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The two wolves were currently circling each other. They weren’t fighting—but they had been.
Evangeline focused on her mate. Mud covered his side. Snow and dirt kicked up the ground. Dots of red sprayed against the white—blood. Someone had gotten in a lucky swipe with their teeth or their claws, though neither wolf appeared hurt.
Maddox’s muzzle lifted in the air. The grey wolf’s lips peeled back as it snarled a warning at the large brindled wolf.
One second. That’s all it took. Maddox’s ears twitched, his head jerking to the side just long enough for the wolf to catch sight of Evangeline in its glowing amber gaze. Maddox’s attention strayed to his mate—and not his opponent—for only a second and Terrence took advantage of his son’s lapse.
The brindled wolf leaped at Maddox, aiming straight for the grey wolf’s throat.
The grey wolf dodged the attack, wheeling around, its jaws snapping at the brindled wolf’s hind leg as it landed roughly against the snow. Terrence yipped, snarled, and kick his leg out. Maddox let go, paused for only a heartbeat, then dove at his father again.
After that, the fight was fast.
It was brutal.
It was decisive.
After a few terrible moments where fur flew and blood sprayed and Evangeline fought the urge to cover her eyes with her hands, the fight was over. The brindled wolf lay on its back, legs kicking out wildly, the weight of the grey wolf pinning it down as it lowered its muzzle toward the brindled wolf’s face.
As Evangeline continued to watch in horror, the grey wolf closed its jaw over the brindled wolf’s throat. Not enough to break through the fur or pierce its skin—but enough to show that, if he had wanted to, he could have easily torn it out.
Terrence went still.
Maddox kept the pose for a good fifteen seconds. When the brindled wolf didn’t show any sign of restarting the fight, the grey wolf carefully opened its jaw, lifting its fangs from the other wolf’s throat. It climbed off of its opponent, tail down, ears flat, as he limped a few steps away.
It didn’t look behind it. No need. With that decision, the grey wolf knew that it was the biggest, baddest wolf in the whole east. It had toppled the previous Alpha.
It was the new ruler of the pack.
* * *
Maddox shifted back first.
Since Evangeline was the only non-shifter there, she was the only one who had a problem with the open nudity. Watching her mate strut around butt-naked was one thing, but when she realized that her father-in-law would shift back without a stitch of clothing on next, she spun her back to them, ignoring Sarah’s muffled laughter.
She heard another twang, then the rustle of clothing as the two men yanked their clothes back on. When Maddox softly murmured her name, she turned around again to see that, despite the battle, both men were upright and regarding each other with open affection and respect.
“You beat me,” Terrence said to Maddox, reaching up to rub the red gashes that ringed his throat. In an hour or so, the marks would be gone thanks to the shifter’s amazing regenerative properties, but for now the marks remained as a symbol of his defeat.
Mirroring his father’s stance, Maddox touched his own neck. The ragged, ruined skin—the sign that he wore the silver collar while he was locked in the Cage—would look like that forever. He wore his brand proudly, though, since it proved he’d rather suffer in the Para prison than live for even a moment without the memories of his precious mate.
“I did,” Maddox said.
Terrence looked over at his mate. His expression softened when his gaze fell on Sarah. “You witnessed your Alpha fall.”
She nodded, beaming over at him. “I did.”
His golden eyes slid over to Evangeline. “You witnessed your mate become Alpha,” he rumbled.
Since everyone else already agreed, Evangeline figured she should do the same. “Um. I did.”
“That settles it then. By the laws of the pack, Maddox Wolfe is the newest Alpha.”
Then, with the three others watching closely, Terrence Wolfe tilted his throat and offered his human throat to his son.
Maddox tossed his head back and howled.
And, unless Evangeline was imagining it, the wild wolves that made the mountains and the nearby forest their home all howled back in return.
