Rob considered for a moment before giving a sharp nod. “You’re on.” Even from where he stood, Daryl felt the excitement coming off them.
Nathan glanced at Luke and then Kev. “What about the others in your unit?”
Frowning, Rob cast a quick glance back at Kev. “What about them?”
“If we do this, will they still harbour a grudge?”
Rob gave Kev another glance, and Daryl caught the tiniest shake of Kev’s head. “No,” Rob said, facing Nathan again. “It’ll be over.”
“Good.” Nathan looked to Jason and Daryl for the first time since this whole thing started. “This okay with you two?” Jason settled down on his belly to watch, so Daryl did the same. Nathan took that for a yes, as intended. “You want to fight as human or wolves?”
Rob looked up at the moon for a moment before meeting Nathan’s gaze again. “As much as I’d like to feel my fist connect with your face, it’s the full moon. We should shift and let instinct have its way. Plus we’re stronger like that.”
Nathan raised his eyebrows.
Rob shrugged. “Less chance of causing a serious injury.”
Daryl didn’t fully agree with his logic there, but thick fur was probably better than delicate skin.
“Okay.” Nathan walked towards him and held out his hand. Rob stared at it for a second before clasping it. As they shook, Nathan said. “No going for the throat or anything life-threatening.”
“Agreed.”
They both stepped back a couple of paces, and Nathan nodded his head. “Let’s do this.”
One moment they were in human form, the next the air seemed to crackle and they both shifted.
Daryl inched forward to get a better view and to be closer if it all went to shit.
The two wolves circled each other, light brown tones against dark, teeth bared. Daryl felt his own lip curl back in response. They were both packmates, but he’d known Nathan for years; he couldn’t help but be on his side.
They both leapt at once, as though following choreographed instructions, meeting in the air with a thud that reverberated throughout the forest. Teeth and claws tried to inflict as much damage as
possible before they fell to the ground in a tangled heap. Neither went for the throat, thank fuck.
Nathan scrambled to his feet first, but Rob was quicker to catch his breath, darting forward and barrelling Nathan into the nearest tree trunk. Howling in pain, Nathan bit deep into Rob’s shoulder, hauling him off to the side so hard he skittered across the grass.
Back and forth they went, each gaining the upper hand before the other retaliated.
Blood splattered the wild grass, tufts of fur tumbled about in the breeze as the two wolves bit, scratched, and barged for all they were worth.
Daryl fidgeted as he watched, alternating between lying down, standing, and pacing, unable to keep still for more than a minute or two. His gaze flicked between Nathan and Rob and Luke and Kev, checking to make sure the other two weren’t about to jump in and interfere.
He didn’t look over at Jason. With the moon in his blood and the fight fuelling his excitement, the last thing he needed was to add Jason into the mix. Knowing he was there was bad enough. The tang of blood and scent of the wolves fighting filled the air, and Daryl itched to get involved, to let loose and expel some of this pent up tension he felt inside.
His mind helpfully reminded him of Jason’s offer of another way to relieve tension, and he snarled, shaking his head to get rid of it. He felt Jason’s eyes on him more than once, probably wondering what was going on with him, but he kept his focus solely on the wolves in front. Fur matted with blood and dirt covered Nathan’s back and left hip, while Rob had a nasty cut over his chest and had started to limp.
Still, they circled each other, but as Daryl watched, he noticed a distinct change in both of them.
Their stances were less rigid, the snarls lacking the ferocity of when they first faced one another. The attacks—still coming with the same regularity—were more glancing blows now rather than full-on assaults. They were either tiring or getting to the point where it was out of their system. Maybe a combination of the two. Whatever, it looked to be working, the animosity between them seemed to be disappearing with each hit.
Daryl stood and took a couple of steps towards them, sensing something was about to happen.
Nathan had Rob pinned to the floor, but when Rob kicked him off and scrambled to his feet . . .
he stopped. He stared at Nathan, chest heaving as his breath came in heavy pants. Nathan struggled to his feet on wobbly legs, staring back.
Someone needed to say the words, to end this, but with their wounds, Daryl didn’t think it wise for either Rob or Nathan to try and shift back just yet.
