AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Ryker’s on the same page as me. “I won’t let you have her. She’s my mate.”
Shane seems surprised that his counteroffer wasn’t as tempting as he obviously thought it was.
With a scoff, he says, “It’s one pussy, Ryker. One bitch. You’ll throw away everything—our friendship, an alliance with the Western Pack, complete control over Mountainside, even the chance to wipe out the parasites in the city below… you’ll throw that all away just because you want to claim her over letting me get one fucking thing in my life?”
“You don’t even love Gem.”
“And you do?”
“More than life itself,” announces Ryker. “See? That’s somethingyoudon’t understand, Shane. It’s not about me simply loving her or trying to claim her. How can I when sheownsme? I’ve always been her mate. If that’s what you want, then let the challenge stand. Because I’m not gonna let you have her.”
Shane cocks his head slightly, pulling back some of his earlier anger. He studies Ryker like he just can’t understand what he meant. “You’re really willing to die for her?”
“If I have to.”
“Remember he said that,” Shane calls out to the rest of the pack. “When the challenge is over and done, remember he did this for her.”
I can’t stay quiet any longer. The way he professed his love for me in front of the pack stole my voice away, but by the time he confesses that he’s prepared to die when we’re so close to forever, I just have to saysomething.
“Ryker, no—”
17
But it’s already done. As the challenger, Shane gets the first strike, circling Ryker before lashing out with a shifted hand. Claws rake across Ryker’s face, the scent of his blood filling the air.
After that, it’son, beginning with Ryker using all of his shifter’s strength to backhand Shane and send him flying ten feet away from him.
Shane pops back up to his feet, pausing only to lift the back of his hand to his face. Ryker didn’t use his claws—not yet—but the force of his hit split Shane’s lip open.
His eyes sparkle viciously. “Is that all you’ve got?”
With a snarl, Ryker picks up one of the suddenly empty chairs, snapping the wood and throwing the jagged pieces at Shane before he throws his big body next.
Never a good idea to taunt an alpha, I think, edging away from the podium as the two fighting males move their brutal brawl closer to where our ceremony had been set up.
As if they can sense that I’m looking for any opportunity to bolt into the middle of the fray, Jace joins Bobby next to me. The two males flank each of my sides, careful to stay within inches of me without actually touching. They won’t lay a single claw on me unless they think they have to, and as I watch Shane and Ryker continue to tear into each other, I’m seriously regretting how flippantly I gave the four shifters permission to be my guard.
Good going, Gem.
Freaking hell. My dream of a mating has turned into anightmare.
My hands are folded into fists to keep from anxiously shredding my dress with my claws. Apart from me and my four oh-so-helpful guards, every other shifter has vacated their seats, giving Ryker and Shane space to fight. I can also see that the number of the crowd has dwindled significantly. Some wolf shifters are too gentle to watch a challenge to the death, and there are deltas and gammas who would be protecting them out of sight.
Part of me wants to disappear into the woods, too. But I can’t, not when it’s Ryker at risk, so I stay as witness as our Luna Ceremony is basically destroyed.
The knock-down, drag-out fight started in a clearing, but as vicious as it is, it’s moved closer to where Trish and Audrey arranged everything for tonight. The first row of chairs is a casualty of the battle, and when Ryker gets a chance to slash at Shane’s carotid, the arterial blood spray actually travels far enough to dot the front of my formerly white dress crimson.
It’s not a fatal wound. Not for a shifter. But as Shane gargles on his blood, Ryker takes advantage of the distraction to kick Shane’s knees out from under him. The beta hits the ground hard, but Ryker doesn’t go for the killing strike.
Instead, chest heaving, covered in so much blood that I can’t tell what belongs to him and what belongs to Shane, he stays standing over his challenger, his gaze gone molten.
“It doesn’t have to be like this. Submit, Shane.” His voice is harsh. Raspy. Full of an Alpha’s command. “Yield.”
That should’ve been enough—but it isn’t. After choking back the last of the blood, his regenerative properties healing him enough that he can pull himself to his knees, he sneers up at Ryker.
“You’re too weak to be the Alpha. Accalia deserves better than you at its head. Jack promised me the pack and the bitch.” He gets to one foot, then the next. Luna, I wish he would just stay the fuckdown. “You yield and maybe I’ll let you watch me fuck her from time to time.”
Now, I know he’s been poisoned by the Wicked Wolf. Shane’s been taught to believe that cruelty is better than kindness, that compassion for his packmates is a weakness. But he made a crucial error. Underneath the full moon, he just taunted a bonded male. It doesn’t matter that it’s not cemented yet; all those full moons Ryker spent feral and chained in his basement is proof enough that’s long considered me his mate.
