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Bracing myself and bending low, I waited for Madison to leap. As she did, I darted forward, throwing myself under her and raking my paws down the center of her exposed belly, my claws digging in deep and ripping the flesh away.
Madison fell in a heap, rolling to the side. Her head lolled as her innards spilled onto the ground, but I didn’t have time to let that sink in.
Jessica.
I shifted back, running toward the shore at full speed, even as blood trickled down my thigh. I had a better chance of saving her in human form if I could find her.
“Someone call for help,” I screamed as I flung myself back into the water. I had no idea if anyone even heard me or if they cared since they’d all just stood watching, but I refused to lose Jessica. I pulled myself through the water with strong, sure strokes, heading for the spot I’d seen her last. Relief coursed through me when I saw Garrett dive from the pier into the water. Someone must have finally alerted the men of what was going on.
He effortlessly plucked her from the water, swimming back to the shore. My energy was flagging, but I managed to make it to her. Garrett laid her flat on the sand, and a sob escaped me when I realized she wasn’t moving. Shoving Garrett out of the way, I hovered over her still body.
“Come on, Jess,” I urged, angling her head to perform CPR. Tears streamed down my cheeks as I breathed life into her, then pumped her chest. Over and over.
Finally, her body jerked, ocean water pouring from her mouth. I turned her head. “Easy,” I choked out. “You’re going to be okay.”
I’d been so focused on saving her that I hadn’t noticed the arrival of assistants and others running toward the shore. Garrett moved between Jessica and me, lifting her in his arms. “I’ve got it from here.”
I stumbled back, falling on my ass in the sand as he carried her away, assistants rushing after them.
“Kayden!” Holden’s voice cut through the chaos of dozens of voices talking, and I glanced up to see him rushing toward me. “What happened? Are you okay? Fuck, you’re covered in blood. Someone get a medic over here,” he yelled.
I didn’t say anything, unable to put the horrors into words as my gaze went back to Jessica, who was being wrapped in blankets and placed on a flat surface while her wounds were tended to. Blood was everywhere.
“Holy shit,” Holden murmured, his voice full of shock, his eyes wide as he followed my gaze to Jessica, then further up the beach to where the lifeless body of Madison’s wolf lay gutted. He looked back at me. “Kayden…”
“Kayden has broken one of the fundamental rules of the Contention,” Sydnee declared, stomping towards us. She pointed an accusing finger at me. “She interfered in a duel. She must be sent home.”
I barely noticed the hint of a smile on her lips as someone came and wrapped a blanket around me. My whole body began to shake violently, and I couldn’t focus on what was happening around me. All I saw was blood and gore. My vision blurred, and Holden began whispering in my ear, but I couldn’t register what he was saying, my gaze fixed on the dead wolf.
“Take Jessica and Kayden to the infirmary. Everyone else, return to your rooms immediately. We need to sort this out without a crowd.” Holden scooped me up in his arms. “I’m taking you myself.”
Everything was a blur as I was brought into the infirmary. Several medics worked on Jessica while Margie started stitching up my thigh, muttering about how I was lucky she hadn’t bitten an artery. Holden paced the floor, back and forth, his shoulders tense as he talked to himself.
Finally, he stopped in front of me, and I forced myself to snap out of this daze. “Kayden,” he said urgently, “you have to tell me what happened.”
Haltingly, I gave him a play-by-play, my voice breaking as I told him about killing Madison. He didn’t say a word the entire time, and when I looked up at his face, his expression was grim.
“You intervened in a duel, Kayden. That is against the rules.” His jaw ticked, and Margie’s hands paused on my arm for a moment before she resumed the stitches.
“Jessica never shifted,” I said, my voice stronger than I expected. “The duel was over the minute she chose not to. Don’t you see—she had already submitted. What Madison did was just ruthlessly killing her for no reason.”
Holden didn’t say anything for a moment, but he exchanged a long glance with his grandmother that I didn’t understand. She gave him a single nod, and he looked back at me. “I need to go. Stay here with Jessica. I have to go take care of this.”
I sat in silence as Margie finished stitching me up, my eyes fixed on Jessica, who was lying on another bed. She’d been sedated and was now covered in bandages. My chest ached for her, but I had to remind myself she was alive, and that was what mattered.
“She inhaled water,” Margie said softly, kindly. “She needs to be observed overnight, but she’s going to be okay. Is there anything I can get you?” Her kind smile nearly did me in. I couldn’t speak through the lump in my throat, so I just nodded.
“I’ll be back to check on you in a bit.” Then she was gone, leaving me alone with Jessica and my thoughts.
My chest felt like it was caving in on itself as the dam I’d kept in place broke, my emotions pouring out. A high-pitched keening filled the air as I fell apart, everything that happened truly hitting me for the first time.
Jessica had nearly died. I’d knelt there over her limp body, trying to bring her back. She was okay, but the same couldn’t be said of Madison.
My chest felt too tight, and I couldn’t breathe. I’d killed her. The image of a lifeless wolf played on repeat in my mind. I’d done that. I’d taken a life.
I don’t know how long I cried, but after a time, I was able to catch my breath. Was this how it had been with Holden and Nico? I’d never wanted to know the details. At first, I’d only wanted to blame Holden for taking my brother’s life. For taking him away from me.
But what if Nico had been just as persistent as Madison? If it was a kill or be killed situation. When a wolf refused to submit to an alpha, the penalty was death. I took a shuddering breath, squeezing my eyes shut. It was so much more complicated than I’d ever imagined.
