cower. She didn’t shrink away from the loud, angry wolf. Her motherly instincts flared hot and bright. She shifted her grip on little Seika, holding the sleeping baby secure against her chest. She reached her other hand out and covered Theron’s tiny ears.

“Don’t you dare,” Rue hissed. Her voice shook with pure rage. “Don’t use such crude words when the children are here. This is a nursery. You’re acting like a wild animal.”

Onyx flinched. The sharp scolding hit him harder than a physical blow. He opened his mouth to argue, but the words died in his throat.

Rue didn’t wait for his excuse. She didn’t want to hear it. She refused to let her babies listen to a messy, violent argument. She looked at Drax and Axel. She trusted them. She knew they’d handle the angry intruder.

She turned her back on Onyx. She nudged Mochi toward the hallway. She guided Theron out of the room, carrying Seika away from the chaos. She walked right out the door, leaving the three brothers alone in the cold nursery.

The heavy wooden door clicked shut.

Silence.

The room felt small. The air grew incredibly thick. The three massive warlords stood perfectly still, sizing each other up.

Onyx stared at the closed door for a long second. Then he snapped his freezing silver gaze back to Axel. The heartbreak in his chest turned into raw, boiling hatred.

“You touched her,” Onyx growled. His voice sounded like rocks grinding together. “She’s our fated mate. The magic chose us both. But you didn’t wait. You couldn’t share. You just took her like a greedy dog.”

Axel didn’t back down. The white wolf stood tall. He crossed his muscular arms over his chest.

“She’s not a piece of meat,” Axel shot back. His blue eyes burned with a fierce, protective fire. “I didn’t take anything. I earned her trust. I kept her safe while you hid on a freezing mountain feeling sorry for yourself.”

“I was protecting our king!” Onyx yelled. He pointed a sharp finger at Drax. “I stood by his side. I kept the shadows away from his peak. I did my duty.”

Axel let out a bitter, mocking laugh.

“Duty?” Axel sneered. “You call that duty? You abandoned our pack. You left the North to rot. You played the loyal little shadow for Drax, while I bled in the snow.”

Onyx bared his teeth. A harsh snarl ripped out of his throat.

The old wounds ripped wide open. The argument wasn’t just about Rue anymore. It was about decades of deep, untreated trauma. It was about twin brothers who forgot how to trust each other.

“You couldn’t lead a pack of blind pups,” Onyx spat. “You always wanted the glory. You always wanted the crown. But you couldn’t handle the cold. You ran away to the swamps the first chance you got. You’re a coward.”

Coward.

The word hit Axel right in the jaw. The playful, arrogant smirk vanished from his face. His wolf instincts flared up, matching Onyx’s raw fury.

“I stayed,” Axel snarled, taking a heavy step forward. “I fought the border wars. I buried our dead. I kept our family name alive while you followed him around like a lost pet. You never supported me. You never once stood by my side when it mattered.”

Onyx felt the blood rushing to his head. His vision blurred with red rage.

“I’m standing here now,” Onyx whispered.

He didn’t wait for a reply.

He threw the first punch.

His fist cut through the cold air. He put all his wild, feral strength into the swing. His knuckles collided with Axel’s sharp jaw with a sickening, heavy crack.

Axel stumbled backward. His heavy boots skidded across the woven rug. He hit the stone wall hard, shaking the hanging wooden shelves. A small carved toy fell to the floor and shattered.

Axel tasted copper. He wiped a smear of dark blood from his split lip. A dark, terrifying smile spread across his face.

“Big mistake,” Axel whispered.

Axel pushed off the wall. He launched himself at his twin. He tackled Onyx right around the waist. The two massive wolves crashed to the floor. They rolled across the rug, knocking over the wooden crib. They smashed into the heavy changing table, splintering the thick oak legs.

It was a messy, brutal brawl. They didn’t use magic. They didn’t shift into their beast forms. They just used raw, bloody fists. They punched, kicked, and clawed at each other. They destroyed the cozy nursery in a matter of seconds.

Onyx landed a hard blow to Axel’s ribs. Axel retaliated with a sharp elbow to Onyx’s nose. Blood sprayed across the floorboards. They grunted and snarled, fighting like feral street dogs fighting over a bone.

Drax stood near the broken window.

The Dragon King watched them tear the room apart. He watched them smash Rue’s carefully placed furniture. He smelled the fresh blood soaking into the rugs.

His dark eyes narrowed. His patience vanished.

Drax didn’t yell. He didn’t try to reason with them. He didn’t care about their old Northern trauma. He only cared about keeping his mate’s house clean and quiet.

He moved.

Drax stepped into the middle of the bloody scuffle. He didn’t dodge their swinging fists. He didn’t care if they hit him. He reached his massive hands down. His thick fingers clamped tight onto the back of their leather collars.

He gripped them hard.

With one smooth, terrifying heave, Drax lifted both grown men straight off the floor.

He hauled them up into the air, suspending them by their tough clothes. Axel kicked his legs, trying to find his footing. Onyx thrashed, swiping a bloody fist at empty air. They looked like two angry, misbehaving pups caught by the scruff of their necks.

Drax pulled them close. His face was a mask of cold, deadly fury. Thick black smoke leaked from his nose. The heat radiating off his skin threatened to set their leather armor on fire.

He glared at them both.

“Let’s not do this here.”