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It wasn’t like he had much choice. Derek was on him, leaping from behind in another cheap move. He tried to bite down on his nape but caught only a mouthful of fur as Mason was able to whip him off his back and send him tumbling.
Then, Derek was on him again. The second time, he tried to grab him by the tail and was slightly successful. It stung, the sensation running up his bones like a live wire. Mason spunaround and chomped at him, catching some of his fur. It was enough to make Derek release.
Mason spat out the horrid fur. Derek scrambled before him, back onto all fours, with a vile smirk on his sharp wolf face.
I didn’t know you were such a cheap fighter, Mason said in his mind.
It’s not cheap. It’s resourceful. You were never good at that.
They charged at one another head-on, slobbering with their lips drawn back to reveal their serrated fangs. When they collided, Derek briefly gained the upper hand, teeth sinking into Mason’s left shoulder. He felt a searing, white-hot pain and dropped to escape his grasp.
Derek went for him again, launching himself onto his former alpha’s body. Mason managed to roll out of the way. As he did, he rolled into a pool of blood and spotted the separated limbs of one of Derek’s men. He was staring up into the sky, having returned to his human form in death.
It satisfied him, but where was Ash? The petrifying thought was distracting enough to allow Derek to slash at his face, leaving a thin, pink cut. He howled, then leapt to his feet. Blood leaked into his mouth, the copper taste staining his tongue.
Get ready to meet your maker,Mason said, snarling.
You are proving my point! You are completely useless!
Mason went for him again, the shifter who was once his dear friend and closest confidant. He expected Derek to use a cheap maneuver, so Mason outsmarted him using his agility and overall strength.
Instead of colliding, he flipped over him, sailing in the air like an acrobat. Derek was thrown for a loop, jumping into nothing but fog and landing on the cold, hard ground.
Mason took his chance. It was something that had to happen.
He landed on top of Derek, then hooked both paws beneath his back. The whites of his eyes swallowed the pupils as Masonyanked upwards, cracking his neck with a sound so visceral that it resembled the splitting of a coconut. He let his head fall forward, planting itself onto the ground for good.
Mason scanned the meadow. The sight of the henchmen lying motionless was satisfying, but he needed to see Ash. His heart galloped in his chest. His enforcers emerged victorious, but where was his mate?
He began to howl. His body got weak, images of her lifeless body plaguing his vision. He started to run when he heard a glorious sound … her howl echoing back to him.
It was the undeniable howl of his mate.
He sprinted to her. Somehow, she ended up on the opposite side of the meadow. He saw her limping in his direction, her leg pouring ruby-red blood like a fountain.
Her opponent lay dead, torn up, and maimed on the forest floor. When they got close, he nuzzled her, whimpering.
I’m okay, she said.
That mother fucker. He really got you. Can you walk alright? Let’s get back to the vehicle.
She hobbled next to him, and they gathered his enforcers. There wasn’t a sliver of him that felt a loss for his beta … to him, he was a traitor and may as well have not existed at all.
Once they got to the van, everyone shifted, and Mason climbed into the backseat with his mate. She looked a little pasty, but her eyes continued to glow, a tired look of pride on her face.
He wrapped her leg in a bandage, and they headed toward the pack clinic. She was going to be okay, but he hated to see the blood. She lay in his arms as they drove, and he stroked her hair tenderly.
“What happened to Derek?” she asked sleepily.
“I had to end it,” he said. “He was a traitor and wouldn’t give in. He blindsided me in more ways than one. I can’t believe I didn’t know what he was doing.”
She reached up a hand to his face, and he kissed her palm. Her skin was cold to the touch.
“You are a great alpha,” Ash whispered. “Trust me. You are amazing.”
Her eyes began to flutter, and she fell into unconsciousness. Mason yelled for Jeff to step on it.
With his mate in his arms and pain in the past, the Alpha looked forward to his future.
