Total pages in book: 28
Estimated words: 26056 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 130(@200wpm)___ 104(@250wpm)___ 87(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 26056 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 130(@200wpm)___ 104(@250wpm)___ 87(@300wpm)
Mace’s wolf lunges, trying to sink his teeth into my throat. I twist and slam him down with my paw, cracking the pavement beneath him. His claws rake across my side, but I don’t even feel it. I rear back and drive my heavy paw across his skull—once, twice—until blood pours from a gash above his eye.
He rolls away and staggers back, shaking his head, and then—
He phases.
Into his human form.
Bloody wolves surround him, even less of them now, as he stands there heaving out breaths, already looking defeated.
“You’re not worth the claws,” he spits, stumbling backward toward his bike. “Should have taken care of you when you were a pathetic cub. You and your mate bitch.”
I lunge at him, shifting in the air. My bare feet hit the pavement and I crash into him as a man, rage pulsing through every inch of me. My fists hit like sledgehammers, each blow a release of everything I’ve been holding in.
“For Victoria.” Crack.
“For my burned home and traumatized parents.” Crack.
“For every life you’ve ruined.” Crack.
Mace stumbles. Bleeding. Broken.
He hits a motorcycle and it falls over.
“Fuck you,” he rasps, blood in his teeth. “You ain’t seen nothing yet.”
“Wrong, Mace,” I say as I squeeze my hand into a fist. “I’ve seen enough.”
I drive my fist into his chest, feeling his ribcage crack beneath my knuckles. I hit him over and over in the chest, crushing his cruel heart until he slumps down, dead eyed and breathless. His body hits the pavement with a final, lifeless thud.
Silence falls.
The remaining wolves take in the scene with stunned eyes and ears pulled back.
Their eyes flick to Magnus, who’s still in his grizzly form, jaws soaked in Knox’s blood.
Then to Victoria, who roars like a goddess of war, determination and defiance in her eyes.
Then to me—panting, bloodied, towering over the broken body of the alpha they followed for far too long.
“Go,” I say, giving them one last chance to keep their lives.
They bolt.
They flee back to their motorcycles with their tails between their legs. Some continue on into the forest, not even bothering to collect their bikes. A few others quickly phase into their human forms and flee on their motorcycles. No words. No threats. Just a blur of tail lights as they vanish into the night.
We watch them go, knowing this is the end.
Because they know what will happen if they ever come back.
They know who rules this mountain now.
And they know, that I’ll never run again.
CHAPTER TEN
Victoria
The parking lot is a mess of blood, shattered glass, and shredded leather.
But somehow, it feels peaceful.
The boys dragged the dead bodies into the woods to get them out of view for the time being. I’m not sure what’s going to happen next, but we’ll probably spend the night burying them deep in the mountains. Not really looking forward to that.
Magnus is sitting on the curb with his shirt torn and dried blood crusted along his jaw. His grizzly bear is gone, but it’s still close, hovering beneath the surface. I can still feel the weight of him in the air all restless and bruised and still longing for a mate who hasn’t arrived.
I’m glad to see him back and his timing couldn’t be beat. I hope he finds what he’s looking for soon.
He hasn’t said much since the wolves left. Neither have we.
Adrian crouches beside him, one hand on Magnus’ shoulder, the other holding a can of beer he got inside the shop.
“You still hit like a goddamn Mack truck,” Adrian says with a grin.
Magnus lets out a grunt that’s half laugh, half growl. “Still causing chaos wherever you go?”
My mate nods with a grin. “Some things never change.”
Seeing them together again brings me back to when I was a little kid, watching them from a distance. But I’m not a kid anymore, so I go over and join them.
“It’s good to see you, Magnus,” I say and I mean it.
He spots the mark on my neck and then looks at the mark I left on Adrian’s neck.
My body goes tight, not knowing what to expect.
But Magnus just smiles and shakes his head. “What did I tell you all those years ago?”
“That you’d kill me if I ever dated your sister,” Adrian says without hesitation.
Magnus looks at me for a long moment and then turns to his oldest friend with his head shaking. “You never did fucking listen very well.”
“I’d love to have your blessing,” I say as I walk over to my oldest brother. I take his hand that’s covered in dirt and squeeze it. “It would mean a lot.”
“You have it,” he says, trying hard to smile despite all he’s been through. “I’m happy for you, Victoria. For both of you.”
I wrap my arms around him and breathe in his familiar scent. “Thank you,” I whisper. “I know she’ll be here soon.”