“We will come to Aiden’s aid,” Alyssa’s voice preceded her entrance into the circle. She and Lysander walked up to Aiden and each placed a hand on his shoulder.
“Our clan respects the sacrifices you have all made in the fight against the Saints. We’ve all lost family in the fight and each one, whether wolf or vampire or witch, has been sorely missed,” Lysander said.
“Get out of here, vampire,” Micah spat at my friends. “Your kind are the root of all our troubles.”
“So you have said. Loudly, ad nauseum, from what I gather.” Lysander’s tone remained businesslike, though I caught the hint of annoyance. “And we will leave you alone, if Aiden is no longer Alpha. As long as he is head of the Olde Town, you can count on us for support.” He turned to Aiden and bowed. “We would gladly lay our lives on the line in your service.”
“Thank you, friend,” Aiden said, and there was no mistaking the pride in his eyes.
“Rest assured, vampire, that this will not end in Aiden’s favor,” Micah’s words were pure venom.
“So be it.” Aiden addressed the surrounding wolves. “You can all bear witness, and when this is over, I expect you all to reaffirm your loyalties, or be cast out of this pack for good.” As quickly as he said that, he crouched and transformed back into his wolf form.
Micah unzipped his pants and let them fall to the ground, then ripped his shirt off and crouched as he transformed as well. Where Aiden was a dark gray wolf, Micah had all the shading of a Siberian husky, with the light eyes to match.
The two wolves circled each other, ears pinned back, snarling.
Alyssa and Lysander backed away to the outer edge of the circle of wolves.
Brady pushed me backwards with him. My heart raced furiously. This was it. A no-holds-barred fight to the death. Aiden was a strong and accomplished fighter, but Micah was too cocky. Either he was a superior fighter himself, or he had something tricky up his sleeve.
The rest of the pack members widened their circle around the two snarling wolves. They jeered and cheered, creating quite a ruckus. I was glad we were so far removed from society here on the wolf preserve; otherwise all of this noise would surely have brought unwanted attention.
Seeing all of the posturing and snarling and feeling the animosity all around had an unexpected effect on me. I don’t know what came over me, instincts or something otherworldly. I lifted my head and did what felt right. I howled at the top of my lungs. Brady joined me, baying at the moon while still in his human form. A few of the other pack members followed along too.
Both wolves turned toward me and nodded as if we’d just signaled them to start the battle.
Diana found me too, and there was no mistaking the look she gave me. Her hazel eyes appeared obsidian under the moonlight. Cold, calculating, and cruel, the expression on her face clearly called for my death. Our fight would come soon, I just knew it; but not before Aiden and Micah finished theirs.
A high-pitched yelp had me turning to see the two dominant wolves going at it. Micah was a good fighter, narrowly dodging Aiden’s deadly teeth as he lunged for the neck. Once or twice Aiden looked to have Micah pinned, but as the thinner wolf, Micah was able to squirm and tuck himself out from Aiden’s hold. Still, I could tell that Aiden was the better of the two. He appeared to have overpowered Micah. That gave me some relief.
The death glares coming from Diana though were enough to keep me on pins and needles.
A part of me feared that I might not be able to take her. I felt fine in my new body, but Aiden had warned me I wouldn’t be at full strength yet.
The yelping, snarling, growling noises and cold slushy mud being kicked up by the fight didn’t seem to matter to her. She was locked on me and only me. Her pace deliberately slow to prolong the tension, Diana sauntered toward me, disrobing with each step so that by the time she reached me there would be nothing to hinder her from shifting into the killer wolf she was.
Ready or not, it was about to be my turn.
“I was planning to let you watch your mate die, but it seems he’s too good a fighter. Let’s give him some distraction.”
She crouched down and began to shift.
It was now or never. I had no hope against an accomplished killer. I lunged at her mid-shift, but even in her vulnerable state she was able to dodge and deflect my attack. Still a little clumsy on four legs, I overcompensated and ended up tumbling into the fight between Aiden and Micah. A set of sharp fangs dug into the back of my neck. I felt myself being pulled upward and then tossed.