His wolves weren’t the threat. Huxley was. I had to get rid of him first, and then Shade would be safe. I snapped my jaws, but he shook his head as a dark chuckle rumbled from his chest.
“Shade won’t be able to save you this time,” he spat. “It’s alpha versus alpha now. May the better wolf win.”
He smirked as he dove into the air, shifting before his paws hit the ground.“Keep everyone back,”I instructed my soldiers through the mind-link.“This is between Huxley and me.”
He lunged, and I tried to twist out of the way, but I wasn’t fast enough. His claws dug into my back leg, slicing open my flesh.
I grunted as I hopped away but refused to show any sign of distress. I wouldn’t give him or any of his wolves the satisfaction of knowing they’d caused me pain. I could heal a scratch, but I couldn’t afford for my focus to waver.
We circled each other, our soldiers forming a rough ring around us as they barked and yipped their encouragement. He growled, and I bared my teeth.
Then he leapt at me a second time, but this time, I met him head-on, ramming my skull into his muzzle. He yelped, taking a step back to recover, but I dove on top of him, raking my claws down his back. They left bloody tracks down his spine as he skittered away from me.
He went for my tail, but I tucked it in, remembering what occurred at the challenge. I nipped at his ankles as he ran by, clipping one of them and snapping the tendon. He limped past, dragging the leg behind him.
I attacked again, taking advantage of his injury. I leapt on top of him, wrapping my jaws around his head. My teeth punctured thesides of his skull as I bit down. I heard the crack of bone breaking and tasted blood, but even that did nothing to slow him down.
He flailed beneath me, bucking me off. As soon as I landed, he turned and kicked sand into my face, temporarily blinding me. He jumped on me, his jaws closing around my throat as his teeth began to sink into the thick fur around my neck.
He shook his head like a rabid dog, and I could feel my flesh tearing open. I knew this would be the end if I couldn’t get out of this hold quickly. I couldn’t let that happen. I couldn’t fail my mate.
I sank my claws into the space where his shoulder met his torso, yanking them away with so much force, I nearly ripped his arm clean off. He released me, and I tackled him, taking us both down to the ground.
We rolled over the blood-soaked grass, both of us gravely injured but neither willing to give in.
I closed my eyes as I felt my strength waver, picturing my Shade.This is all for her. Even if I don’t survive this fight, I’m going to take Huxley down with me. Then she’ll be safe. That’s all that matters.
Huxley clawed at my chest as I bit into the flesh around his neck, blood gushing into my mouth. I clamped down, shaking my head and hoping I tore his throat out before he managed to rip my heart out.
Suddenly, the door to the pack house burst open. A shaggy gray wolf leapt off the porch, her white eyes blazing as she sprintedtoward us. I kicked Huxley away, calling out to all my wolves through the mind-link.
“Get clear! Run! Now!”
Shade threw back her head and howled, the woeful, earth-shattering sound ripping through the atmosphere with a force unlike anything I’d ever experienced before. It tore through my body, pain radiating through my chest as the strength of it threatened to crush the life from me.
I scrambled away to put some distance between us, shifting and covering my ears as if it would somehow help.
Shade stalked toward Huxley, her otherworldly gaze pinned on him as she stood directly over him and howled in his face. He convulsed beneath her, his body twisting unnaturally until it suddenly lay still.
Alpha Huxley was dead.
Shade’s jaws snapped shut as soon as he stopped moving, a shocked silence taking place of her cry.
I swayed, my vision wavering as I watched my mate stumble toward me. I ached all over, the last of my strength gone as I collapsed.
Shade shifted, crawling on her hands and knees until she fell next to me. She reached out, her hand shaking as it brushed against mine.
I could see tears streaming down her cheeks like twin rivers of endless sorrow. I wanted to wipe them away, to tell her it was all going to be okay, but all I could manage was to thread my fingers through hers.
No. I need to hold her.
Darkness danced along the edges of my vision as I pulled myself toward her with agonizing slowness.
If this is it, then I’ll die holding my mate. I’ll go happily If I can have her in my arms one last time.
It took everything I had to drag my body to hers, but I wrapped my arms around her just as I started to lose consciousness. The scent of cherry pie filled my senses as my eyes closed.
She’s safe. It’s finally over.
