What if they only worked together to get to this point?
What if one – or both of them – plans to take out the other?
In fact, the longer I watch the battle, the more I start to think it’s every wolf for themselves out there. They nip and bite and scratch at each other so quickly that I struggle to follow what’s happening.
And then Tessa starts looking bad. The red on her fur spreads, and Lex claws at her neck. Suddenly, she stops fighting. Lex turns to Nash and snaps at him, then tries to go for his throat, too. Nash darts out of the way and they tumble again.
Lex and Nash are going at it when Tessa begins to wobble on all fours, then she falls and shifts back to her human form. A couple of pack members run to her and pull her from the fighting area. I can already tell her wounds are fatal and as evil as she might be, I hope the wolves are able to make her last few minutes as bearable as possible.
I can’t watch her right now, though. I turn back to Nash and Lex, anxious to see what happens. They’re fighting and snarling, rolling around on each other. Somehow, Nash manages to pin Lex and bites him. Lex protests loudly, shrieking and howling. The sound of a wounded animal shoots to my heart, killing me.
This is it.
This is the end.
For a brief moment, I wonder if Nash will show him mercy, but I know that’s not an option right now. This was a fight to the death and everyone knows it. If the Alpha can’t even end a fight correctly, how will he run a pack?
“Go in peace, my brother,” Ryder whispers the words, but they hang in the air as I look away. I could barely stand to watch him fight. I can’t watch him kill Lex.
Ryder wraps his arms around me and holds me tight until it’s done, then he lets go.
“Go to him,” Ryder says. “Nash is going to need you.”
Eleven
Nash
The fight is over almost as quickly as it began, and Red is back in my arms. I hold her close, ignoring the way the other wolves are carefully moving the bodies of our two pack members.
I killed them.
I killed two wolves.
And I’d do it all again in a heartbeat if I had to.
“You,” I say to Aunt Germaine, who is hovering around, making sure I’m all right. “Find old Thomas.”
“I’m right here,” Thomas says, shuffling forward. The old wolf is, in fact, pretty fucking old, but he’s in good shape for his age. As a wolf he’s still sprightly and lean. As a man, he’s a bit slower, but still has remnants of the strong, youthful wolf he once was.
“I want to mate Red.”
“Nothing’s stopping you, son.”
“No. I want to be mated to her. Now. Today. I want our mating ceremony now. Can you do it?”
“Of course I can,” Thomas looks pleased.
“But her dress!” Aunt Germaine protests.
“I think we’ve spent long enough worrying about a stupid piece of fabric,” I say. “I don’t want to do anything else before I know Red is mated to me for the rest of our lives.”
“Hey,” she protests lightly, but I can tell she doesn’t really mean to argue.
“Baby, I need you. I love you. You scared the hell out of me when you ran.”
“I know,” she admits, tears streaming down her face. “I scared me, too. I’m sorry, Nash. I’ll never run again. Ever. Not from you.”
I grab her and pull her close, kissing her deeply, then turn back to Thomas.