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Grant landed beside Kryder and pressed a foot on his neck. Very quietly, he said, “So is using a blade in a dominance fight. Now let me explain how this is going to go. You’re going to break the bond with the pack. If you do, I’ll let you live. If not, I will shatter your neck with my foot and damn the consequences. Do you understand me, Kryder? Your reign is over.”
“Fuck you.”
Grant turned toward the gallery. The sound of the Meldorin wolves shouting cheers for his victory was the sweetest noise he’d ever heard. He called out, “Kryder will break the bond now. Is that what you want as the wolves of the Meldorin pack?”
The wolves shouted, even screamed their cries of blessing. Howls erupted with more shouting. ‘Alpha Grant’ filled the arena over and over.
After several minutes, Grant patted the air and the wolves’ cries and howls lessened little by little.
When they were quiet once more, he repeated, “Kryder will break the bond and he’ll do it now.”
A hush fell over the arena.
Grant heard the thud of his heart pounding in his ears. He recalled every beating he’d taken, at least two of which had put him at death’s door.
Kryder struggled against the containment net, but the field held him immobile. How many times had Kryder used this net against his own people? How many betas had he killed in dominance matches? How many young female or male Meldorin wolves had he tortured and raped?
Tonight, it ended for good.
When Kryder made no move to break the bond, Grant spoke with Ryan. Move the net away from Kryder’s upper shoulders.
It’s done. You can walk a path around the top of his head if you want. We pulled the net away from his dislocated shoulder as well. He won’t be able to move that side of his body.
Grant walked slowly around the top of Kryder’s head. When he knew he was well away from the net, he positioned his foot once again on Kryder’s neck only this time so that he could feel several vertebrae.
“Fuck you,” Kryder said again. By now, he had to be breathing sand.
Grant had no problem at all putting more pressure on the delicate bones that connected the spine to the skull. For a difficult moment, all he wanted to do was finish the job he’d begun, to keep adding pressure until Kryder’s eyes bulged, his body flailed, and he screamed. He wanted to feel Kryder go slack because of a crushed spine and neck.
He wanted Kryder dead.
But as he added pressure, he felt the pack bond begin to dissolve. It felt like a water valve had been turned on within his chest. As the bond leaked out of him, his wolf-connection to Kryder began to diminish. On and on the sensation continued until all the water had poured out and the valve closed against Kryder permanently.
So it would be with the entire pack.
He removed his foot.
Kryder lifted his head and took a deep struggling breath.
Grant levitated until he faced the wolves of the Meldorin Pack. He shouted, “Are you free?” Tears burned his eyes.
“Yes!” The word came back to him in a roar.
A howling began, long and loud.
Grant threw back his head and let his own howl join the sound of his brothers and sisters. He howled and howled. There was nothing to stop him because Kryder was pinned safely beneath the net.
He heard Natalie’s wolf howl as well. He saw her iridescent colors flying in a circle around his feet.
On and on the pack howled.
He was sure the universe had stopped its motion, pausing to rejoice that a great evil had been undone.
He howled until he was hoarse. The pack responded in kind, howling louder still.
Kryder’s men started to breach the railing intent on taking Kryder out of the sandpit, but Grant called to several of the pack’s most powerful betas.
Before Kryder’s men could get more than a few feet past the railing, they were being hauled back. Two and three men took each of Kryder’s soldiers and carried them swiftly out of the building.
