Caden’s POV
The mont I said it, I knew there was no turning back.
I saw it in his eyes.
Whatever control Cane had left snapped right there, and it was like sothing else took over completely, sothing that did not recognize , sothing that did not care who I was to him.
His body tensed, his shoulders pulling tight, his chest rising faster as his breathing turned rough and uneven.
Then he moved fast.
His fist ca straight at , and I did not block it this ti.
It landed hard across my jaw, the impact forcing my head to snap to the side as pain shot through my face instantly.
I staggered but stayed on my feet.
That was the plan.
I was not here to fight him.
I was here to take it.
"Cane!" I called out, trying to reach him, trying to break through whatever was controlling him.
But he didn’t hear .
Or he did, but it didn’t matter.
He ca at again.
This ti his hit landed directly in my ribs, and I felt sothing shift painfully inside as the force pushed back a step.
I gritted my teeth, forcing myself to stay grounded.
"Co on," I muttered under my breath. "Get it out."
Another hit.
This ti to my shoulder.
Then another.
Each one harder than the last.
Each one faster.
He wasn’t holding back at all.
And I wasn’t stopping him.
Because if I fought back, if I pushed him the way he was pushing , this would turn into sothing worse.
He needed to burn it out.
He needed to exhaust whatever was taking over him.
Even if it ant I took every single hit.
He lunged again, grabbing my shirt and slamming back into the wall.
The impact sent a sharp pain through my back, but I didn’t react.
I grabbed his arms, holding him there just enough to keep him focused on .
"Stay with ," I said, my voice firm even though my body was already starting to feel the damage.
He growled again, low and aggressive, his face twisted in anger that wasn’t fully his.
"I said fight back!" he snapped, his voice rough and breaking between words.
"I’m not fighting you," I replied.
That only made it worse.
His eyes darkened further, and he drove his knee into my stomach without warning.
The air left my lungs instantly, and I bent forward slightly, a painful groan escaping before I could stop it.
He didn’t give ti to recover.
His hand grabbed the back of my neck, pulling forward as his fist slamd into my side again.
Pain spread fast, sharp and deep, but I forced myself to stay upright.
"Is that all you’ve got?" I said, even though I could already feel blood at the corner of my mouth.
I knew how he worked.
I knew what would keep him focused.
Anger.
Push him.
Make him use it.
Make him burn through it.
His expression twisted further, and he shoved back hard, sending crashing into the table behind .
It broke under the impact.
Wood cracked, pieces falling around us, but I pushed myself up imdiately, not giving him space to shift his focus.
"Co on!" I shouted, spreading my arms slightly. "You wanted this, didn’t you?"
He didn’t answer.
He just ca at again.
This ti, his fist slamd into my face again, and I felt my lip split as blood filled my mouth.
I tasted it.
Felt it.
But I didn’t stop.
I didn’t step back.
I stepped forward instead.
Right into him.
I grabbed his arm as he swung again, holding it just for a second before letting it go, not stopping him, just slowing him down enough to keep him from completely losing direction.
"Stay on ," I said, my voice lower now but still firm. "Don’t turn away."
Another hit.
Another impact. Each one taking more out of .
My body was already starting to give in places.
My ribs hurt every ti I breathed.
My vision blurred slightly when he hit too hard.
But I stayed. Because if I didn’t, he would go after soone else.
And that couldn’t happen.
He drove his fist into my stomach again, harder this ti, and I dropped to one knee for a second, my breath coming out uneven as pain spread through .
"Get up!" he growled.
I let out a rough breath and pushed myself back up slowly, wiping the blood from my mouth with the back of my hand.
"I’m right here," I said.
That was all it took.
He grabbed again, slamming into the wall, his grip tightening as he tried to overpower completely.
His strength was increasing. Was that how freaking insane the Gravemaw bite was?
It was pushing him beyond his normal limits.
And that made this worse. Much worse.
"You’re losing it," I said, trying to keep his focus locked on .
"I already lost it!" he snapped back as he gave another hit.
This ti across my cheek.
My head snapped again, and I felt sothing warm run down my face.
Blood.
A lot of it.
But I didn’t care.
I straightened again, forcing myself to look at him directly.
"You’re still here," I said.
"No," he growled. "I’m fücking not you bastard! Fight back!"
He shoved again, harder this ti, and I stumbled back, my leg hitting sothing broken on the floor, throwing off my balance for a second.
That was all he needed.
He lunged again, tackling to the ground.
The impact knocked the air out of again, and before I could recover, his fist ca down hard against my side.
Then again. And again. Each hit heavier. Faster. More brutal.
I gritted my teeth, my hands gripping his arms, not to stop him, just to hold on, just to keep him grounded to .
"Cane..." I muttered, my voice strained now.
He didn’t respond. He just kept going.
My body was starting to give in fully now.
Every hit hurt more. Every breath felt harder.
But I refused to push him off.
I refused to fight back.
Because this was the only way.
"Listen to for fuck sake!" I forced out, grabbing his shirt and pulling him slightly closer.
For a second—Just one second— His eyes flickered like he heard .
But then it was gone.
Another hit landed, harder than the rest, and I felt sothing crack.
Pain shot through my ribs, sharp and imdiate, and I couldn’t hold back the groan this ti.
That was bad.bReally bad.
But I still didn’t stop.
"Co on..." I muttered, my voice weaker now but still there. "You’re not done yet..."
He hesitated for half a second. Then his grip tightened again and I knew this wasn’t slowing down anyti soon.
I needed help. I couldn’t do this alone much longer without my wolf snapping and lunging out.
I kept holding onto him, taking the hits, keeping him focused on as much as I could, but at the sa ti, I reached out through the link.
["Gunnar," I called, my mind straining as I forced the connection open.
There was a slight delay.
Then his voice ca in—
"What is it?" his voice ca through and rough like I had disrupted him in the middle of sothing.
"Hurry," I said, my thoughts uneven but urgent. "Cane is in danger." I said " I don’t know how much longer I can hold him like this."
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